Description
Ina Garten’s turkey tetrazzini brings comfort to dinner tables with classic Italian-American charm. Creamy pasta, tender turkey, and a golden breadcrumb topping create a hearty casserole you’ll savor to the last delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 to 3 cups leftover cooked turkey, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- ½ pound linguine, cooked to al dente
- ½ pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
Liquid and Creamy Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Madeira wine
Seasoning and Binding Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 4 tablespoons flour
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and generously coat a 1-1/2-quart (1.4 liters) baking dish with of butter, ensuring complete coverage.
- In a large skillet, melt of butter over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes until they soften and release their moisture. Pour in the Madeira wine and continue cooking until the liquid almost completely evaporates.
- Create the creamy sauce by melting the remaining of butter in a separate saucepan. Sprinkle flour into the melted butter and whisk continuously for 1 minute after the initial foam subsides, creating a smooth roux.
- Gradually incorporate the broth into the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens to a velvety consistency.
- Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to enhance the flavor profile.
- Fold the diced turkey and sautéed mushrooms into the sauce, ensuring even distribution of ingredients.
- Arrange half of the cooked linguine in the prepared baking dish, creating an even base layer. Pour half of the sauce-meat mixture over the pasta, making sure to cover it completely.
- Repeat the layering process with the remaining linguine and sauce-meat mixture, creating a second uniform layer.
- In a small bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the tetrazzini, creating a golden, crispy topping.
- Dot the surface with small pieces of the remaining tablespoon of butter to enhance browning and add richness.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the dish becomes bubbly and develops a beautiful golden-brown color. For an extra crisp topping, broil for 2-3 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.
Notes
- Elevate Flavor with Premium Butter: Select high-quality butter to enhance the overall taste, bringing depth and richness to both sauce and mushroom components.
- Precision in Mushroom Preparation: Slice mushrooms ultra-thin and sauté until completely dry, concentrating their earthy flavors and preventing excess moisture in the final dish.
- Smart Wine Alternatives: Dry sherry makes an excellent substitute for Madeira, delivering a similar complex flavor profile without compromising the sauce’s integrity.
- Strategic Pasta Cooking: Deliberately undercook pasta slightly, ensuring it maintains a firm texture during the final baking process and prevents potential mushiness.
- Masterful Layering Technique: Create uniform layers that guarantee each serving delivers a perfectly balanced combination of turkey, sauce, and pasta elements.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 493 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 88 mg