This recipe for leftover turkey casserole takes all the extra turkey that you've got and makes it into a delicious casserole packed with vegetables.
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This recipe for leftover turkey casserole takes all the extra turkey that you’ve got and makes it into a delicious casserole packed with vegetables. You can make this leftover turkey casserole as a main dish in less than 40 minutes start to finish or throw it in the freezer when you need an easy weeknight meal.
Why We Love This Leftover Turkey Casserole Recipe
- Delicious leftover turkey breast recipe.
- Quick and easy to make -ready in just 40 minutes.
- Uses up leftover meat with lots of vegetables to make a complete meal in one dish.
- Can be enjoyed as a main or side dish – perfect for all your holiday guests!
Ingredients
- Cavatappi Pasta
- Leftover turkey
- Condensed cream of chicken soup
- Frozen Peas
- Half & Half
- Mozzarella & provolone cheese
- Garlic & onion powder
- Black pepper
- Italian style panko breadcrumbs
- Salted butter
Substitutions and Additions
- PASTA: Feel free to use any type of shaped pasta, like penne, rigatoni, penne, farfalle, etc.
- LEFTOVER TURKEY: If you want to make this casserole at another time of the year, when you don’t have any leftover turkey, you can use rotisserie chicken, pulled pork, or shredded beef.
- CONDENSED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP: Switch this out with cream of mushroom, cream of celery, or cream of potato.
- FROZEN PEAS: Any frozen vegetable can be used, like frozen carrots, corn, green beans, or a mixture of these.
- HALF & HALF: Substitute this with milk or heavy cream.
- CHEESE: Mozzarella cheese: You can replace this with (only) provolone, cheddar, pepperjack, monterey jack, or another melty cheese. Provolone cheese: I used a cheese mix that has both mozzarella and provolone cheese, but if you don’t have that, you can just use solely mozzarella or the other melty cheeses.
- ONION POWDER: Mince and cook a yellow onion until translucent for a similar taste.
- ITALIAN STYLE PANKO BREADCRUMBS: Use regular panko breadcrumbs instead, though there won’t be quite as much flavor in the topping if you do so.
- SALTED BUTTER: Unsalted butter or coconut oil are other options for this.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Casserole
This recipe comes together quickly, in just 10 minutes of prep. Even with the bake time, it will be ready in just 35-40 minutes. Much faster than waiting for the big meal on Thanksgiving Day!
- Cook pasta al dente and drain.
- Combine cooked pasta, turkey, cream of chicken soup, peas, half & half, cheese, garlic and onion powders, and pepper together in a bowl.
- Stir gently.
- Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish.
- Combine Italian breadcrumbs with melted butter, mix together.
- Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of the mixture in the casserole dish.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
- Plate and serve warm.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Place leftovers in the refrigerator in a covered container. They will be good for about 3 days depending on how old the turkey already was. Cooked turkey in general is only good for about 3-4 days afterwards, so keep that in mind when using leftover turkey.
- To Freeze: You can freeze your leftover casserole for 2-3 months. However, I would recommend freezing the turkey solo and then thawing the leftover turkey to make the casserole on a later day.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave. I like to add a tablespoon of water or half & half to keep the noodles from drying out.
Other Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Broken Glass Jello
- Leftover turkey casserole
Leftover turkey casserole
Serves — 6
This recipe for leftover turkey casserole takes all the extra turkey that you've got and makes it into a delicious casserole packed with vegetables.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups cavatappi pasta uncooked
- 2 cups leftover turkey chopped or shredded
- 21 ouce (2 10.5-ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 12 ounce bag frozen peas
- ¾ cup half and half
- ¾ cup mozzarella & provolone cheese shredded
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¾ cup Italian style panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook pasta al dente and drain according to instructions.
- Combine the cooked pasta, turkey, condensed cream of chicken soup, frozen peas, half and half, mozzarella & provolone cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper together in a large bowl and gently stir together.
- Transfer to a 9×13 casserole dish.
- To prepare the topping, combine the Italian style Panko breadcrumbs with the melted salted butter. Mix together and then sprinkle on top of the casserole.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the casserole bubbles and is browned on top.
- Plate and serve warm.
Notes
Storage :
- To Store: Place leftovers in the refrigerator in a covered container. They will be good for about 3 days depending on how old the turkey already was. Cooked turkey in general is only good for about 3-4 days afterwards, so keep that in mind when using leftover turkey.
- To Freeze: You can freeze your leftover casserole for 2-3 months. However, I would recommend freezing the turkey solo and then thawing the leftover turkey to make the casserole on a later day.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave. I like to add a tablespoon of water or half & half to keep the noodles from drying out.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1040mg | Potassium: 399mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5961IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 3mg
