Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1/2-pound pasta of choice
- 3 cups leftover turkey, diced
- 1/2 cup bacon, finely diced
- 1 whole sweet pepper, finely diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, finely grated
For the Sauce:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. tsp dry oregano
- Pinch of salt to season
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, smashed
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
To prepare the pasta, bacon and mushrooms:
- Start by cooking the pasta to al dente or slightly under; drain and set aside.
- Finely dice the sweet pepper and set aside.
- In a large saucepan or small Dutch oven, brown the bacon until a little crispy.
- Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté them until they get some good brown color; set them aside with the pancetta and peppers.
To prepare the sauce:
- In the microwave, scald the milk and turkey stock almost to boiling.
- In the saucepan or Dutch oven that you cooked the pancetta and mushrooms, melt the butter and add the flour, black pepper, salt, nutmeg and garlic.
- Cook together over medium heat for 2 minutes until foamy.
- Whisking constantly, slowly pour in scalded milk and stock mixture in about three additions, allowing the sauce to thicken and come back to a simmer after each addition.
- Continue to cook for 2 more minutes stirring constantly.
- Grease an 8 – 10 cup casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, stir together the pasta, turkey, pancetta, mushrooms, bell pepper and sauce.
- When well combined stir in the 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese.
- Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
To bake the turkey tetrazzini:
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the smashed almonds and the other half cup of finely grated Parmesan.
- Sprinkle over the pasta mixture.
- Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbling well.
- Allow the tetrazzini to sit for 15 – 20 minutes before serving; this allows the pasta to absorb any excess moisture and thicken the sauce.