This Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe is an easy way to enjoy leftover turkey. To make this traditional pasta casserole healthy, we load it up with veggies and lighten up the sauce. And everything cooks in one pot!
My family absolutely loves my pasta dishes like healthy chicken alfredo and healthy mac and cheese.
Healthy Turkey Tetrazzini
This turkey tetrazzini recipe is my healthy take on turkey tetrazzini. It contains way more veggies and way less fat.
Tetrazzini is a creamy white sauce pasta casserole named after an Italian opera star, Luisa Tetrazzini. It is believed to be invented at the beginning of the 20th century by a chef in a San Francisco hotel where Luisa resided. Source here.
In simple words, it is pasta cooked in a buttery, creamy sauce with poultry or shrimp and cheese.
Healthy turkey tetrazzini is made with whole wheat spaghetti, sauteed mushrooms and a creamy sauce. It is topped with roasted cheese crumbles and is an absolute hit in our house.
Love pasta? Browse all my healthy pasta dishes!
Ingredients for Turkey Tetrazzini
This recipe is perfect for including in your healthy Thanksgiving recipes to transform those turkey leftovers into a new meal!
- Turkey: I use leftover cooked roasted turkey crown.
- Whole wheat spaghetti: You can also use any long pasta like linguine or fettuccine. They might take a bit longer to cook. Add more broth or water towards the end. You can use gluten free pasta. It cooks faster, so keep an eye on it.
- Vegetables: I suggest using onion, celery, bell peppers, and brown mushrooms. You can use any veggies that you have on hand/like. Think of veggies that give out a lot of flavor when sauteed. If you don’t have fresh veggies, add frozen peas before sprinkling cheese at the very end.
- Spices: Oregano, salt and pepper, fresh parsley (for garnish).
- Liquids: Whole milk, any low sodium broth.
- Cheese: Parmesan and any melting cheese (like white cheddar).
- Breadcrumbs: Or almond flour or almond meal.
- Olive oil
How to Make Turkey Tetrazzini
There is a full recipe card below.
We are going to cook everything in one pot. Even the pasta and the sauce!
A Dutch oven is perfect for retaining heat and cooking all ingredients evenly on the stovetop. If you don’t own a Dutch oven, use a heavy bottom stainless steel pot.
- Chop vegetables: It will take about 10 minutes to chop up all the vegetables. But it is so worth it as the veggies add so much flavor, texture and healthy nutrients!
- Saute vegetables: Once chopped, you can saute mushrooms, bell peppers, celery and onion in a little bit of butter or olive oil right in the dutch oven.
- Add spices: Add a little bit of salt, pepper and dried oregano. You can use any dried herb you like. Keep in mind that cheese and cooked turkey contain salt, so we don’t need to add too much more.
- Add remaining ingredients: Throw in broth, milk, Parmesan cheese, cooked turkey and pasta. For the spaghetti, you can break it in half and use tongs to distribute the noodles around the pot. You want to make sure the noodles are separated as much as possible and not clumped together.
- Cover and bring to a boil: Once it has started to boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir the tetrazzini: Open the lid and stir the softened spaghetti with tongs. You want to separate the pasta and mix with liquids as much as possible. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Make topping: While spaghetti is cooking, in a medium bowl mix cheese and almond flour with your hands. Sprinkle on top of pasta dish and broil until browned and bubbly. Garnish with parmesan and parsley. That’s it!
How to Store and Freeze Turkey Tetrazzini
Store: Refrigerate tetrazzini leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To reheat, add to a pot with a splash of milk and simmer on low.
Freeze whole: You can absolutely freeze this healthy turkey tetrazzini after cooking. If you are planning on freezing the casserole, cook noodles al dente. Then transfer to a large baking dish and let cool completely. Sprinkle with cheese crumbles and wrap with a few layers of foil tight. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, thaw in the fridge overnight. Then bake uncovered in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 20 or so minutes.
Freeze leftovers: In an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on a counter and reheat in a pot with a splash of milk while simmering on low and stirring until warmed through.
More Healthy Pasta Recipes to Try
- Ground turkey pasta bake
- Healthy Tuscan chicken pasta (one pot)
- Healthy chicken broccoli casserole
- One pot spaghetti recipe
One Pot Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups leftover cooked turkey diced
- 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 large celery stalks finely chopped
- 2 bell peppers finely chopped
- 10 oz brown mushrooms sliced
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups 2% or whole milk
- 3 cups any broth low sodium
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cheese favorite melting cheese I used white cheddar
- 3 tbsp almond flour or meal or breadcrumbs
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat large Dutch oven on medium heat and add olive oil.
- Add onion and celery, cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add bell peppers, mushrooms, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add milk, broth, Parmesan cheese, turkey and broken in half spaghetti. Stir with tongs well and as much as you can so as many noodles are separated and not clumped together.
- Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
- Open the lid and stir softened spaghetti with tongs well. You want to separate pasta and mix with liquids as much as possible.
- Cover and cook for 10 more minutes.
- While spaghetti is cooking, in a medium bowl mix cheese and almond flour with your hands.
- Sprinkle on top of pasta dish and broil until browned and bubbly.
- Garnish with parsley and more pepper. Serve warm.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To reheat, add to a pot with a splash of milk and simmer on low.
- Freeze: In an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on a counter and reheat in a pot with a splash of milk while simmering on low and stirring until warmed through.
- Pasta: Use any long pasta like linguine or fettuccine. They might take a bit longer to cook. Add more broth or water towards the end. You can use gluten free pasta. It cooks faster, so keep an eye on it.
- Clean out: Veggies are an example – use what you have, less or more. Think of veggies that give out a lot of flavor when sauteed. No fresh veggies? Add frozen peas before sprinkling cheese at the very end.
- Pot: If you don’t own a Dutch oven, use heavy bottom stainless steel pot.
- Freezer meal: You can absolutely freeze this healthy turkey tetrazzini after cooking. If you are planning on freezing the casserole, cook noodles al dente. Then transfer to a large baking dish and let cool completely. Sprinkle with cheese crumbles and wrap with a few layers of foil tight. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw in the fridge overnight. Then bake uncovered in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 20 or so minutes.
Good morning,is there a way I could make this in my instant pot.We just got home from an early weekend with 4 wonderful grands with never ending energy.And these grands love the leftover turkey we brought from our early Thanksgiving.But we need a day to rest and I love my instant pot and its convience,thanks in advance for any help you can give me.Oh and by the way I use and love many of your recipes,you rock.
I think so. I would follow my Instant Pot spaghetti recipe and add the topping at the end after cooking.
Dear Olena, I made this to night, this was excellent! I used a pound of ground Turkey (is all I had) and it still made 9 pints, 8 in the freezer & I ate one. Thank you for another great recipe. I’ve been making Turkey T. (Betty C.) for years, but this is better yet, plus no bake. A keeper for sure.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe better than Betty C!
When do you add the Turkey to the mixture ?
In step 4.
How many cups or ounces does the serving size measure?
Approx 2 cups.
Could I use ground
Chicken?
Yes, ground chicken could be used instead.
Made this with left over instant pot turkey from the night before. I had exactly 4 cups. This was so good and so pretty when it’s all done. Thanks for another great recipe that’s healthy and tasty.
I am so happy you think so Jacque! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Excellent! My family devoured this as if they hadn’t eaten for days! We’ll be having this often!
Fantastic Marty!
Came out great! The flour I used on the top stayed very powdery so I just brushed it with a little olive oil. I was actually surprised it was as good as it was! I was worried about a healthy version of turkey tetrazzini 😀
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Cheryl!
Awesome!