Casserole dishes are amongst the best comfort foods you can make. Especially during the winter, they can be exactly what you need on a cold evening.
In this article, we have the 23 best turkey casserole recipes you can make at home for the family or as a main meal to please your guests at that Friday night dinner gathering.
So, keep on reading and save the recipes below; whether it’s that leftover thanksgiving turkey you want to use or not, these casseroles are going to be a big success!
1. Pastry-Topped Turkey Casserole
Who doesn’t love pot pies? Not only are they delicious, but they can also satisfy both those who like the softness of the inside of a casserole, as well as those who enjoy the crispiness of an oven-baked crust!
Low in fat and high in protein, this casserole calls for herbs like rosemary and thyme and spices like pepper and paprika.
Potatoes, onions, celery ribs, mixed vegetables, and turkey are cooked in a chicken broth before being mixed with some flour and milk that make the filling of the casserole thick and juicy.
With a homemade crust on top, it can become the perfect Friday night dinner meal!
2. Enchiladas
While this recipe calls for chicken, you can use your Thanksgiving leftover turkey instead and make the creamiest and tastiest enchiladas ever!
With heavy cream, sour cream, and a generous dose of Monterey Jack cheese on top, this enchiladas casserole recipe is proof that you don’t need fancy ingredients to make a perfect dish.
3. Creamy Turkey Casserole
If you’ve never made this recipe before, then you have never tried the creamiest turkey casserole that ever existed.
With 3 different kinds of condensed cream soups – celery, mushroom, and onion – and lots of cheese and turkey, this casserole is simply mouthwatering.
The added broccoli florets, alongside the chestnuts and mushrooms, add extra flavors to your plate, while the rice helps keep everything in one place.
Ready to make this recipe for tonight? Check out the ingredients and instructions here and make sure you have everything you need before you start cooking!
4. Crunchy Almond Turkey Casserole
You only need 15 minutes to prepare this crunchy almond turkey casserole (see also ‘13 Amazing Turkey Brine Recipes To Try‘)!
The condensed cream of mushroom soup is once again used for a casserole that, while much higher in fat, is also higher in taste.
Filled with chestnuts, almonds, mayonnaise, and sour cream, the turkey and rice in this casserole are loaded with extra nutty flavors.
The secret ingredient, however, is the lemon juice, while the crushed Ritz crackers and sliced almonds at the top of the dish make it extra crunchy!
5. Turkey And Biscuits Casserole
Yellow onion, carrot, celery, and garlic are sauteed in butter and then added in a mustardy bechamel mixture that will be tempting to eat straight out of the skillet thanks to its fragrances.
Parmesan cheese, chopped dill, lemon zest and juice, turkey, and peas are then added to the mixture that is poured into the baking dish.
For the topping, homemade biscuit dough (the recipe for which is included in the casserole recipe) is placed on the filling in a round form to create some savory, zesty and herby biscuits once baked.
6. Chipotle Turkey Chilaquiles
If you have some leftover rice, turkey, and some opened tortillas that you would like to combine for tonight’s dinner but don’t know what to make, this Mexican-inspired casserole is a perfect idea!
A layer of baked tortillas is topped with turkey, which is then topped with beans, cheese, and a chipotle mixture.
Covered with some extra tortilla pieces, cheese, and broth poured over, this chipotle turkey chilaquiles casserole is to die for!
7. Turkey & Spinach Stuffing Casserole
If you are looking for a turkey casserole with less than 10 ingredients, then this 7-ingredient turkey and spinach stuffing casserole is exactly what you want.
While both the turkey and the spinach might not be that flavorful, the addition of dried cranberries, cheddar cheese, chicken broth, and stuffing mix take this casserole to a whole other level!
With no more than 3 tablespoons butter required for a 4-serving casserole, this is a high-protein, low-fat (use reduced-fat butter for less fat) meal that can be ready in 35 minutes.
8. Cordon Bleu Casserole
Three layers at the bottom of the baking dish – those of the turkey, cheese, and ham – are covered with a thick, mustardy bechamel sauce.
If this sounds pretty basic, wait until you’ve added the soft breadcrumbs, Swiss cheese, and melted butter on top before putting the dish in the oven to bake for around 30 minutes, until it is golden and bubbling from the heat.
Let’s just say that you might not want to have cordon bleu in any other way again.
9. Taco Noodle Dish
An easy-to-put-together casserole, this recipe makes a fusion dish that draws inspiration from both Mexico and China.
