Leftover turkey or chicken to use? 🫛🥕 Turkey Noodle Casserole is what to make! Tender noodles, big juicy chunks of turkey, sautéed veggies, and a crispy breadcrumb and Parmesan topping! Every bite is comfort food perfection – and no condensed soup! A flexible recipe with details on how to use leftover turkey, rotisserie chicken, and more.
Easy Turkey Noodle Casserole Recipe
- Chances are if you make a whole turkey this holiday season, or made a whole roasted chicken, or you bought a rotisserie chicken, you’re going to have some leftover meat to use and this recipe is perfect.
- I’ve got a whole slew of leftover turkey recipes and so make sure to check those out. This is more elevated that turkey sandwiches and worth it! There are a few steps but it’s overall an easy recipe.
- It’s a spinoff of my Chicken Noodle Casserole but for this, I created a crispy topping for this casserole made with French baguette bread crumbs, melted butter, and Parmesan. It’s such a lovely contrast to have that crisped top with tender egg noodles, veggies, and turkey beneath.
- There’s no condensed soup in my recipe. Instead, I use whole milk and broth that’s thickened naturally with a roux to transform it into a savory creamy sauce.
- The recipe is very flexible based on what you have on hand. You may as well use up as many leftovers as you can or shop from your own pantry. See the next section below for more details.
- You can also prep this in advance and bake it off the next day. The details are in the Notes section of the recipe card.
Ingredients in Leftover Turkey and Noodle Casserole
Turkey (or chicken): I don’t recommend making a whole turkey just to make this recipe. But chances are, if you made one you’ll be wondering how to use some of that Thanksgiving turkey! Use about 2 1/2 cups shredded or diced meat. Either white or dark meat is fine. If you have leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, use 2 1/2 cups. If you have raw chicken, in the recipe card below I discussed how to sauté it so that you can use it in the casserole.
Egg noodles: I used wide egg noodles. You can use any type of pasta or noodles that you have on hand.
Unsalted butter, flour, broth, whole milk, seasonings: Make a roux with unsalted butter and all-purpose flour, as well as thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper for flavor. You can use chicken or turkey broth (or turkey stock) if you can find it, fresh or dried herbs are fine.
Veggies: Yellow onion, carrots, celery, garlic, peas. If you have fresh carrots on hand, you’ll sauté them with the onions and celery, but if you want to use a blend of frozen carrots and peas, that’s fine. Use 2 1/2 cups total.
Topping: Around the holidays, I always have leftover French bread or a French baguette. I dice this into 2 cups of chunky pieces and then quickly food process it into finer crumbs. You can also simply use 1 cup store-bought breadcrumbs. Mix it with melted butter, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese. Garnish with parsley.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Turkey Casserole with Leftover Turkey or Rotisserie Chicken
- Turkey/Chicken: Dice or shred cooked meat until you have about 2 1/2 cups. If using raw chicken breast (or raw turkey breast), sauté bite-sized pieces in a large skillet with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and cook until done. Set the meat aside.
- Noodles: Boil the noodles in a large pot according to package directions, stopping about 2 minutes before they’re at al dente because they will continue to cook and soften while baking in the oven. So don’t overcook them now! Drain, rinse, set aside.
- Roux: To a large skillet, add butter and heat over medium heat to melt it. Then sprinkle with flour, to create a pasty mixture called a roux, allowing you to avoid condensed soup. Slowly add chicken broth while whisking and then the herbs.
- Simmer: Add the onions, fresh carrots, celery, garlic, and simmer to soften the vegetables, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Combine + Transfer + Bake: Turn off the heat, add the milk, peas, and stir to combine. Add the protein, cooked noodles, and give everything a big toss before transferring it to a baking dish or casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, and bake covered for about 15 minutes, or lightly bubbling.
- Topping + Bake: Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs with melted butter and garlic powder, stir in Parmesan cheese, and evenly sprinkle this over the casserole. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes baking time, or until the topping is as golden as desired, garnish, and serve.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
Turkey Noodle Casserole
🫛🥕 What to make when you've got leftover turkey (or chicken) to use up! Tender noodles, big juicy chunks of meat, sautéed veggies, and a crispy breadcrumb and Parmesan topping! Every bite is comfort food perfection – and no condensed soup! A flexible recipe with details on how to use leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken, or raw chicken; breadcrumbs rather than French bread, fresh vs dried herbs – it's all outlined below.
