A simple turkey casserole is an easy, creamy and delicious meal!
Leftover turkey (or cooked ground turkey if you prefer) is added to pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce and topped with a buttery bread crumb topping.
This is a great way to enjoy leftover roast turkey and the perfect belly-warming meal.
An Easy Turkey Casserole
Casseroles are economical, easy to make, and everyone loves them!
Since I usually serve this with leftover turkey, I wanted to create a sauce that is quick and easy. The shortcut sauce (recipe below) is the perfect addition.
It can be made in advance, covered in the refrigerator until it’s ready for baking.
Ingredients/Variations
In this version, turkey, mushrooms, and noodles are baked into a savory sauce made with cream of chicken soup, seasonings, and cheese.
VEGGIES
What’s so great about this recipe is that veggies like broccoli, peas, or carrots can be added to make an even heartier casserole.
PASTA
Any medium pasta can sub out for the penne!
MEAT
This is a favorite with leftover turkey but if you don’t have any on hand, ground turkey, shredded chicken, even sliced smoked sausage can be used in place.
Steps to Make Turkey Casserole
- Cook the Pasta. Ensure it’s al dente (quite firm) so it doesn’t overcook while baking.
- Make the Sauce (per recipe below). Saute onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Add soup, milk, mushroom mixture, seasonings, & half the cheese.
- Combine and Bake. Fold in meat and pasta. Pour into a casserole dish, sprinkle with topping, and bake.
Serve this with 30-minute dinner rolls and crispy garlic roasted broccoli, and finish off with an amazing homemade peach crisp.
How to Store Creamy Turkey Casserole
Casseroles are just as good the next day and this one is no exception. Simply reheat a portion in the microwave and adjust the seasonings. Store in the refrigerator covered in plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
More Turkey Favorites
- White Turkey Chili
- Turkey Pot Pie
- Turkey Sandwich
- Slow Cooker Cajun Bean Soup with Turkey
- Turkey Salad
- Turkey Cranberry Pasta Salad
- Hearty Turkey Stew (with leftover turkey)
Did you love this Creamy Turkey Casserole? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Creamy Turkey Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups penne or medium pasta
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion finely diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can
- 1 ⅓ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 cup shredded Havarti cheese or swiss cheese
- 3 cups cooked shredded turkey
Topping
- ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Combine topping ingredients and set aside.
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Cook onion, mushrooms, and garlic in butter until tender, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine soup, mushroom mixture, milk, seasonings, and ½ of the cheese. Fold in turkey and pasta.
- Spread into a 9x13 casserole dish, top with remaining cheese, and sprinkle with topping.
- Bake 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Turkey
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Added left over peas from Thanksgiving Substituted French Fried Onions as a topper. Instead of penne pasta, I used Rotini . I agree that it needs more seasoning. Was nice alternative to Turkey soup. The dish seemed a bit dry but, that could have been our altitude. I would like to try again and add a lid for most of the cook time so I can keep moisture in.
I made this last year and I have made it so many times since I made it again today and this recipe is out of this world. I give it five stars.
Made this tonight. I had some great left over rotisserie chicken and used this rather than turkey. It was great. I used fresh herbs rather than dried. Great recipe and so tasty and easy. Thank you so much for all the great recipes. I can’t wait to get your new book. Carol G.
So happy you enjoyed it, Carole!
Lacks moisture and flavor. another can of condensed soup might improve it.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Susie!
I agree with several others that this was too bland. “Easy”” should not equal ” reduced flavor”.
I am an experienced cook, and knew immediately that 1/2 teaspoon basil was not nearly enough for the volume. I added additional Poultry Seasoning and Nutmeg, and even that wasn’t enough.
like others I saw no ” green” in the recipe , and realized it would look bland too! So I added zucchini.
If you intended this to be ” kid- friendly”, then say so. Notice that many reviewers added ingredients—- I don’t believe that a good recipe should have to have anything added… we are counting on you to present it in its best form.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Judith. We appreciate your feedback :)
I searched for the phrase “turkey, mushrooms, noodles” and this popped up in the top 10 results. Yay! An easy way to transform leftover holiday turkey into something special.
Everything required was already in my pantry, so I didn’t need to venture out in traffic. Double Yay! I made a few substitutions…
Instead of penne pasta, I used store-bought spaetzle (a small noodle/dumpling hybrid made in southern Germany and Alsace)… a little nod to our family roots.
I also added two large carrots (angle cut in half-inch chunks and briefly parboiled). Instead of havarti or swiss cheese, I used shredded mozarella because that’s what I had on hand. Oh, and I also used two cans of condensed soup: Cream of Chicken and Broccoli Cheddar.
The house smelled wonderful while the casserole was baking. The result was delicious. Thanks Holly!
Thank you so much for leaving a review. Happy to hear it was a hit!
I made this tonight, and what a hit! It was delicious! I followed the recipe almost exactly, but instead of penne I used rigatoni. Rigatoni cooks up pretty big and I felt like the noodles and sauce weren’t balanced, so I added in a can of cream of celery soup. We will most definitely be using this again for leftover turkey. Thank you!
We are so happy you enjoyed it, Mandy! Cream of celery soup sounds like a delicious addition!
why do you say 3 *cups* of uncooked pasta – how do you measure that? why not ounces – pasta is sold in packages of ounces…
per other reviews i used 2 cans of soup and cut up broccoli flowerettes to add to the onion/mushroom mix – didn’t trust them to get cooked thru when baking – i only sautéed them for several minutes until they were bright green and they kept that color in baking… was bland with just the dried basil even with the sauteed onions and garlic…
Hi Cat! To measure 3 cups of pasta, use a measuring cup and fill it with the uncooked pasta until it reaches the 3 cup mark.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe as much as we did but thank you for leaving a comment!