With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching here in the US, it’s time to start thinking about what to do with all those leftovers. There are the standard turkey sandwiches and turkey soup, but those can get boring pretty fast. Turkey Tetrazzini is a classic American pasta dish with mushrooms, Swiss or Parmesan cheese, turkey and a cream sauce. This is a flavorful, filling casserole and a great recipe to use up turkey leftovers.

Makes about 10 servings.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
7 Tbs unsalted butter, divided
1 tsp minced garlic
1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry sherry (or dry white wine)
2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
12 ounces wide egg noodles, spaghetti or other pasta
1 pound cubed or bite-size shredded turkey
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese
1 (5 1/2-ounce) bag potato chips, crushed or bread crumbs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Sauté onions and bell peppers in 6 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over high heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soft and have released their liquid, about 6 minutes.

Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the sherry and chicken stock and cook until smooth and thick, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and very flavorful, 15 to 20 minutes.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter.

When sauce has thickened, in a large bowl, combine the sauce, noodles, turkey, and Parmesan and stir until thoroughly combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note that if you have been using unsalted butter, and/or unsalted or low sodium stock, you may need to add more salt.

Transfer to the prepared casserole dish and top with the crushed potato chips. Bake uncovered until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.