Stouffer’s Turkey Tetrazzini is a beloved frozen dinner classic that captures the essence of comfort food. This creamy, cheesy baked pasta dish combines tender turkey, spinach, and mushrooms in a delightful medley of textures and flavors. With its origins dating back to the 1950s, it rose to popularity as a convenient freezer aisle staple. But you can now recreate this timeless favorite with ease in your own kitchen using simple supermarket ingredients. In this detailed guide, I’ll provide tips, tricks and an easy to follow recipe to make homemade Turkey Tetrazzini that tastes even better than the frozen version.
An Overview of Stouffer’s Turkey Tetrazzini
Stouffer’s revolutionized home cooking by introducing frozen prepared meals in the 1950s. Their convenient Turkey Tetrazzini combined sliced turkey breast and thin spaghetti pasta in a creamy sauce made with parmesan cheese, mushrooms, pimentos and peas. It became a beloved staple for its satisfying flavors and fuss-free preparation – just heat and eat. Stouffer’s has perfected the classic over the years, but it’s surprisingly simple to recreate the magic at home.
This creamy, oven-baked spaghetti dish is pure comfort food bliss The tender turkey, spinach, and mushrooms pair beautifully with the rich and velvety parmesan sauce It makes for a hearty, soul-warming meal on chilly nights. The crispy, buttery breadcrumb topping provides the perfect textural contrast. It’s easy to understand why Turkey Tetrazzini remains a nostalgic favorite for many.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Recreating the signature flavors of Stouffer’s Turkey Tetrazzini is easy with pantry staple ingredients
- Cooked turkey – use leftover roasted turkey or deli slices
- Onion and garlic – provide aromatic backbone
- Mushrooms – earthy, meaty flavor
- Spinach – adds color and freshness
- Spaghetti – soaks up the creamy sauce
- Butter and flour – builds richness into sauce
- Chicken or turkey broth – infuses flavor throughout
- Milk and cream – makes the sauce extra decadent
- Parmesan – sharp, savory and creamy
- White wine or sherry – brightens up the sauce
- Breadcrumbs – crispy, golden topping
- Herbs and seasonings to taste
That’s all you need to whip up this comforting casserole at home!
Step-by-Step Recipe and Cooking Instructions
Follow these easy steps to make picture-perfect Turkey Tetrazzini:
Prep the Ingredients
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.
- In a skillet, sauté onions and garlic in butter until fragrant.
- Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Set aside.
- Chop cooked turkey into bite-sized pieces.
- Roughly chop fresh spinach.
Make the Sauce
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes to make a roux.
- Gradually whisk in chicken broth, milk, cream and white wine.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened to a creamy consistency.
- Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir in parmesan cheese until melted and smooth.
Assemble and Bake
- Add spaghetti, turkey, mushrooms, and spinach to the sauce. Gently toss together until combined.
- Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Top with breadcrumbs and a few pats of butter.
- Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30-35 minutes until hot and bubbling.
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Dig in!
Handy Tips for Delicious Turkey Tetrazzini
Here are some tips to help you nail tasty Turkey Tetrazzini every time:
- Don’t overcook the spaghetti – it should be al dente to avoid mushiness.
- Use high-quality ingredients for the best flavor. A good parmesan makes a difference.
- Season the sauce well. Be generous with the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Get the sauce consistency right. It should coat the pasta but not be watery.
- Let it rest before serving so the sauce sets up and thickens.
- Make it ahead – this casserole tastes even better the next day!
- Play around with pasta shapes or add different veggies.
- Top with crunchy fried shallots instead of breadcrumbs.
- Stir in your favorite cheese like gruyere or fontina.
Customize It Your Way
Once you perfect the classic, try these fun ways to customize your Turkey Tetrazzini:
- Use pecorino romano, gruyere or smoked gouda for more flavor.
- Add sundried tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus or zucchini.
- Stir in pesto or alfredo sauce for extra richness.
- Top with crispy bacon bits, crushed potato chips or French’s fried onions.
- Season with Italian herbs, cayenne, smoked paprika or herbes de provence.
- For decadence, stir in heavy cream or cream cheese.
- Swap in roasted chicken, Italian sausage, ham or shrimp.
The possibilities are endless, so unleash your creativity! Turkey Tetrazzini is the perfect canvas for you to make your own.
Enjoy Comfort Food Nostalgia Minus the Frozen Aisle
Now you can recreate the timeless, creamy flavors of Stouffer’s Turkey Tetrazzini without the frozen entree. With a few simple ingredients and easy steps, you’ll impress your family with this homemade comfort food classic full of tender turkey, spinach and mushrooms smothered in irresistible, cheesy goodness. So preheat that oven and enjoy this blast-from-the-past favorite once again – made from scratch with love.
How To Make Turkey Tetrazzini
- Spaghetti: Most baked pastas rely on one type of short pasta or other—macaroni, shells, etc. Not tetrazzini! Tetrazzini goes all in on long noodles. Spaghetti is the traditional choice, and its what I go with here—it provides a satisfying chew and has a knack for absorbing flavors—but linguine or fettuccine are great options too.
- Butter: I find that sauteing mushrooms in butter brings out their best flavor and provides an ideal foundation for the cream sauce.
