Turkey Casserole

This layered turkey casserole takes the tetrazzini concept and gives it an Italian-red-sauce twist. Thin spaghetti, cubed cooked turkey, a sautéed tomato-mushroom sauce, and creamy white sauce get stacked in layers and baked until everything melds together into one rich, comforting dish.

The tomato sauce is where the real flavor lives. Garlic, celery, green pepper, and mushrooms sautéed until tender, then simmered with tomato purée, basil, and a bouillon cube. That ten-minute simmer concentrates the flavors and gives the sauce enough body to hold its own against the white sauce in the layers.

Alternating tomato sauce and white sauce in layers creates pockets of different flavors throughout the casserole. One forkful might hit creamy béchamel, the next lands in a tomato-mushroom bite, and there’s turkey and spaghetti running through all of it.

This is the ideal second life for leftover Thanksgiving or roasted turkey. The sauces rehydrate the meat during baking, and thirty minutes in the oven brings everything together without drying out the turkey.

Kitchen Tips

• Undercook the spaghetti slightly before assembling; it absorbs liquid from both sauces as it bakes
• Make the white sauce fairly thick so it stays in distinct layers rather than running together with the tomato
• Let the casserole rest 10 minutes after baking for neater slicing
• This assembles well ahead of time; refrigerate unbaked and add 10 extra minutes to the cook time

Variations

• Cheese layer: Sprinkle shredded mozzarella between the layers for a gooey, cheesy version
• Chicken swap: Use leftover rotisserie chicken if you don’t have turkey
• Penne version: Use penne or rigatoni instead of spaghetti for a sturdier pasta that holds the layers better