This is a traditional tetrazzini recipe I made with leftover Christmas turkey. It made a great boxing day dinner served with cranberry sauce, creamy caesar salad, stuffed mushrooms, and celery bread.  We paired it with an amarone which went well with the savoury flavour.

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons butter (1 for pan, 1 for mushrooms, 3 for roux)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (1 + 1)
• 4 cups chopped turkey, mostly dark meat is best, put in a large bowl with extra room
• 2 – 227g cremini mushrooms, sliced (chop large pieces smaller)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt (added throughout)
• 1 teaspoon pepper (added throughout)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup flour
• 5 cups half & half cream
• 1 1/2 cups turkey broth (or chicken broth) – see note re making ahead
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 350 grams linguine
• 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs (or regular plus 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Grease inside of 14 by 9 1/2 stoneware dish with about 1 tablespoon butter. I prefer stoneware for casseroles however a similar-sized glass pan will work.
3. Combine 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs with parmesan and mozzarella. Set aside.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add linguine & cook 2 minutes less than the package recommends. Rinse & dump in cold water to stop cooking, drain & set aside. (This can be done while you begin with mushrooms in next step. As long as you stop cooking of noodles with cold water & drain, noodles can sit out for a bit).
5. In a dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
6. Add chopped mushrooms. Season with some salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat until moisture evaporates and mushrooms start to brown. Roughly 10 – 12 minutes.
7. Add onion, garlic, thyme and saute a few more minutes until the onion is translucent. If too dry, add up to another 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  The bottom of the pan should have some brown bits.
8. Add wine, deglaze pan and simmer until wine mostly evaporates, about 2 minutes.
9. Remove cooked mixture and add to bowl with the chopped turkey.
10. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the same pan over medium-low. Add 1/3 cup flour, stirring or whisking for 2 minutes. Don’t burn the flour.
11. Add 5 cups half & half cream, starting with 1/2 cup, then another 1/2 cup, stirring to combine the flour into a roux.  Once the mixture is thin enough add remaining cream & stir to combine.
12. Add broth, nutmeg, season with a teaspoon of salt & 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, or more depending on how much you added in steps 4 & 5. It’s better to season in layers than all at once.
13. Increase heat & bring milk + broth mixture to boil then simmer uncovered. Stir often to avoid burning the bottom.  The mixture should thicken slightly and take 10-15 minutes.
14. Add meat and mushroom mixture to the sauce, then add linguine, stirring to combine. Taste for seasoning.
15. Transfer to greased baking dish.
16. Sprinkle breadcrumb and cheese mixture over top.
17. Bake at 450F for 25 minutes. The top will be browned. If you like it less browned, cover for the first 5-10 minutes with tinfoil.

The tetrazzini can be baked ahead & reheated on low (250-260F) although if there is a day or more in between you may want to add 2 cups of broth instead of 1 1/2 cups as the linguine will soak up a lot of moisture.