Is there anything more perfect when the evenings start to get chilly than a great, warm, comforting casserole?
Casserole warms your bones when the chill hits the air and there are absolutely endless combinations and flavor combos that can go into your favorite casserole dish.
I also dig that casseroles are kind to cooks in that most are one pot/pan/dish deals AND it’s a cinch to double recipes and freeze a pan for an easy meal later in the winter.
The most common casserole of my childhood was tuna casserole. You know the kind, with crushed Lays on top.
See, my brother is the pickiest eater I’ve ever met and sometimes my mom was just exhausted with finding new ways to combine unseasoned (apart from salt) meat, yellow cheese, and bread. For some reason though, he was gaga for tuna casserole. Funny enough, you couldn’t pay him to eat it today.
For me though the ultimate casserole is turkey tetrazzini.
I come by it very honestly. In early August of 1974, after many years of waiting to adopt, my parents received a call that a baby girl (it was me!) would be delivered to them the very next day.
After calling to quit her job, my mom quickly called all their friends and family who got to work getting the house ready, baby items purchased, and the fridge stocked. My aunt makes a mean tetrazzini and my mom said she practically lived on that tetrazzini the first days of our lives together.
I think due to that and due to the frequency of it being on our family table as I grew up, that it is buried deep in my mind as the perfect casserole.
There are endless variation on tetrazzini. Some use chicken, some turkey, some use “cream of” soups to thicken some use a roux or slurry, some add more or less of this veggie or that, and whatever noodle you have in the pantry will be a winner!
As long as you have a poultry protein, noodles, cheese, and a cream sauce, you can add anything you want after that. This is my favorite recipe, perfected over a lifetime and lots of trial and error.
Make things easy on yourself, throw together a delicious casserole tonight, and make sure to make extra and freeze for another dinner while you’re at it!
Turkey Tetrazzini
16 oz. egg noodles
¼ C. butter
¼ C. flour
1 ½ C. chicken broth
¾-1 C. milk
1 ½ C. cubed Velveeta
2-3 C. chopped cooked turkey
4 oz. jar pimentos
1 C. frozen peas
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish. Cook noodles in salted water according to package directions. Drain, and place in baking dish. Melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Once butter and flour are combined, whisk in chicken broth and milk. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add to noodles in the baking dish. Stir in Velveeta, turkey, pimentos, and peas. Bake for 45 minutes until top is bubbly and browned.
