Turkey Tenderloins (Part 2): Leftovers!

Missy Tippens

Last week I shared a quick turkey dinner using marinated turkey tenderloins. (Click here.) But like I mentioned, we have an empty nest now. So I definitely had leftovers.

I also had most of a large can of cream of mushroom soup leftover as well, so decided to make up some sort of pasta recipe kind of like turkey tetrazzini.

First, I started boiling water for cooking the noddles. I love thin spaghetti to make the process go quicker. :)

Then I chopped 3 or 4 small carrots into small cubes. I sautéed them in some butter and olive oil. Once they'd softened a bit, I added a bag of frozen peas.

(Sorry, I didn't take photos!)

Once the vegetables were ready, I stirred in the cubed leftover turkey and let it heat through. Then I stirred in the leftover cream of mushroom soup. If you don't have leftovers, I think 1 or 2 small cans would be enough. I also added a splash of half-and-half to thin it some. It made a nice "gravy" without having to actually make gravy!

Once the noodles were cooked al dente, I added a bit of pasta water to further thin the sauce and then tossed in about half the noodles.

I ended up topping with a bit of parmesan, because, well, parmesan makes just about anything better. :)

Enjoy!

www.missytippens.com

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Yes, it's almost here. That one day of the year we set aside to give thanks for family, friends, our country and all the blessings God has so bountifully poured out on us. So it should come as no surprise that we celebrate such a day as most God-fearing people would--with food! 

And lots of it.

However, thanksgiving and leftovers go hand-in-hand. So before the turkey is even roasted, I wanted to give you at least one way to use those leftovers by revisiting a recipe I posted last year. It's quick, easy and, best of all, yummy.

So here's what you'll need for this easy Turkey Tetrazzini:

• 1 - 8 oz. package of egg noodles, cooked
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 - 6 oz. can sliced mushrooms
• Salt (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped turkey (I used a mix of both white and dark meat)
• 1 - 10.75 oz. can cream of celery soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese (I recommend grating your own cheese for this so it melts better)

Cook the egg noodles per package instructions until al dente.

While the noodles are cooking, melt butter in a large heavy skillet. Sauté onion and garlic for a couple of minutes, then add mushrooms and cook for an additional minute.

Stir in the turkey, soup, and sour cream. Taste, then add salt and pepper as needed.

I didn't add any salt, but did add the 1/8 tsp. of pepper.

Place your cooked noodles into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan.

It will be a thin layer, so don't panic.

Now pour your sauce mixture over the top, spreading as needed to cover and top with Parmesan.

Bake in preheated 375 oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

(I wish you could smell this.)

Serve alone or with a salad.

Okay, I have to tell you, this dish earned my boys' stamp of approval. And we know how picky they can be. Matter of fact, the little bit that was leftover was gone before bedtime because someone got hungry. Which reminds me, if you're making this for more than 4 people, I recommend doubling the recipe.

There you go. Quick, easy, frugal, and oh, so tasty. :)

Now it's your turn. What's your favorite way to use your turkey leftovers?

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini from The Belle

Missy, here. Last week I shared a recipe for making turkey in the slow cooker. Today I'm sharing the recipe I used to make turkey tetrazzini with the leftovers.

One of the reasons I bought an iPad last year was because I wanted it to use while cooking since I look up recipes online so often. I soon discovered the Food Network app. It's a little slow starting, and it has its flaws. But overall, I really enjoy using it. I've kept a recipe box online for ages, and those recipes pull up on my iPad. The app even has a little slider you can move to keep track of which step you're at in your recipe.

The recipe for my leftovers was found using the app. Click here to see the recipe from The Pioneer Woman show. I didn't use the mushrooms because my daughter would have rejected it. I'm sure they would have really added a lot and look forward to making again WITH mushrooms. I also just used the cheese I had on hand. And used regular bread crumbs instead of panko.

WARNING.

 Let me just say this was more time consuming than I thought it would be. Still, it's worth the effort!

