Aunt Bee's Leftover Turkey Casserole with pasta and Cream of Mushroom soup is an easy and comforting dish that takes advantage of the extra meat from your holiday feast -- with just 15 minutes of prep! This healthy dinner recipe is a quick solution when you're tired of spending a lot of time in the kitchen!
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! I'm done!
If you're looking at a refrigerator full of Thanksgiving leftovers, but you don't want to pull together an elaborate meal, then this leftover turkey casserole with noodles is the perfect solution! It's fast, it's family-friendly, and it's an entire meal in one pot!
How to make Turkey Casserole with Leftovers:
This recipe really is SO easy. If you can boil pasta, you're good to go!
Simply combine boiled noodles with leftover turkey, frozen peas (no need to thaw them first), and two cans of condensed soup. I use cream of mushroom soup and either cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup, but you can pick any combination that you prefer. Plus, you'll add a little bit of milk to thin the sauce.
Transfer the turkey mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.
And it wouldn't be a southern casserole without a buttered breadcrumb topping! I used Panko breadcrumbs here, but any breadcrumb that you prefer is totally fine.
The combination of melted butter, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese adds such great flavor and texture to the top of the dish.
How Long to Cook Leftover Turkey Casserole:
Since the turkey and the noodles are already cooked, the turkey casserole bakes in a 350-degree F oven for just 20-30 minutes (or until bubbly and golden brown on top).
Can you freeze turkey casserole?
Yes! This is a great make ahead dinner! You can assemble the turkey casserole in advance, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and foil before baking, and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Can you reheat turkey casserole?
Absolutely! To bake the assembled casserole, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as instructed.
To bake a frozen casserole directly from the freezer (without thawing): cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour (or until heated through). Remove the foil during the final 15 minutes to allow the top to brown.
To reheat a turkey casserole that has already been baked: cover with foil and warm the casserole in a 350-degree F oven for about 20 minutes.
Creamy, hearty, and comforting, Aunt Bee's Leftover Turkey Casserole is everything that a post-Thanksgiving dinner should be: quick, easy, and delicious!
COOK'S TIPS AND RECIPE VARIATIONS:
- Substitute cooked, diced chicken for the turkey
- Use cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, or cream of mushroom soup -- any combination will work!
- Pick your favorite vegetables! Just make sure that you go with something small so that it cooks in the given time. A bag of frozen mixed vegetables (including corn, peas, carrots, and green beans) would be a nice option.
- Serving only 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).
When the holiday is over, the last thing that any of us will want to do is stand in the kitchen the next day to slave over a hot meal. Instead, we need something that comes together in a matter of minutes, that uses common pantry staples, and that the whole family will actually eat. With just 15 minutes of prep, this Leftover Turkey Casserole is Aunt Bee's answer to your post-holiday blues!
You might also enjoy these leftover turkey recipes:
- Dump-and-Bake Turkey Tetrazzini
- Wild Rice and Leftover Turkey Soup
- Quick and Easy Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup
Aunt Bee's Leftover Turkey Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (4 ounces) uncooked rotini pasta
- 1 ½ cups cooked diced turkey
- 10 ounces (2 cups) frozen peas NOT thawed
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup NOT diluted (I used Campbell's Healthy Request)
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup NOT diluted (I used Campbell's Healthy Request)
- ½ cup milk
For the Topping:
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs or sub with regular breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart (about 8-inch square) dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook pasta in boiling water until just al dente (about 9 minutes). Drain. Stir in turkey, peas, condensed soups and milk. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared dish.
For the Topping:
- In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan and melted butter. Sprinkle over top of casserole.
- Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through and golden brown on top.
Notes
- Substitute cooked, diced chicken for the turkey
- Use cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, or cream of mushroom soup -- any combination will work!
- Pick your favorite vegetables! Just make sure that you go with something small so that it cooks in the given time. A bag of frozen mixed vegetables (including corn, peas, carrots, and green beans) would be a nice option.
- Serving only 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).
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November, 2016. It was updated in November, 2018.
This looks deliciouss! Pasta bakes are one of my favourite comfort food meals and for some reason peas always make them taste better, haha!
I agree, Kristy! That little bit of sweetness from the peas adds such great flavor and texture! Thanks, friend!
What a great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving! It's nice to have a versatile recipe like this where you can use whatever veggies you like and leftover turkey or chicken.
Exactly! Thanks, Lindsay!
