Monday, November 14, 2011

Turkey Noodle Casserole – Getting Ready for Thanksgiving Leftover Leftovers

This recipe is not for your Thanksgiving leftovers. Those should simply be reheated and eaten the next day, as either a hot sandwich, or just as they were the day before. This delicious Turkey Noodle Casserole is for the leftover leftovers.

I don’t know about you, but after a few days of eating Thanksgiving leftovers, no matter how tasty they originally were, I want something that makes me forget there’s even turkey in it. Since ingredients like garam masala, spicy cheese, and peppers aren’t typically used in the meal, they work wonderfully here to disguise the last of the holiday bird.

By the way, you’ll also want to assess the rest of your leftovers before constructing this casserole. The recipe is perfect for using up the last remnants of those “why did we make so much?” vegetable side dishes; things like peas and carrots, green beans and onions, or even butternut squash will work very nicely.

I know we have a few weeks to go, but I’m posting this nice and early so you can be sure to have the necessary items in your pantry already. Thanks to all those Black Friday lunatics, the less shopping you have to do after Thanksgiving, the better. I hope you give this a try, and like it so much that you add it to your regular recipe rotation. Enjoy!



Ingredients for 6 Servings:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups cold milk
1 (10-oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon garam masala, or curry powder
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup shredded pepper Monterey jack cheese
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
12 ounce package dry egg noodles
3 cups diced cooked turkey
5 oz bag potato chips, crushed into crumbs

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just a question Chef.
Why do some recipes with pasta say rinse with water and other say do not rinse? I know some recipes with red sauce say it helps hold the sauce to the pasta but is it healthier to rinse or not to rinse, or is it just the way some chef's(TV chef's)do their pasta.
Thanks
I can wait for leftover turkey, I'm using a rotisserie chicken from Wegman's tonight!!!!!

Monica said...

the ubiquitous cream of mushroom soup!

Sandra from Montreal said...

Canadian Thanksgiving was a few weeks ago, and I've been wondering what to do with the frozen leftovers, so this recipe came at just the right time :). It sounds amazing, except the part about using cream of mushroom soup! Awful stuff IMHO. I think I'll just increase the amount of béchamel and add some fresh mushrooms. Thanks for the inspiration! I've tried several of your recipes lately and they've all been fantastic!

Chef John said...

Unless you are doing a cold pasta salad, NEVER rinse pasta, ever. The starch layer helps the sauce stick to the pasta when you mix it. Some bad cook serve pasta with the sauce simply spooned over which is bad way to serve, and they rinse so the noodles don't stick. But you need to let a pasta absorb the sauce, so that's a bad method.

DrEEE said...

Really, Chef John? A can of condensed soup? I hate to say it, but I'm a little disappointed there. :(

Chef John said...

You'll get over it.

Jesse from Detroit said...

Thank you, Sir-Mix-Alot, for causing me to laugh-spit my caldo verde all over my work computer keyboard.

Jesse from Detroit said...

Speaking of... where is your recipe for the spicy sausage and kale soup? I was going to send it to a friend. The link on your site doesn't seem to be working.

Food Junkie said...

Sounds tasty Chef John but sadly my thanksgiving turkey leftovers are long gone. However there IS a chicken waiting to get out of the freezer. For those that can't find garam masala it is fairly easy to blend your own unless your store has only the tiniest selection of spices. Way better than curry powder.

Pantalone said...

Roux, condensed mushroom soup, NY cheddar potato chips!

San Francisco eclectic!

bdwilcox said...

Looks like the MACOMS are out in force today (Mothers Against Cans of Mushroom Soup). Come on ladies, leave Chef John alone...he's a fungi...when God made him he broke the mold. Be a good spore, put on your thinking cap, and let him work his magic (you know you think he's cute as a button). The last thing you want is to live the rest of your life in the dark, being fed manure all day. The morel of my story: it's not liking adopting an open mind is gonna gill ya'.

Anonymous said...

Nice idea. Here in Australia we will be using this for Christmas turkey leftovers.

anaileliana said...

Why are there turkey left overs period? Why not cook just a little each of ham and turkey and better yet pieces of turkey instead of whole ones instead? Let's be honest. Not all left overs are used up no matter how ou change them up because you just get fed up with so much turkey! Ahhh!!!

Joel said...

