Turkey Tetrazzini

Although I didn't have to make anything for Thanksgiving this year I was lucky enough to acquire some leftovers. Since everyone has another day or two to use the rest of their turkey from Thanksgiving I wanted to share this recipe with you before it was too late. I posted a leftover turkey recipe last year to kick off our first official post for Flavors by Four so I thought it was fitting to bring you another one a year later. This casserole is delicious, the mushrooms are juicy and tender, the bacon brings a nice salty crisp texture and the sauce is creamy. Keep in mind this takes over an hour to make so be sure to give yourself some time.

Adapted from: http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

Ingredients:

3 Cups Chopped up Left Over Turkey (White or Dark Meat)

4-5 Cups Chicken Broth

1 1/2 Cup Frozen Peas

4 Strips Pre-Cooked Bacon - Cooked & Crumbled

1 lbs Spaghetti

8oz Cream Cheese - Softened & Cubed

1 Cup White Wine

8oz Mushrooms - Sliced

4 Cloves of Garlic - Minced

4 Tbsp I can't Believe It's Not Butter

1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Cup Parmesan Cheese - Grated

1 Cup Colby - Jack Cheese - Shredded

1/2 Cup Flour

S&P

Pam Spray

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 F and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stove for the pasta. When the water is ready break your spaghetti in half and cook according to package till al dente. In your largest pan melt the margarine over medium heat. When it is melted, add the garlic and saute 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms and saute 3-5 minutes salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the wine and simmer until the liquid reduces by half. This could take between 8-10 minutes.

By now your pasta should be done cooking. Drain, rise, return to the pot & set it aside. Once the wine has reduced you can add in the flour mixing well the entire time to get all the lumps out. Add 2 out of the 5 cups of the chicken broth to the pan. Continue to cook until the mixture becomes thick and a roux has formed stirring as needed which will take at least 10-15 minutes.

Once it has thickened you can reduce the heat to medium low and add the softened cream cheese cubes. Keep mixing until almost all of the cream cheese cubes have melted completely this will take about 10 minutes. It will be creamy and thick now so add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth you have left over to keep it moist.

Start adding all of your other ingredients into the mixture one at a time, stirring well to combine. First the peas, then the crumbled bacon, then both of the cheeses and finally the left over turkey. Also add in another 1/2 cup of chicken broth to keep everything loose which will make it easier to mix into the pasta. Salt & Pepper again to taste.

When you are finished adding all of the ingredients dump it all into the pot with the cooked spaghetti. Add one more cup of chicken broth. Mix everything really well. Make sure all of the pasta has been incorporated especially the spaghetti on the bottom. If it looks a little sloppy that's fine, if not you may need to add that last cup of chicken broth to it. The more moisture the casserole has now the better it will do in the oven because you don't want it to dry out at it bakes.

Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with Pam and pour the entire mixture into the dish. If you need to carefully continue to mix everything together or add more chicken broth while it is in the baking dish. Sprinkle with Panko bread crumbs and bake for 25 minutes until it is bubbling and brown on the top.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend!! Enjoy!! - Nicole

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