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish (or similar sized approximate 4-quart casserole dish)
Ingredients
Casserole
- 2 ½ cups cooked turkey or cooked chicken, diced into bite-sized pieces or shredded (white or dark meat is fine; OR 1 1/2 pounds raw chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles, (or another type of small-shaped pasta or noodle)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth, (I use reduced sodium; turkey broth may be used if desired)
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme, (or about 1 heaping teaspoon fresh thyme)
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, (or about 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced small (about 1 cup; white onion may be substituted)
- 2 small to medium carrots, peeled and diced small (about 1 1/2 cups; OR you may use a blend of frozen peas and carrots and use 2 1/2 cups total; take out of the freezer when you begin the recipe)
- 1 to 2 stalks celery, diced small (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Salt and black pepper, to taste (if using unsalted broth, make sure to season well with salt)
- 1 cup whole milk, (do not substitute for best results)
- 1 cup frozen peas, (see above about using 2 1/2 cups total of a frozen peas and carrots blend)
Topping
- 2 cups French baguette, cut or torn into chunky pieces (OR use 1 cup store bought Italian breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs for extra crispiness)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, optional and to taste for garnishing (or other fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish or 4-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Turkey or Chicken: If you're using previously cooked meat, dice it or shred it into bite-sized pieces so you have about 2 1/2 cups. Set aside. If you're using raw chicken breast or thighs (like shown in the photo, or raw turkey breast), to a large skillet add 1-2 tbsp olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until done; flip frequently to ensure even cooking. Set aside.
- Noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions, stopping when they're about 2 minutes from being to the point of al dente, because they'll continue to soften as they bake later in the casserole dish in the oven. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
- Roux: To a large skillet (if you cooked chicken/turkey in step 1, use that one, you don't need to wash it; just wipe a bit with a paper towel as needed), add the butter and heat over medium heat to melt it, swirling the butter or moving it around with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle on the flour and cook for about 2 minutes, or until it forms a paste-like consistency and is golden brown in color. Stir nearly continuously.
- While whisking continuously, slowly add the broth. Add the thyme, rosemary, and stir to combine.
- Simmer Vegetables: Add the carrots if using fresh carrots (if using a bag of frozen peas and carrots, add them in the next step), celery, garlic, and simmer over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes, or until the veggies begin to soften; stir occasionally.
- Milk + Veggies: Turn off the heat, add the milk, add 1 cup peas (or 2 1/2 cups of a frozen peas and carrot blend that's been out of the freezer, doesn't need to be fully thawed but not freezer cold either).
- Combine + Bake: To the skillet, add the turkey (or chicken), cooked noodles, and toss to combine with the veggies and sauce. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake covered with foil for about 15-17 minutes, or until the sauce is lightly bubbling.
- Breadcrumbs: While the casserole bakes, if using torn or diced French bread, add it to a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs and transfer to a small bowl. If using store bought bread crumbs, add them to a small bowl.
- Then add melted butter, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and stir to fluff and coat the breadcrumbs; or if you're using a food processor, you can add the butter, Parm, garlic powder, and pulse a few times to combine. Set aside momentarily.
- Sprinkle + Bake Again: Remove the foil, evenly sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top, and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until the top is as lightly golden browned and crispy as desired. Tip – Make sure to check a bit early since ovens can vary and don't want to accidentally burn it!
- Garnish: Optionally garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
- Seasoning Tip – Make sure to season individually with salt and pepper, as needed, since there's not much of either called for in the recipe. But it depends on how salty your turkey/chicken was, what kind of broth you used, what your preference for saltiness or pepper is, etc.
Notes
Make-Ahead: To make this in advance, I would prep all the way up to the point before you bake it for the first time (though step 7). At that point where you have it assembled, you can cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate for up to 24–36 hours. When you’re ready to bake this off, make sure to set it on your countertop for at least 45 minutes so that it has time to come to room temperature. Trying to bake a fridge-cold casserole never works out well!
Storage: Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave as desired. Dry? As the casserole sits in the fridge as the days pass, the noodles will continue to absorb the moisture from the casserole, so don’t be surprised if it’s more dry. It’s just what noodles do and it’s hard to prevent without creating a soupy casserole at the outset.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 621cal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 113mg, Sodium: 1052mg, Potassium: 679mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 4005IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 203mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
more easy leftover turkey recipes
