Turkey Tetrazzini

Anyone else have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving?! This is such a great way to use it all up! Instead of peas I added spinach but you can certainly stick to the peas if you wish. I also tossed the pasta all together and then toasted the bread crumbs separately and it made them so much crispier and delicious on top, instead of baking it off. A little different but trust me you won’t regret it. Creamy rich pasta filled with mushrooms and spinach in a delightful white cheddar and white wine cream sauce and topped with herby crisp breadcrumbs.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. spaghetti or bucatini
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, small diced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 1/2-2 cups cooked pulled turkey
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup white cheddar, grated
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta to al dente.

In a large skillet start by melting 2 1/2 tbsp. of the butter and 1 tbsp. of the olive oil together over medium heat. Add in the onions, garlic, and mushrooms together. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the onions and garlic are translucent. Toss in the pulled turkey and cook until that is heated through. Pour in the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and let it reduce to half. Once the wine is reduced add in the flour and make sure everything gets coated, and cook for another minute. Then pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and stir in the spinach and once that wilts in stir in the grated cheddar. Let the sauce simmer all together and thicken just for a couple minutes. Season with salt and pepper, nutmeg, and herbs.

In a separate small pan, heat the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil together, once melted add in the panko bread crumbs and stir for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat until they turn golden and crisp.

Mix the pasta into the sauce and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Garnish with more fresh herbs if you wish and enjoy!