Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake (Easy Casserole Recipe)
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Looking for an easy way to use up leftover turkey? This leftover turkey pasta bake is perfect! With lots of turkey, bell peppers, tomatoes, and topped with mozzarella cheese it’s sure to become a holiday favorite recipe.
I love cooking turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas and we always have lots of turkey leftovers to enjoy after the holiday. But sometimes you want something different from turkey sandwiches.
That’s where this easy pasta dish is perfect! Except for cooking the pasta, the whole dish can be cooked in one skillet, topped with cheese, and baked. This makes a really easy dinner idea you can enjoy during the busy holiday season.
I use my 12 inch cast iron skillet but you can also use a 9×13 casserole dish that is 2.5 to 3 inches deep to bake it in.
Ingredient Notes
Leftover cooked turkey – You can use white or dark meat or mix the types together.
Pasta – You’ll need 4 1/2 cups of dried pasta shapes. I like to use penne pasta but rotini, gemelli, campanelle all work great too, just use your favorite that you have on hand.
Pasta sauce – Use your favorite sauce, a rich homemade tomato sauce or a basic tomato sauce both work well.
Diced tomatoes – I use home canned diced tomatoes but you can use any brand that you like.
Peppers – I use 2 cups of diced bell peppers, green, red, or yellow peppers whatever you have on hand.
Mozzarella cheese – It’s my favorite for topping pasta dishes because it melts so nicely. But you can use another type of melty cheese if you like.
Onion – You can substitute shallots for a milder flavor if you like them better than cooking onions.
Garlic – Use finely chopped garlic it works best in this type of sauce.
Vegetable oil – You can use olive oil or butter instead of vegetable oil for sautéing the vegetables.
Seasonings – Salt, pepper, dried oregano, and dried basil help to add flavor to the sauce. Adjust to taste depending on the tomato sauce you use.
How To Make Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake
Preheat your oven to 350F and get a large pot of water boiling. Once boiling add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until it’s al dente. This is normally about 1 minute less than you would normally cook pasta if you like it on the softer side.
While the pasta is cooking heat your vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the onions and cook until they’ve softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Then add the garlic, peppers, salt, and pepper and stir to mix well. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Then add in the cooked turkey, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and dried oregano and basil. Stir and continue cooking until the mixture has come to a boil.
Add the cooked pasta and fold until everything is well mixed in the sauce.
Sprinkle your shredded mozzarella cheese over top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown to your liking.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle some fresh parsley over top as a garnish if you like.
How To Store
As long as the turkey meat was fresh when you made the casserole, the leftover pasta bake will keep in the fridge for 2 to 4 days. Keep it in an airtight container with a snap-on lid or tightly covered with plastic wrap.
How To Reheat
​If you have leftovers you would like to reheat you can easily warm them up on the stovetop or in the oven.
To use the stovetop method place the pasta into a heavy-bottomed pot and add a splash of water (about 1/4 cup), the amount will depend on how much pasta you are reheating. Place the lid on the pot and turn it to medium until heated through.
Another easy way to warm up leftovers is to heat it in the oven at 350F. Place your desired portions into an oven-safe dish, add a little water, and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.
How long it takes to reheat can depend on your portion size.
What To Serve With Turkey Bake Pasta
- Garlic bread
- Ceasar salad
- Garden salad
Substitutions and Add-Ins
Pasta bake recipes are a great way to use up leftovers and are very flexible. If you don’t have bell peppers on hand Try one of these ideas:
- Sliced mushrooms
- Baby spinach
- Baby kale
- Sliced black or green olives
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
More Easy Dinners
Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups dried pasta 400 g
- 2 TBS. vegetable oil
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green bell peppers chopped
- 3 cups leftover turkey cubed or shredded
- 4 cups canned diced tomatoes drained
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 can tomato sauce 3.5 cups
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, peppers, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the cooked turkey, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce bring the mixture back to a boil then add the pasta and stir together.
- Top with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and top with parsley before serving if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.
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Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
Thank you for the information
This dish is very delicious and I really like it