- Garlic: Brings aromatic depth to the sauce. Skip it and youll regret it.
- Mushrooms: I prefer baby bella (AKA cremini) for their rich, meaty flavor. They provide that extra dose of umami that amplifies all the surrounding flavors. Feel free to swap in button mushrooms if thats what youve got.
- White Wine: Dry white wine is what you want. It adds acidity and complexity to the sauce, balancing the richness of the cream.
- Flour: Cooked with butter and aromatics, the flour gives the sauce a mouth-coating, velvety consistency.
- Chicken Broth: The base for our sauce provides another layer of savor flavor. I always use low-sodium broth to control the salt.
- Heavy Cream: Tetrazzini should be a riot of textures, but creaminess should predominate, which is why heavy cream is an MVP in my book.
- Roast Turkey: Tetrazzini is one of my favorite ways to use up leftover roast turkey, which can be a little on the dry side and benefits from the company of a rich, creamy sauce.
- Cheddar: Brings sharpness and salt and merges with the sauce to help tie the casserole together.
- Frozen Peas: Offer a bit of bright, fresh flavor and welcome pops of texture and color.
- Panko Bread Crumbs: I went with panko for the crunchy bread crumb topping because nothing crisps up better, but any storebought or homemade bread crumbs will do just fine.
- Parmesan: Gives the topping an irresistible salty-nutty-savory character, as only Parm can.
Get the spaghetti out of the way first. Boil it in plenty of generously salted water, following the package directions for al dente; dont cook the spaghetti any further than that—its got plenty of cooking ahead of it. Drain and set aside while you apply yourself to the sauce.
Now lets get those mushrooms going. Youll want a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot for this part. Melt the butter in the pot, add the garlic, and cook just until fragrant; were talking 1 minute, maybe. Add the mushrooms and pour in the wine; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soft and have absorbed most of the wine, about 5 minutes.
Now for the thickener: Add the remaining 4 Tbsp. butter to the pot, then whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring often, until the flour mixture is golden, about 3 minutes. What comes next is important for lump-prevention: While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the broth followed by the cream. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the turkey, cheese, peas, and oregano to the pot and stir combine. Add the spaghetti and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the whole shebang to a greased 13″ x 9″ baking dish and spread out into an even-ish layer.
For the topping, just toss the panko, Parmesan, and oil in a medium bowl to combine, then scatter evenly over the casserole.
Bake the tetrazzini until bubbling around the edges, golden on top, and melty in the middle, about 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.
- What is the difference between tetrazzini and spaghetti? To start off, spaghetti refers to a type of pasta, while tetrazzini refers to a specific baked dish that often uses spaghetti. That being said, if you’re curious as to what the difference between dishes like chicken tetrazzini and chicken spaghetti is, think of baked spaghetti as the slightly creamier, slightly cheesier version of tetrazzini. In the end, they’re very similar recipes.
Cover any leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Cooking spray
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb. spaghetti
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb. baby bella mushrooms, rinsed, sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lb. leftover turkey, chopped (about 5 c.)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
-
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 13″ x 9″ baking dish with cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package directions. Drain.
- Step 2 In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp. butter. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and wine and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the wine is absorbed and mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3 Add remaining 4 Tbsp. butter, then whisk in flour and cook, whisking frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Slowly add broth and cream and whisk until no lumps remain. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
- Step 4 Add turkey, peas, cheese, and oregano and toss until combined. Add cooked spaghetti and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture into prepared dish.
- Step 5 In a medium bowl, toss panko, Parmesan, and oil. Top baking dish with panko mixture.
- Step 6 Bake turkey tetrazzini until top is golden brown and cheese is melty, about 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
What Is Turkey Tetrazzini?
Turkey tetrazzini is an extra-comforting, baked spaghetti casserole filled with turkey, mushrooms, and cheese. Like most casseroles, tetrazzini is totally versatile: Add in your favorite veggies or switch out the protein (chicken tetrazzini is one of our go-to choices). Although you can switch out the protein, I love making this casserole post-Thanksgiving to use up all of my leftover turkey. Use leftover classic roast turkey or switch up the flavor profile with air fryer tandoori turkey, apple cider brined turkey, or harissa spiced turkey breast.
How to Make Turkey Tetrazzini | Allrecipes.com
FAQ
What are the ingredients for turkey tetrazzini?
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti.
- ½ cup butter.
- ½ cup all-purpose flour.
- 3 cups chicken broth.
- 2 cups milk.
- 1 ⅔ cups grated Parmesan cheese.
- 4 cups chopped cooked turkey.
What is tetrazzini sauce made of?
Tetrazzini is an Italian-American dish made with diced poultry or seafood and in a butter, cream or milk and cheese sauce flavored with sherry or white wine.
What goes with turkey tetrazzini?
- A crisp garden salad with vinaigrette.
- Steamed or roasted vegetables like broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
- Garlic bread or dinner rolls to sop up extra sauce!
- Cranberry sauce for a nice sweetness.
- Roasted vegetables like carrots or sweet potatoes.
What is the difference between tetrazzini and a La King?
Tetrazzini is a baked pasta dish with a cream sauce, while Chicken à la King is a sauced chicken served over rice, toast, or pastry.Feb 5, 2025