Is your fridge still groaning under the weight of Thanksgiving leftovers?

We had leftovers all day Friday (no cooking… BONUS!) and then Saturday Warren made the most delicious turkey soup on Saturday. Last night I used up the rest of the turkey for Turkey Tetrazzini and except for that last piece of pumpkin pie I hid behind the spinach, our leftovers are pretty much gone.

Oh yeah, there is a tip for you mom’s in there. If you have a treat you don’t want anyone to get to before you… just hide it behind something healthy. I got the idea from a mom I knew in New Mexico. She always hid her frozen treats inside a box that had contained frozen broccoli at one time. The kids NEVER thought to look in the broccoli package!

Anyway.

Turkey Tetrazzini… if you have leftover turkey then this will help you to use it up. If you don’t have leftover turkey you can use chicken.

And if you dried too many breadcrumbs for the Thanksgiving Day dressing Bread Pudding is a great dessert and a super way to use up those bread cubes. Just make sure they aren’t seasoned bread crumbs. Some how I don’t think that would taste as good.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound Thin Spaghetti, Broken in half

4 Tablespoons Butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound button mushrooms (I’m a fan of the baby portabellas) , quartered

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white wine

1/3 cup flour

4 cups of turkey (or chicken) broth

1 8oz block of cream cheese, cubed

3 cups cooked, leftover turkey or chicken, shredded or diced

1 cup chopped black olives

1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

4 slices bacon, fried and chopped

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

extra broth for thinning, if needed

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Cook the broken in half pasta until just al dente. It’s important not to over cook it as it will cook more in the oven. Drain and set aside.

In a large dutch oven heat butter over medium high heat. Add garlic and sautee for 2-3 minutes, add mushrooms and salt and saute for 2-3 minutes more.

Pour in the wine and cook for several minutes or until the liquid reduces by about half.

Sprinkle on flour and stir for 1-2 minutes.

Pour in the broth and cook until the roux thickens.

Reduce heat and add the cream cheese cubes. Stir to melt.  NOTE: some of the cream cheese may take longer to melt- don’t worry, it will eventually.

Add the turkey, olives, peas, bacon and cheeses and stir to combine.

Add salt and pepper as needed and stir again.

Serves 12

Add the cooked spaghetti and stir.

Add more both if needed. The dish should be on the “soupy” side as the moisture will all cook off in the oven.

Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with Panko bread crumbs.

Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.