Tired of cooking? Good. This dinner casserole requires very little of it. Creamy and comforting Turkey Casserole with Noodles is a great way to use up turkey leftovers, takes only 20 minutes to prep, and tastes absolutely amazing!
Quick and easy cream of mushroom sauce, chopped turkey, pasta, and peas come together in casserole form. It all gets topped off with a crunchy Panko-Parmesan mix, and it's off to the oven to bake until golden-brown and irresistibly bubbly.
Love creamy pasta casseroles? Add our Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Bake to your dinnertime lineup!
TURKEY CASSEROLE INGREDIENTS
Turkey - Turkey Casserole is an excellent way to use up leftover holiday turkey, but this casserole is so delicious, you might just find yourself coming up with excuses to make turkey outside of the holiday season. If this is the case, try baking up some turkey cutlets.
Pasta - You can use Twirls or Rotini pasta. Actually, just about any noodle that traps sauce will work. Just make sure you boil it in salted water. The pasta is half the casserole, so you want to be sure it has some flavor to it!
Mushrooms Sauce - No "cream-of's" or super-condensed cans of anything will be found in this Turkey Casserole with Noodles. Mushroom sauce is easy to make from scratch and eons better than the canned stuff. To make your mushroom sauce, you'll need button mushrooms, butter, flour, chicken broth, and heavy cream.
Panko-Parmesan Topping - For an extra flavorful, crunchy topping, Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese couldn't be more fitting. It'll bake up nice and crispy, and a beautiful golden-brown.
Peas - With its creamy mushroom sauce and bites of savory turkey, green peas are the perfect addition to this Turkey Casserole! Not to mention, they add a lovely little pop of color. You can add the peas to the casserole frozen. No need to thaw them first.
Seasoning - Part of what makes this casserole so easy to assemble is a good majority of the flavor comes from dried spices, rather than chopping onion and garlic. You'll need garlic powder, onion powder, Kosher salt, and black pepper to spice up your Turkey Casserole with Noodles!
If you love this dish, you for sure need to give our chicken and rice casserole a try!
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY CASSEROLE WITH NOODLES
- Prep - Get your water boiling to cook the noodles, chop your turkey, and your button mushrooms.
- Mix the Panko-Parmesan Topping - Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and stir in the panko bread crumbs and Parmesan.
- Make the Mushroom Sauce - In a large pan, melt butter and add the chopped mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are cooked through, sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth one big splash at a time, stirring well after each addition. Then, add the cream and seasoning, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow it to thicken slightly.
- Combine Pasta, Sauce, Peas, and Turkey - In a large bowl, stir together the cooked pasta, diced turkey, sauce, and peas.
- Top and Bake - Transfer the mix to the casserole dish and top your Turkey Casserole with the Panko-Parmesan mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the sides are bubbly. Serve and enjoy!
5 MORE TURKEY RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE
- Turkey Salad is perfect for sandwiches, spreading on crackers, or topping off a bed full of mixed greens! It’s easy to make at home, even if you don’t have leftover Thanksgiving turkey on hand — however, if you do, now you’re talking really easy!
- Turkey and Dumplings is a comforting and hearty soup featuring leftover turkey, carrots, celery, and homemade dumplings!
- Turkey Burgers made with ground turkey are cooked on the stove and topped with a creamy avocado spread! This burger carries with it a Southwestern vibe, speckled with green chiles, and seasoned with smoked paprika and cumin for an extra bang of flavor!
- Ground Turkey Casserole is a delicious Mexican-inspired casserole featuring taco-seasoned ground turkey, a quick-fix tomato sauce, pasta, and Monterrey Jack cheese.
- Turkey Cutlet Salad features turkey cutlets pan-seared in bacon fat, roasted grape tomatoes and an easy avocado-green goddess dressing made in a blender. Feel free to use leftover turkey in the place of turkey cutlets!
Turkey Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons + ¼ cup unsalted butter, separated
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 (12 ounce) package twirls or rotini pasta, cooked according to package instructions
- 2 cups cooked turkey breast or turkey tenderloin, chopped into 1" cubes
- 1 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- ⅔ cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and have ready a greased 9x13" casserole dish.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. In a small bowl, mix together the panko bread crumbs, and Parmesan. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a large sauté pan, melt ¼ cup butter over medium-high heat. As soon as the butter has melted, add the chopped mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, just until the mushrooms are cooked through.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth on big splash at a time, stirring well after each addition. Then, add the cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to thicken slightly, about 3-4 minutes.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cooked pasta, diced turkey, sauce, and peas. Transfer to the casserole dish and top with the Panko-Parmesan mixture.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the sides are bubbly. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Beth Pierce says
Made this for my family and it has instantly become a new family favorite recipe! Looking forward to enjoying this again later this week!
traci says
I am crazy about the scrumptious recipe. Another classic for the collection...thank you!
Alison says
There's nothing like a good comforting casserole. It brings back memories of my childhood. This is perfect for turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Love how easy and delicious this recipe is. It's perfect for a gathering or a party.
Anita says
This is going to be an easy and delicious day after Thanksgiving lunch. It is almost a guarantee that we'll have plenty of leftover turkey. 🙂
Anjali says
I love this idea for using up all those turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving! Definitely adding it to my list of holiday recipes!
Nancy says
I always like to have a list of turkey recipes in my pocket for after the holidays so we don't have any waste and it seems like we are getting a whole new meal! This is just perfect! The family will LOVE it!
Calleigh F says
A perfect way to revive Thanksgiving leftovers. I could jazz these leftovers up with cheese, cream of mushroom soup, and celery and make it a hearty casserole dish! Thanks for the inspiration.
Ashley says
We love this casserole and can't wait until we have some leftover turkey after Thanksgiving to make it again. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Renee Goerger says
This is the exact reason I love turkey leftovers. Thanks for the great recipe!