This is the best bedtime-iPad-blog-reading experience ever.

Razors Edge said...

i made something very similar to this a few weeks ago but I used crushed pretzel sticks & olive mixed for the topping.. turned out real nice.

Chef John said...

jesse.. http://video.about.com/homecooking/Sausage-and-Kale-Soup.htm

Spot in Cyberspace said...

I love anything with noodles...turkey, however, is not my favorite (despite the fact that I live in Turkey). I think I'll try this with tuna or chicken...and I'll have to make my own mushroom soup (as the canned variety is sadly lacking here). Looked yummy though. Thanks for the inspiration.

BJD said...

Looking forward to making this for dinner this evening. It is a shame you use the America only cup measures instead of the universal weight method. Any chance of using both Chef John?

Anonymous said...

this literally made my stomach grumble! cant wait to try it!

Wandmaker said...

This was delicious. I made it tonight with leftover turkey, and it was just fantastic (substituted butter breadcrumbs for potato chips).

Also made the french onion green bean casserole for thanksgiving, and that was delicious too (the crispy topping and caramelized onions were a big hit), but this turkey noodle casserole in my opinion was even better. Thanks so much Chef John!

Pam said...

chef can I use cheese instead of the chips or breadcrumbs?

Chef John said...

of course! why not?

Gabrielle said...

It's in the oven now. Can't wait to taste it. It smells absolutely delicious.

Ana said...

I recently came across your site and am happy to say "you are a good cooker"! I like how you explain everything in your videos down to the things you need or don't need to do. Keep these videos coming and I am getting a kick out of your great humour when you're explaining yourself because you just crack me up!

So, like I was going to comment on this turkey casserole and was wondering if I could use something like cream of celery instead of cream of mushroom and Panko breadcrumbs instead of potato chips? Thanks and if you're reading this after December 25th, hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas! I guess you must be all "fooded out"! LOL!

Anonymous said...

why can't we get a full recipe?
all i got was ingredients. i had to remember what i saw on the video. i'd rather see the entire recipe.

Chef John said...

So you want me to work all day making you free video recipes to watch, and then you also want me to stay up at night typing up the recipe so it's easier for you? Do you want me to come over and wash your dishes too?! Can you see how this seems a little selfish and unappreciative?

JWood said...

I just made the turkey casserole and it is dry. How can I make it more moist now that it is ready to serve?

Chef John said...

pour over some boiling chicken broth

Anonymous said...

Thank you again chef for a great recipe. I am making this for the 3th time right now. I can't wait to have that first little peace from the crust.. lol.
My boys love it, and so do I.
So thank you for making this video's

Greetings from Holland

Unknown said...

Chef John your the best I rave about your pasta sauce at work, and cant wait to try this turkey noodle cassarole.
Thanks for all your hard work.

Unknown said...

hi there. i'm only seeing the ingredients for the leftover turkey casserole but i'm not seeing the directions to make it. please assist

Chef John said...

We don't use written recipes, but many on on Allrecipes.com

Unknown said...

thanks chef

Unknown said...

Another great recipe. Thanks chef. Quick question? Adding mushroom soup gives a great flavour but would it be ok to use Chicken stock with the shroom soup and a little less milk?

Dwight_Wilson said...

Chef John,
I really love the videos of all the amazing delicious food! I have made many myself and they always turn out great. I will make the turkey casserole tonight. Thanks so much for sharing your rad cooking skills and delicious recipes!
-Dwight in Van Nuys

Unknown said...

HI Chef, I love your videos! So, I'm mmaking this casserole tonight and I don't have any garam masala, or curry powder (and I'm not going out to get any) would cumin work instead?

PurlingPenny said...

For some reason I stumbled upon this recipe today, Nov. 7 2016. I just happened to have some thanksgiving turkey leftovers in the freezer,(Canadian!) so it's now in the oven. I'm sure it's going to be a hit....... the sauce tastes fantastic, so how can it not be? Thanks! I'll be back visiting often I'm sure.

Sterling1214 said...

If I don't have cream o mush soup, what should I do?

Curby Weaver said...

Many of the comments seem to express terror over using a can of condensed soup! Never fear; that can of soup provides a nice touch of MSG that will enhance all the other flavors in the dish. C'mon, you don't wince at the pancetta, bacon, ham or other unhealthy stuff, why is canned soup so terrifying?