Turkey Tetrazzini

This is a perfect post-Thanksgiving recipe to use up some of that turkey. It is 100% comfort food and great for a cool fall or winter dinner. It also is easy to divide into small Tupperware bins to reheat for lunch.
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Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 lb. Pasta - spaghetti Break in half. Recipe recommends thin pasta, but might work with cavatappi, rotini or penne
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 lb. white mushrooms quartered
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. white wine
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 2 c. turkey or chicken broth
  • 1/2 block cream cheese
  • 2 c. cooked leftover turkey, shredded or diced (maybe a little more...we think 2.5 or 3 cups might work well)
  • 1/2 c. finely chopped black olives We leave out...shocking....it's not in our pantry.
  • 3/4 c. frozen green peas
  • 2 slices bacon fried and cut into bits
  • 1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup Extra broth for thinning Soupy into the oven, but dry coming out...maybe 1/4 cup more.
  • 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs Liz eyeballs this...putting a coating on top, like a dusting. You can see the noodles through it.

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta until not quite done - al dente according to package instructions (it will finish cooking in the oven.) Drain, rinse, and set aside.
  • In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple more minutes. Pour in the wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.
  • Sprinkle in flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.
  • Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into pieces and add it to the pot. Stir it to melt (don't be concerned if the cream cheese remains in little bits for awhile; it'll melt eventually!) Add the leftover turkey, the olives, the peas, the bacon, and the cheeses. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper as needed.
  • Add the cooked spaghetti and stir it to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven. If it's a little soupy, that's fine! Add up to 2 more cups of liquid if you think it needs it.
  • Pour the mixture into a 9"x13" pyrex baking dish and sprinkle the top with Panko crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.