Turkey A La King Casserole

Turkey A La King Casserole is a tasty way to use up leftover turkey! This creamy pasta casserole will transform your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Got turkey? We can help! Try our Homemade Turkey Soup that even uses the turkey bones or for another leftover turkey recipe, this Turkey Shepherd’s Pie does the trick!

What Is Turkey A La King?

Commonly made with chicken or turkey, a la king refers to a thick and delicious cream sauce that’s made with leftover turkey or chicken and vegetables.

Usually this is a skillet recipe that is made and spooned over rice or noodles but we’ve turned this Turkey A La King Casserole into a comforting all in one dinner! So have a few turkey sandwiches loaded with mayo and cranberry sauce, then get on to making this casserole.

This casserole recipe literally feeds a crowd. It’s loaded with turkey, pasta and vegetables that are baked in a smooth and creamy sauce that’s out of this world delicious. So call back the family, this is the leftover turkey recipe they’ve all been waiting for!

Can You Make This Casserole Recipe Ahead Of Time?

You can but not too far in advance. If you make this recipe and let it sit in the refrigerator too long the pasta will soak up all that delicious cream sauce and that won’t be a good thing.

But what you can do is make the turkey and vegetable cream sauce in advance, even the day before and then gently warm it up and toss it with your pasta before baking! This way it’ll be warm and creamy and delicious, the way turkey a la king is meant to be.

This casserole recipe is super saucy, on purpose. We wanted to mimic an “a la king” recipe in the way that you spoon that saucy turkey and vegetable sauce over rice or noodles to soak it all up.

So when you go to pour this casserole filling into your baking dish, don’t be worried that it looks like there’s too much sauce! The other reason for making this casserole super saucy is that you will probably have leftovers, so when you go to reheat this pasta casserole it won’t be dry at all!

What Kind Of Pasta Can I Use In This Casserole?

We used these fun mini wagon wheels  for this leftover turkey recipe but you can use many different shapes of pasta! Even whole wheat pasta would work really well in this recipe if you prefer!

• Rotini or Fusili
• Penne or Ziti
• Bowties/Farfalle
• Cavatappi
• Elbows
• Mini Shells
• Gemelle
• Egg Noodles

What Other Substitutions Can I Make In This Recipe?

This casserole is pretty forgiving so there’s a lot you can add in or swap out! Just try and keep the proportions of vegetables and protein in this recipe the same and it’ll come out delicious!

• Leftover chicken instead of turkey
• Diced Carrots
• Chopped Broccoli
• Corn
• Chopped green beans
• Use rosemary instead of thyme, or chopped parsley for a milder flavor
• Ritz cracker topping
• Fried onion topping

The main idea here is that this is a leftover turkey recipe, so using ingredients that you have on hand is key! A few substitutions here and there won’t make much of a difference in the flavor!

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Looking For More Leftover Turkey Recipes?

• Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
• Classic Turkey Tetrazzini
• Turkey Leg Split Pea Soup
• Easy Turkey Bolognese
• Fried Turkey Wontons

Turkey A La King Casserole

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Dan
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 Servings 1x

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This delicious leftover turkey casserole will feed another crowd! Turkey, vegetables and pasta are baked in a super creamy sauce that just creams comfort food!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound cooked turkey, cubed or shredded
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 8 ounces rotini, wagon wheels, bowties or short tube pasta cooked and drained
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, toasted (See note)
• Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the butter and oil to a large, 13 inch skillet or wide dutch oven. Once the butter has melted add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Next add the onion, celery, salt, pepper, and thyme stirring into the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine with the vegetables, let the flour cook out for 1 minute then slowly pour in the chicken broth. Whisk the stock into the vegetables so that no lumps form and bring the sauce to a simmer. Whisk in the cream and bring back to a simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the turkey, 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and frozen peas. Let the sauce come back to a simmer for 2-3 minutes and then taste the sauce for seasonings. Adjust the salt and/or pepper if needed and then remove from the heat.
6. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce to combine. If your skillet isn’t large enough for this, add the cooked pasta back to the pot you cooked it in and then pour the sauce on top.
7. Pour in the turkey and pasta filling into a 9″ x 13″ (2 quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
8. Top the casserole with the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and the toasted breadcrumbs.
9. Bake for 25 minutes, uncovered until the casserole is warmed through.
10. Serve with chopped parsley for garnish if desired.

Recipe Notes

To toast the breadcrumbs, add the breadcrumbs to a dry skillet over medium heat. Toss the breadcrumbs until they are golden brown and then remove from the skillet.

• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American