Last of the turkey last night!

So.o.o good. Wholesome and tasty. So.o.o simple. No prep time— just turn on the oven, fix a salad, pour a glass of wine and enjoy.

I’ve been meaning to share this recipe with you since before Christmas…but you know how that’s gone. One thing I can tell you, we’ve been blessed by having this and several other frozen dinners stocked up over the past couple of months.  When there’s a good meal in the freezer, dinner can be on the table in half-an-hour, no matter how busy the day or how under the weather the cook. Hooray!

Turkey Tetrazzini

12 oz. pasta (we like egg noodles here)
8 or 10 cremini mushrooms (see right)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
(you’ll need 4 total cups of liquid – mix and match as you choose. Remember, 4 cups or it’s dry)
3 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey
1 cup peas
2/3 cup grated Parmesan (divided into 1/3 and 1/3 cups)
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt & pepper
fresh Ground nutmeg (to taste)
1/3 cup Panko crumbs

Bring 2 – 3 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and reserve.

Cook the sliced mushrooms over medium heat in 3 Tbsp of the butter until the mushroom liquid evaporates (5-10 minutes). Set aside.

In a large pan, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring continually for about 3 minutes. Slowly stir in the liquids and continue cooking until thickened (about 6 to 8 minutes).

In a large bowl combine the pasta, gravy, turkey, mushrooms, and peas. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese and all of the Swiss cheese. Add the lemon juice. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Transfer the mixture to a buttered 3 quart casserole – 4 to 6 servings for a group.  Or…if you’re making frozen dinners…four small buttered casseroles equal to four quick dinners for two.

Combine the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and the Panko crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the tetrazzini. Dot the top with bits of the remaining butter.

Bake the casserole at 375° F. for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is bubbly and the top is golden brown. If you are freezing these dinners, cover tightly with plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag until ready to cook. When ready to eat, there’s no need to thaw—just preheat your oven, remove the plastic, cover the casserole with foil and relax for about 30 minutes, then cook uncovered for another 15 minutes until it’s bubbly and golden.

Hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we do. Let me know what you think. K…?