‘Not Your Grandmother’s’ Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrazzini – Prepared with Tortellini Instead of Spaghetti

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by My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!

One of the great things about this recipe is you do NOT have to bake it – just pop it under the broiler to melt the cheese and brown the almonds!  

Or –  you can make it ahead & reheat it in the oven! 

Not too long ago I made a scrumptious lasagna using ravioli – and was very happy with the the results. So I thought, “How about preparing my usual Turkey (Chicken) Tetrazzini with tortellini”?

My son M. and I prepared this dish the day after Thanksgiving, which I spent in Philadelphia. (I always ask his mother-in-law for the turkey carcass AND the glorious turkey drippings.)  My daughter-in-law picked up cheese-filled tortellini, but, of course, you can use any type of tortellini you like.

I think you’ll enjoy this new twist on an old favorite.  I know we did.

++ I have this recipe in a cookbook I made for my twin sons and their wives.. and that made posting this recipe a bit quicker because I could just ‘cut and paste’ the ingredients and instructions!!   : o )

Mushroom Ravioli Lasagna

Follow this link for “Mushroom Ravioli Lasagna with a Light Basil & Bell Pepper Tomato Sauce”

Ingredients and Method

++  Set oven at broil – if serving this right away – broil until shredded Parmesan is melted and and almonds are slightly browned. ++  Place oven rack so that casserole is about five inches below broiler. ++ PREHEAT BROILER !! 

++  OR –  put casserole in the oven at 350F until the filling is bubbling – about a half hour.

++  OR – refrigerate casserole for a day or two, allow casserole to come to room temp, then bake at 350F until filling is bubbling – may take a bit more than a half hour.

++  Casserole is baked UNCOVERED.

Ingredients

  • 3 (9 oz.) packages refrigerated tortellini – cooked per package direction
  • PREFER TO USE PASTA –  1 (16 oz.) package spaghetti or fettuccine, cooked & use HALF the sauce recipe.
  • 2 cans chicken-mushroom soup, undiluted  ++ OR cream of chicken soup OR mushroom soup 
  • 2 cups  turkey or chicken stock    ++  Or 2 cups boiling water and 2 bullion cubes
  • 2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese  ++ My daughter in-law, who did the shopping, bought a bag of refrigerated, shredded Parmesan cheese. I usually recommend freshly grated cheese but the refrigerated cheese was very good.   ; o )
  • sprinkle of paprika, for color

In medium saucepan combine 2 cans chicken-mushroom soup, 2 cups chicken/turkey stock (or 2 cups boiling water and 2 bullion cubes), 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 1/2 tsp.salt and  1/2 tsp.pepper.  Cook, stirring, over medium heat until mixture comes almost to a boil. Add 2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken) cut into small pieces. Remove pan from heat.  Add cooked tortellini and mix well.

Pour mixture into a 10” x 13” casserole or pan.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, then slivered almonds and a bit of paprika, just for color.

TO SERVE IMMEDIATELY – Place casserole under broiler for about 4 minutes or until Tetrazzini is browned and bubbly.  ++  Be sure to watch it.  One second you have a lovely, bubbling casserole with toasted almonds… but within a few seconds you can have a disaster.

TO SERVE LATER – OR TO COOK CASSEROLE IN THE OVEN – see directions above.   Enjoy! 

 

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My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!

Sure, it's necessary to eat to survive - but that's not any fun!! The fun comes from cooking, serving and eating with lots of love, I began this blog to share some of the delicious recipes I've gathered over the years. Thanks for dropping by & sharing the love!

10 thoughts on “‘Not Your Grandmother’s’ Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrazzini – Prepared with Tortellini Instead of Spaghetti”

  1. I, too, have used ravioli to make lasagna and have taught my non-cooking friends how to do the same. It’s a great, quick, easy to prepare dinner and, on bitterly cold days like today, will go a long way towards heating you up. So, why not use them to make tetrazzini? Great idea, Cecele. I don;t have any racioli but I have plenty of Thanksgiving turkey in the freezer just waiting for a purpose. Can’t wait to tell it that I’ve found one. Thanks for the idea, Cecile.
    If I do not hear from you — and I’ll be incommunicado next week — I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, surrounded by family and friends. Happy New Year, my friend!

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    1. See – we’re BOTH geniuses!! How about you also making lasagna with ravioli!! I used tortellini for this dish BUT using ravioli instead sounds like a great idea!
      Wishing you, as well, a very merry Christmas spent with people you love. (I’m having a party on Saturday… I soo wish you didn’t live so far away!) ; o )

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    1. Aren’t you sweet! Believe me, I thought about you…. because the recipe calls for canned soup… But, in any event, this is really delicious and quick to make. Hope you’re doing well. I’m work still working hard on getting my beloved yellow farmhouse really for sale. Wishing you and yours happy, happy holidays! ; o )

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  4. I’m all about hanging out in my PJs!! We had some snow recently here in Massachusetts. I was in the Philadelphia area for Thanksgiving and they didn’t have any snow… however… I stopped overnight at our house in the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania and they had snow there… which I was not expecting. I just swept a path on the deck… and the snow was gone by the time I returned there about five days later.
    Your breads sound delicious!! ; o )

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  5. Nice dish with lots of ways to prepare and heat/reheat. I can’t say the almonds are a selling point but the rest of the dish sounds like a good way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. Not that I generally have problems using it up. Pot pie is my standard go to dish in that case. 🙂

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      1. I’m doing well thank you. Yes, Canada lives up to its rep today.

        I woke up after a solid 8 hrs of sleep to a light coat of snow on the sidewalk, car etc. I SHOULD have gone out to sweep but I spent an hour in my flannel pjs instead drinking coffee and scarfing down a yogurt cup while catching up on my FB groups. Now I’m making a regular sourdough loaf with cinnamon and raisins and a plain tartine sourdough loaf for tomorrow. Haven’t started any real ‘food’ yet so a serving of your tetrazzini would really hit the spot. I’d eat the second serving for supper. 🙂

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