The day after Thanksgiving, it can be daunting to face turkey leftovers. What to do with it all? This tortellini-packed casserole answers the question, and might even become your new favorite tradition.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
16 oz white button mushrooms, sliced (about 5-4 cups)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons Armanino Creamy Garlic Sauce
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 ¾ cups whole milk
8 oz cream cheese, cut into 1″ cubes
⅔ cup grated parmesan, divided
4 cups coarsely diced or shredded cooked leftover turkey
1 cup frozen peas
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
kosher salt to taste
16 oz Armanino Four Cheese Tortellini
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, cook the mushrooms and onions in 3 tablespoons of the butter with a good pinch of salt until golden brown and soft, and all the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the creamy garlic sauce. Set aside.
In the Dutch oven (no need to wash), melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Stir in the flour and whisk the mixture over low heat, stirring, for about 3 minutes to make a roux.
Slowly whisk in the wine, stirring until thickened then whisk in the chicken or turkey stock and then the milk, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the liquids slowly to avoid a lumpy sauce.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5-8 minutes.
Whisk in the cream cheese until blended and smooth.
Turn off the heat and whisk in 1/3 cup of the parmesan.
Stir in the mushroom/onion mixture, turkey and peas. Add black pepper and salt to taste.
Gently fold in the tortellini (no need to cook first, use directly from the freezer as they will cook in the oven.)
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and in a small bowl then combine with the panko breadcrumbs, remaining 1/3 cup parmesan and the parsley.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the tetrazzini and bake the middle of the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve hot. The tetrazzini can be assembled several hours before baking (but add the breadcrumbs at the last minute). Refrigerate until needed. While the dish is best right out of the oven, it reheats nicely either in the microwave or a low 300°F oven to re-crisp the topping.
Chef’s Tips
If you don’t have a large Dutch oven, use a large saucepan to make the sauce, combine with the filling ingredients in a large bowl and turn the mixture into a buttered casserole or 9″x13″ baking dish.
An easy way to melt the butter for the breadcrumb topping is to place the 1 tablespoon of butter in a small glass bowl (not plastic) and place on the stovetop, out of the way. The residual heat from the preheating oven will melt the butter while you make the rest of the dish.
Have leftover holiday ham too? That’s a nice addition to the casserole as well. Dice it into roughly the same size as the turkey and add at the same time.
While the dish is best right out of the oven, it reheats nicely either in the microwave or a low 300°F oven to re-crisp the topping.
If you saved that turkey carcass to make stock, use it here. It’s easy to do: place the leftover carcass in a large stockpot, cover with cold water, add 1-2 quartered onions, 3-4 chopped celery stalks, 3-4 peeled chopped carrots, a couple sprigs of parsley and a teaspoon of peppercorns. Bring to a boil over medium-high, reduce to low and simmer for about 3-3 ½ hours until reduced by half. Strain out all the bones and vegetable bits and you’ll have lovely turkey stock. Store in the refrigerator for 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.
