Thanksgiving Leftovers Still? Tetrazzini to the Rescue!
Tired of Thanksgiving leftovers? Wondering just what to do with all that turkey still left in the fridge? Turkey Tetrazzini to the rescue!
My friends Zachary and Clark tell me that Luisa Tetrazzini, a great operatic soprano of the early 20th century, was much beloved in San Francisco, her favorite city. In her honor, a local chef created Chicken Tetrazzini, a delicious concoction that combines a classical French sauce with an Italian pasta to make an American casserole.
This year, after they'd had their fill of turkey with gravy and then turkey sandwiches, Zachary and Clark turned their leftovers into Turkey Tetrazzini, substituting turkey for the chicken breasts and turkey stock for the chicken broth. It was a winner!
Turkey Tetrazzini is too easy not to try once. And too good not to file away with your favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Do you have any traditional recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers? Let us know!
Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, seasoned, cooked and diced
1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup half-and-half
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup sherry
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Paprika
Chopped parsley
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a 10-by-10 inch ceramic dish. Season and saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until well browned; set aside. Cook spaghetti.
2. Make a white sauce using the stick of butter, flour, half-and-half, chicken broth, and kosher salt. Bring to a boil until thickened. Add chicken, mushrooms and sherry to white sauce; heat through.
3. Place spaghetti in ceramic dish and pour on sauce. Cover with bread crumbs, Parmesan and almonds. Sprinkle on paprika. Bake 20-25 minutes until well-browned. Garnish with parsley.
--Tracy Schneider
Leslie on December 01, 2009 at 05:59 AM
This is the basic recipe passed down from my grandmother (except the almonds). But, she also added about 1 tsp or so of nutmeg. I find that the nutmeg gives this dish an added depth.
In addition, I use up my leftover gravy, making the sauce even richer.
Lisa on December 01, 2009 at 11:29 AM
I like the idea of substituting turkey for chicken - what a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers! This recipe reminds me of when I was in college. My friend's mother would invite a bunch of us over for dinner once a month and one of the meals she made was Chicken Tetrazzini -- we all loved it. Thanks for the new twist on an old favorite!
monique on December 02, 2009 at 06:53 AM
Since we are so closely related, my company is Al Dente Pasta-the Brand,then check out my recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini.I loved your post.My recipe is probably a little lower in calories, but yours sounds delicious, too. www.aldentecanoodler.com