Leftovers Recipe: Turkey Noodle Casserole Recipes from The Kitchn

When you cook a 22-pound turkey for Thanksgiving, leftovers are inevitable. The first round is devoured in a midnight dash to the fridge (straight from the Tupperware, no silverware required.) And then there's Friday's long-awaited turkey-cranberry panino, with a pile of green bean casserole on the side. Heaven. But my favorite meal of allbesides the main event, of courseis turkey noodle casserole.

Countless versions of turkey noodle casserole abound in Southern community cookbooks and recipe boxes, but I think this one is the very best. There is not much to it: just a creamy cheddar bchamel tossed with noodles, turkey, and veggies, all baked to perfection. It's comfort food at it's finest.

If you are looking for something delicious for your turkey leftovers, yet simple and easy to throw together, this is your recipe. It's nothing fancy, but I guarantee you there won't be a single bite left. But then there's always next year.

Turkey Noodle Casserole

Serves 8

8 ounces dried egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped sweet onion (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided
2 cups cooked, shredded turkey
3/4 cup sour cream
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saut until tender and softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Whisk in the flour and stir until it is absorbed (and the "raw" tasted cooked out), about 1 - 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add the cayenne, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cheese sauce, 2 cups shredded cheese, shredded turkey, and sour cream to the noodles. Season generously with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.

Grease an 8 x 11-inch baking dish (or similar size) casserole dish. Pour noodle mixture into baking dish and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake until casserole is warm and cheese is bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Serve with lots of hot sauce, preferably Frank's.

Related: Recipe: Chicken and Swiss Chard Pasta Bake

(Images: Nealey Dozier)

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Cooking Long Pasta in a Short Pot: Is Breaking Noodles Bad Form?

There you sit with long noodles and only a short pot in which to boil them. Suddenly the age old conflict of breaking your noodles or not is upon you. Some say it's bad luck, some say it's bad form. Where do you stand?

Most Italians will tell you that breaking noodles is bad luck. Some folks are ok with the chaos that noodle breaking might create and snap away to make everything fit in so they can walk away from the stove. (Let's face it: the 5 minutes it takes for pasta to boil you can get several things accomplished! Plus, sometimes it's easier for pasta to be twirled up on a fork when it's shorter anyway, right?)

If you want to avoid breaking your pasta and want it all in a pot, try adding it in, waiting a few minutes once boiling and the rest of the noodle should be soft enough to fold down into your pot.

Where do you stand on the pasta breaking front? Are you a breaker and a snapper or do you leave those long starchy strands whole? Let us know below!

Related: Make Great Fresh Pasta at Home: Tips From My Italian Mother-in-Law

(Image: Flickr member The Traveling Bum licensed for use by Creative Commons)

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