Turkey Tetrazzini

I decided to take part in the Monthly Mingle, a blog event sponsored by Meeta from the fabulous blog What's For Lunch Honey? You can read about this fun event HERE. This month's theme is "Comfort Foods." Choosing a recipe for this theme was fairly easy, considering the chilly weather and the desire to cuddle up with a cookbook and a bowl of a homey favorite, which in my case would be pasta! Of course participating in my first blog event sent me into a bit of a frenzy. In the middle of cooking my dish, I suddenly realized that loads of other people might see my work in the kitchen (like they don't already), and then I began to fret over pictures and presentation, etc. Nonetheless, I persevered and had great fun doing it!

My recipe choice: Turkey Tetrazzini.

Now I know that this is something that is typically made from leftover turkey, which I didn't have. But my local Albertson's grocery store carries fresh roasted turkey breast (just like the hot roasted chickens), and that works for this dish.

Here's what you'll need:Notes on the chosen ingredients:
1. I used Barilla brand spaghetti, which is a multi-grain pasta. It just makes things a tad bit healthier, and believe me... you can't tell the difference.
2. I'm a believer in spending an extra dollar or two a good chunk of Parmesan. You can buy the already shredded stuff, but nothing compares to the flavor of freshly grated.
3. This recipe calls for freshly grated nutmeg. If you don't already have some, it's worth investing in. The jar comes with a bunch of the whole pieces, and you just use a small microplane to grate it. Fresh vs. already ground- there is just no comparison!
4. I chose to use Panko breadcrumbs over regular.

Here's the how-to:
Cook the spaghetti until al dente (just before it's really done). Drain it and rinse it under cold water.

Melt butter in a skillet, and whisk in the flour for a minute or two.

Whisk in broth and let thicken a bit. Add the cream and spices. Add turkey and peas and heat it through. Now you're ready to put it all together.

Spread the cooked pasta in your buttered casserole dish. Spoon over the turkey mixture. Use a rubber spatula to scrape out all of the sauce and drizzle it all over the top. You'll want all of that oozy goodness in your dish!

Sprinkle on the Parmesan & bread crumbs, and it's ready to bake.



The finished dish! Oh so creamy and delicious... Turkey Tetrazzini. Definitely comforting! The recipe serves 8. There are only 3 of us. The good news: there are instructions for freezing and re-heating it!


Save this recipe for a day where you're in need of some comfort (or when you have access to some chopped turkey). It's also easy enough and tasty enough to make for someone else who is in need of comforting... new baby, illnesses, work stresses, etc.

Recipe source: From Our House to Yours: Comfort Foods to Give and Share (a wonderful recent Costco purchase... it contains recipes from a bunch of different cookbook authors, and there are make-ahead instructions for every recipe.)

This recipe can be found HERE.

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