sharon moore recipes: Turkey Tetrazzini

This past Thanksgiving was my first time ever cooking a turkey. I had helped plenty of times in the past but I was a little nervous to cook one my own. Besides the actual meal that includes the freshly cooked turkey the leftovers are by far my favorite. I can't even tell you how many leftover turkey sandwiches I've had in my day.

I know it's a little past the turkey leftover time of year but I am contemplating starting having a (small) turkey dinner every few months. That way we (you and I) can have leftover turkey all the time. I'm sure at least one of you reading this is laughing at me now saying, "Duh! I've been doing this for years." I know I know. I'm always late to the game.

Lord knows I have about 5 different boxes of noodles open at any given time, most less than half full. So I took this recipe as an opportunity to ~~finish off a few things~~ empty my cupboards.

Turkey Tetrazzini

(Recipe from The Pioneer Woman)

1 1/2 lb. spaghetti, broken in half

4 Tbsp. butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. white mushrooms, quartered

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup white wine

1/3 cup flour

4 1/2 cups turkey (or chicken) broth

1-8 oz pkg. cream cheese

3 cups cooked turkey, shredded or diced

1 cup black olives, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup monterey jack cheese, grated

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high. Add garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, saute for a few more minutes. Add wine and cook until liquid reduced by about half.

Sprinkle in the flour, stir for another minute or so. Pour in broth and stir, continue cooking for a few more minutes until roux thickens.

Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into pieces and add to pot. Stir to help it melt. Add turkey, olives, peas, bacon, and cheeses. Stir to combine. Finally add the cooked pasta and combine. Once all combined, add more broth if yours is thick. You want the mixture to be soupy compared to dry. Add up to 2 more cups of liquid if you think it needs it.

Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with Panko crumbs.