Turkey Tetrazzini and Garlic Carrots

This recipe is an excellent way to use leftover turkey or chicken. After making a couple turkey sandwiches I still had leftover thanksgiving turkey so this recipe was perfect and my turkey didn't have to go to waste. I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website and I made it my own by using Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Rotini pasta. This recipe will make enough for 2 casseroles and included directions for freezing them if you would like. The garlic carrots were a fantastic fresh side dish! Easy to make and adds beautiful color to your dinner plate!

Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe:

1 tablespoon butter

Cooking Spray

1 cup finely chopped onion

2/3 cup finely chopped celery

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon salt

3 (8 ounce) packages presliced mushrooms

½ cup sherry

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 (14.5 ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 ¼ cups (9 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

½ cup (4 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese

7 cups hot cooked vermicelli (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)

4 cups chopped cooked turkey (about 1 ½ pounds)

1 (1 ounce) slice white bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in large stockpot coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, pepper, salt and mushrooms; saute 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry, cook 1 minute.
3. Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Gradually add flour to pan, cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly (mixture will be thick) with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. Add 1 ¾ cups Parmesan cheese and cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until cream cheese melts. Add the pasta and turkey, and stir until blended. Divide the pasta mixture between 2 (8 inch square) baking dishes coated with cooking spray.
5. Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs and ½ cup Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove casserole from oven; let stand 15 minutes.

If you would like to freeze this casserole:

1. To freeze unbaked casserole: prepare through Step 5. Cool completely in refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.
2. To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw casserole complete in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake at additional 1 hour or until golden and bubble. Let stand 15 minutes.

A couple notes:

This recipe will provide 2 casseroles. I only used half of the pasta the recipe calls for because I didn't feel a whole pound of pasta was necessary.

I used a 10 ounce package of mushrooms instead of 3 (8 ounce) packages. I reduced the amount of mushrooms because I reduced the amount of pasta in the recipe.

I substituted vegetable broth for chicken broth.

I also added slightly less cream cheese and Parmesan cheese because of the reduction in other ingredients.

Garlic Carrot Recipe:

1 pound baby carrots

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

¼ cup hot water

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

dash pepper

1. In a skillet, saute carrots and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Add water, salt, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 8-12 minutes or until carrots are tender.

A couple notes:

I prefer to use whole carrots opposed to baby carrots. I find their flavor to much sweeter and fresh!

If you prefer your carrots to be slightly crunchy, be sure to remove from heat after about 7-8 minutes.

Enjoy!