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Aunt Bee's Leftover Turkey Casserole

Name: Aunt Bee's Leftover Turkey Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups (4 ounces) uncooked rotini pasta; 1 ½ cups cooked, diced turkey; 10 ounces (2 cups) frozen peas, not thawed ((or sub with other vegetables liked parboiled or steamed broccoli)); 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup, not diluted; 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, not diluted ((I used Campbell's Healthy Request)); ½ cup milk, or more as needed; ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs ((or sub with regular breadcrumbs)); 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon melted butter

Published: Nov 23, 2018 by Blair Lonergan

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Aunt Bee's easy Leftover Turkey Casserole with pasta and cream of mushroom soup is a quick, comforting meal that takes advantage of the extra meat from your holiday feast. With just 15 minutes of prep, you can stir together a creamy turkey noodle casserole that goes well with cranberry sauce, a simple green salad, biscuits, pumpkin muffins, or a crusty loaf of bread.

How to Make Turkey Noodle Casserole | 1-Minute Video

Easy Turkey Casserole

I'm happy to invest hours in a big holiday meal -- preparing all of the sides, baking a special dessert, and making sure that the table is set. But when the feast is over? I want nothing to do with cooking...and that's the magic of Aunt Bee's easy leftover turkey casserole!

If you're looking at a refrigerator full of Thanksgiving leftovers, but you don't want to pull together an elaborate meal, then this easy turkey casserole is the perfect solution. It's fast, it's family-friendly, and it's an entire meal in one pot! Plus, you can customize the flavors and ingredients to suit your family's tastes. Don't like peas? Swap them out for broccoli. Don't like cream of mushroom soup? Just replace it with cream of celery soup or an extra can of chicken soup. You get the idea!

Ingredients for Diced Turkey Casserole

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for a turkey casserole with mushroom soup. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

Pasta: I use rotini, but any similar short shape will work. Try penne, rotelle, medium shells, or elbows.
Diced turkey: holiday leftovers are perfect, but you can substitute with cooked chicken, too. Try a store-bought rotisserie chicken or boil your own meat at home.
Frozen peas: no need to thaw the peas before adding them to the casserole (I told you this was easy)!
Condensed soup: you'll need a total of two cans of soup. I typically use a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of cream of chicken soup, but any combination works. Cream of celery soup is tasty, too!
Milk: to thin the creamy sauce.
Panko breadcrumbs: every good Southern casserole needs a crunchy topping!
Parmesan cheese: adds great flavor to the topping.
Melted butter: toss with the breadcrumbs to add flavor and to help them brown in the oven.

How to Make Leftover Turkey Casserole

This recipe really is SO easy. If you can boil pasta, you're good to go!

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water; drain.
Combine cooked pasta, diced turkey, peas, soups and milk.
Transfer the mixture to a greased 2-quart baking dish.
Stir together panko breadcrumbs, melted butter, and Parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the casserole.
Bake, uncovered, in a 350°F oven for about 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the inside is hot and bubbly.

What to Serve with Southern Turkey Casserole

Aunt Bee's classic, old-fashioned turkey noodle casserole recipe goes well with almost any of your favorite sides. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Preparation and Storage

This is a great make-ahead dinner. You can assemble the casserole up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. When ready to bake, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes.
You can freeze the casserole before baking. Wrapped tightly, the assembled casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Leftover turkey casserole will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat the casserole: If reheating an entire casserole, cover the dish loosely with foil and bake in a 350°F oven until warmed through (about 20-30 minutes). Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.

How to Bake from Frozen

If you're baking the casserole directly from the freezer, double the baking time while the dish is covered (about 40-50 minutes covered). Then remove the cover and continue baking the casserole for about 10-15 more minutes so that the topping gets crispy and browned.

Recipe Variations

Use any combination of flavors of condensed soup that you prefer: cream of chicken, cream of celery, and cream of mushroom are all tasty in this dish.
For a lighter option with less sodium, feel free to substitute with the Healthy Request line of condensed soups.
Swap out the turkey and use leftover chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Use any short pasta shape. I typically use rotini, but elbows, penne, rotelle, or medium shells will all work well.
Try different vegetables. I know that a lot of folks don't love peas (my husband included!), so it's fine to swap out the peas for other vegetables like cut green beans or broccoli. Just steam, roast, or par-boil the vegetables before adding them to the casserole so that they're tender by the end of the cooking time. For quick-prep, you can add small broccoli florets to the boiling pasta water during the final 3 minutes.
Don't have panko breadcrumbs or Parmesan cheese? Substitute with crushed Ritz crackers, potato chips, crushed Corn Flakes cereal mixed with melted butter, or other buttery crackers (like Keebler Club crackers).
Cooking just for two? Use a 1-quart casserole dish and cut the ingredients in half. You may need to decrease the baking time to 15-20 minutes (or until heated through).

Tips for the Best Turkey Noodle Casserole Recipe

Add herbs and other seasoning! Aunt Bee's original recipe is very simple (and easy!), so I often jazz it up with some extra flavor. Try rosemary, sage, parsley, chives or thyme. Garlic would also be a great addition!
Cook the pasta just until al dente (with a firm bite). It will continue cooking in the oven, so you don't want to end up with mushy pasta.
Add extra milk, as necessary, to thin the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency.
Bake the casserole just until it's heated through. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so you just want to warm it in the oven until bubbly. Don't bake it for too long or it may dry out or get burned on top.

More Leftover Turkey Casserole Recipes to Try

Did you know that you can substitute cooked, diced or shredded turkey for chicken in almost any casserole? Here are some additional recipes that you might enjoy...

Overhead shot of a bowl of easy turkey casserole

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