the end of leftovers

Today was the last serving of delicious Thanksgiving sides - a tear fell from my eye as I took my last bite of Jill's sweet potato casserole. We had a great Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) with Jill, Ethan and Mimi (more on holiday fun and food to come!). 

I stripped the bird yesterday (that sounds so naughty) and used the last bit of meat to make turkey salad, turkey tetrazzini & (of course) turkey stock.

Last year, we had a turkey tetrazzini while trimming our tree. This was also the plan last night, but alas Vance's work schedule has been crazy so the trimming has to wait. Mushroom & turkey tetrazzini was good though - similar to last year's recipe but I upped the mushrooms and red & green bell peppers give the dish a holiday flair!

16 ounces assorted mushrooms, sliced (I used half cremini and half baby bella)

half stick of butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

12 ounces egg noodles

1½ cups whole milk

¼ cup heavy cream

2 cups turkey stock (can substitute chicken stock/broth)

¼ cup white wine (can substitute stock or broth)

2-3 cups chopped cooked turkey

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 shallot, diced

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

6 ounces swiss, grated, divided

3 ounces Parmesan, grated, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

3/4 cup plain bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly mist a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside. Fill a large pot with water and put it over high heat to boil. In a large Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms (in batches) and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté shallot and bell peppers until soft - remove to the bowl with the mushrooms. When pan is empty and warm, add about 2-3 tablespoons of butter. whisk in the flour and cook, whisking occasionally, until the flour is browned and has a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. While the flour cooks, add the noodles to the boiling water and cook to al dente. While the noodles are cooking, continue on with the recipe. Slowly whisk the milk, cream, turkey stock and wine into the butter/flour mixture. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in nutmeg.

Drain the pasta when it is finished, then add the cooked pasta, mushrooms, turkey, shallot and peppers to the sauce in the skillet, tossing everything together until it is evenly coated. Add half of the swiss and half of the Parmesan cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Melt about 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl, toss together the bread crumbs, remaining swiss, remaining Parmesan and the melted butter. Toss with a fork until the bread crumbs and Parmesan are evenly moistened. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the tetrazzini. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Makes a large dish for about 6 people.