Turkey Tetrazzini
Adapted from Ree Drummond

1/2 stick butter
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 pound mushrooms, quartered (again, I didn't use these)
1 cup dry white wine (NOTE: I decreased this to about 1/2 cup since I had no mushrooms to absorb)
1/2 tsp. salt
ground black pepper
1/4 cup flour
4 cups (1 box) chicken broth
8 oz. package cream cheese softened
3 cups leftover turkey--mine was shredded
1 bag frozen green peas
1 cup grated cheese (I used Light 4-cheese Italian)
1 cup  finely chopped kalamata olives (Ree used black, but kalamata are my fav)
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
4 slices bacon, fried and chopped
1 box thin spaghetti noodles, broken and cooked al dente
1 cup plain bread crumbs

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Whew. Now, after that huge list, take a deep breath. Maybe take a nap.

Okay, we're back. Now, some prep work. I'm going to share a tip I learned ages ago on a cooking show. I think it was from Melissa D'Arabian (Food Network Star winner). She said you can keep bacon in the freezer. When you need a slice, you just cut across one end (across all the slices), so there's no need to try to pull off one slice. Cut about 1 inch for one slice. Then toss it in the skillet to fry. I made 4 cuts for 4 slices of bacon.

Crumbled in the pan for cooking until crisp. Then drained on paper towels.

Cook the noodles according to package directions until al dente.

Chop/shred the turkey. And chop the olives.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and add the garlic.

Add in the wine, salt and pepper (and mushrooms if using), and cook them, stirring 

occasionally, until the liquid reduces by half. This took several minutes.


Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and wine and stir to combine (like making a roux).

Pour in the broth, stir and continue to cook until the sauce is thickened, several minutes.

Add the cream cheese and stir until it mixes in. It takes a bit to get smooth.

Add the turkey, peas, cheeses, olives, and bacon.

Stir until combined, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the spaghetti noodles. If the mixture is too thick, splash in some broth (I didn't need any 

more).

Pour into a large casserole dish (sprayed with cooking spray) and spread evenly.

Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and bake it until the  golden brown and bubbly, about 20-25 

minutes.

This was DELISH! Creamy and cheesy. And would have been even better with the 

mushrooms. I may be making this again sometime when my daughter is away. Worth the 

effort on the prep work. And a great way to use leftover turkey.

www.missytippens.com

Turkey Leftovers? Make Turkey Tetrazzini

Yes, turkey day is almost here. That most amazing day filled with all of our Thanksgiving favorites--cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, stuffing and, lest we forget, THE TURKEY!

I don't know about you, but I always seem to have tons of leftover turkey. I make turkey soup, turkey salad and more turkey sandwiches than I can count, so I'm always looking for more ways to use the leftover turkey that won't have my family complaining, "Turkey again."

Well, this casserole is one of those dishes. Throw in the fact that it's easy and that makes it even better.

For this little venture, you are going to need:

• 1 - 8 oz. package of egg noodles, cooked
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 - 6 oz. can sliced mushrooms
• Salt (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped turkey (I used a mix of both white and dark meat)
• 1 - 10.75 oz. can cream of celery soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese (I recommend grating your own cheese for this so it melts better)

Cook the egg noodles per package instructions until al dente.

While the noodles are cooking, melt butter in a large heavy skillet. Sauté onion and garlic for a couple of minutes, then add mushrooms and cook for an additional minute.

Stir in the turkey, soup, and sour cream. Taste, then add salt and pepper as needed.

I didn't add any salt, but did add the 1/8 tsp. of pepper.

 

Place your cooked noodles into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan.

It will be a thin layer, so don't panic.

 

Now pour your sauce mixture over the top, spreading as needed to cover.

Top with Parmesan.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

(I wish you could smell this.)

 

Serve alone or with a salad.

 

Okay, I have to tell you, this dish earned my boys' stamp of approval. And we know how picky they can be. Matter of fact, the little bit that was leftover was gone before bedtime because someone got hungry. Which reminds me, if you're making this for more than 4 people, I recommend doubling the recipe.

 

There you go. Quick, easy, frugal, and oh, so tasty. :)

 

This Thanksgiving, as every one before, I have so much to be thankful for. And I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a blessed and safe Thanksgiving. May God pour out His bounty.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!