Hi Blair ,
Another recipe from Aunt Bee. The casserole looks delicious and easy to make. I love all the casserole recipes you post. It's been a while since I visited and I love the new look on the website.
Thanks, Ruwani! The site is brand new, so I'm glad that you stopped by!
You said you use two cans of soup but recipe calls for one. Did you double recipe or did you like it with extra soup?
Hi, Maria! The recipe calls for 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of cream of chicken soup -- so 2 cans total. Does that help to clarify? Enjoy! 🙂
It calls for 2 different cans of soup.
Great but needs a bit of black pepper, cayenne pepper, or paprika.
Can you substitute frozen vegetables for can vegetables?
Hi, Cindy! I didn't use canned vegetables -- just the frozen peas. You can substitute with a different type of small frozen vegetables (such as frozen mixed vegetables), or you can use canned vegetables. Any of them will work! 🙂
If canned veggies can be used, already cooked (refrigerated) veggies could be used then? I have a TON of greenbeans and corn left from Thanksgiving!
Would love to make this but I'm trying to control my sodium intake. Do you have a suggestion to replace the cream soups? Even the low sodium soups are still way to high for me. Thanks so much!
Hi, Karen! I've had a lot of readers use their own homemade condensed soups in this type of recipe. You can google a homemade cream of mushroom soup recipe and pick the one that looks best to you (I know there are many options out there, but I've never tried making them myself). If you create your own condensed soup, then you can omit or control the sodium. 🙂 Enjoy!
This was a snap to put together! I did use a variation from the tips provided, I didn't have a bag of frozen peas, so I used a bag of frozen mixed veggies. I found that the cook time needed to be extended by 15 mins (a total cook time of 45 mins) to get the casserole heated all the way through and to begin to brown on top. It wasn't creamy at all inside, a bit dry, would make again, but I would add more milk or can of cream soup so it would be moist.
If canned veggies can be used, already cooked (refrigerated) veggies could be used then? I have a TON of greenbeans and corn left from Thanksgiving!
Absolutely! The leftover veggies will be perfect! 🙂
If I substitute the pasta for rice would I pre cook rice or put the dry rice in mix and place in the dish ?
Hi, Brandon! You'll want to use cooked rice, just like you would use cooked pasta. If you use uncooked rice, you would need a lot more liquid for the rice to absorb (and it would take a lot longer in the oven). Enjoy!
This was very good! I used mixed vegetables, I don't like peas, and added some salt and pepper! IT was great, I loved the crust. I had no parmeseean so I used Mexican mix, awesome and very easy!
Great recipe. I used frozen mixed veggies & penne rigate noodles instead 0f rotini. I also used Romano cheese. This is a delicious recipe I will definitely use again.
Thanks, Bill! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note. 🙂
Can I use ground turkey? If so how should I cook it? Thanks
Hi, Pamela! Absolutely! I think it would work well with ground turkey, too. I would cook about 1 pound of ground turkey in a skillet until it's no longer pink. Drain off the fat, and use it in the recipe just like you would use regular turkey. Enjoy!
This was good. It is a super versatile recipe. I added more milk (whole milk, by about 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup extra) to make it creamier, which was probably a good thing since I had about 2 cups of turkey and more noodles than called for. I sauteed some shallot in olive oil, tossed in the panko, seasoned with salt and pepper, then off the heat, added about 1/4 cup of the parmesan. The shallot was perfect--- added extra flavor. Next time I would add some tarragon or sage; I think it needs some fresh herbs to brighten it up a little. Or, I bet a 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar mixed into the soup mixture would be great--- turkey mac-n-cheese! My panko did not get very brown with the standard 1/2 hour at 350; so I threw it under the broiler for a couple minutes to get it nice and golden. Overall, the perfect thing to throw together with leftover turkey when you are very short on time.
I made this casserole after thanksgiving and loved it. Just made it with chicken for tonight. I'm sure it will be just as as yummy. Thanks for the receip e
Thank you, Judy! Yes -- it's great with chicken, too. 🙂
Tasty and very easy to prepare.
Thanks, Natalio! So glad that you enjoyed it!
Can I substitute chicken broth for the milk?
Hi, John! Yes, that will work fine. Enjoy!
Hi there, I look forward to making this recipe however, I only have wide egg noodles on hand, can I use those instead?
Hi, Daryl! Yes, those should work fine! Enjoy. 🙂