Egg noodles meet the taco seasoning, taco sauce, and Mexican chiles in this recipe that will have everyone asking for more.
If you are on a low-carb diet, this casserole can easily be turned into a keto one. All you have to do is replace the egg noodles with some Shirataki or zucchini noodles!
10. Turkey Mac’ N ’Cheese
Why not pump up the traditional mac’n’cheese recipe with some turkey?
This turkey mac’n’cheese casserole has everything you’d expect from a traditional macaroni and cheese dish, with the addition of some leftover turkey.
What makes this recipe so special? Apart from the added turkey, it also calls for some leftover stuffing and some dried tarragon, both of which make this casserole one of a kind.
11. Turkey Spaghetti Casserole
If you are following a low-fat diet, this turkey spaghetti recipe already includes low-fat ingredients and has only 6g of fat per cup.
Turkey breast and spaghetti are the main ingredients of this casserole, but what really makes it unique in taste are the sauteed vegetables and the cream of mushroom soup used.
While you need to bake the casserole for about 70 minutes before sprinkling it with some cheese and then baking it for another 10 minutes, the result will reward you for your patience.
12. Crescent Turkey Casserole
With 8 ingredients needed to make this recipe, we can say that this crescent turkey casserole is a strong contender to the turkey and spinach stuffing casserole in terms of the time spent and the ingredients needed to make it.
While both casseroles are perfect for when you want to trick your kids into eating some vegetables, this casserole’s stuffing is well-hidden under a thick crescent roll pastry topping that makes this casserole more of a pot pie that kids can’t say no to.
13. Four-Cheese Turkey Pasta Bake
For those who love pasta but don’t want to have yet another carbonara this week, this four-cheese casserole is the perfect way to enjoy pasta and turkey in an alternative way.
Cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and Swiss cheese are mixed with a decent amount of whipping cream and milk to make a thick and cheesy sauce that can be easily eaten on its own with a spoon.
However, try to resist the temptation and wait until you’ve cooked the penne and added it alongside the rest of the ingredients to the cheesy mix. It’s definitely worth the wait!
14. Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Who says you can only make shepherd’s pie with minced meat? The traditional British pie that everyone who has tried it around the world loves tasted great when made with turkey!
Cook the mixed vegetables in butter until soft, add the herbs and broth and thicken the mixture with some flour before adding the leftover turkey meat.
Cover the filling with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. 30 minutes in the oven and then be prepared to taste a version of the shepherd’s pie that will end up being your go-to one.
15. Hot Brown Turkey Casserole
Who would imagine that a sandwich made at a hotel in Louisville, Kentucky could lead to one of the best turkey casseroles you can make at home?
Even if you have never tried the hot brown sandwich, this recipe can give you a good idea of why those who have tried it want to replicate it in every version possible.
Toasted bread slices and turkey are topped with a bechamel sauce that is then ‘adorned’ with bacon and cheese. Served with tomatoes and parsley on top, its taste is classic and unbeatable!
16. Herbed Turkey Tetrazzini
While its name does not mention the noodles used in the recipe, this is another casserole where the Chinese pasta meets another country, this time Italy and its Parmesan cheese and Mediterranean herbs.
Mushrooms are cooked with parsley, bay leaves, and thyme and are then added to a bechamel sauce mixture along with the cubed, cooked turkey.
Mixed with the noodles, you then transfer the mix into a baking dish and sprinkle the cheese and some breadcrumbs on top.
Serve it with some sprinkled almonds and you have a mouthwatering casserole ready in no time!
17. Strata
We have many layered casseroles on this list, but this Strata is probably the best one!
With a herby bread soaked in custard as its base, this dish then has a layer of leftover turkey followed by separate layers of cheese, bacon, sweet onions, greens, and cranberry sauce.
With a top layer of bread that is soaked in gravy and cheese, it is a cheesy, crispy, juicy, sweet, and tart casserole whose every bite gratifies your palate with a different flavor.
18. Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole
Why throw away the leftover food you have from your Thanksgiving dinner? This Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole is the perfect way to enjoy yesterday’s food in a whole other way.
This casserole is practically a baking dish layered with 6 ingredients: stuffing cubes, cooked turkey, celery ribs, frozen peas, cranberries, and sweet onion.
The only thing you need to make is some bechamel sauce to add on top, which you have to mix with some corn. Add some butter and pecans and bake for 35 minutes.
Easy to make and with no food to go to waste, it is the best thanksgiving casserole recipe you can find!
19. Southwestern Turkey Bake
The Southwest is calling you in the kitchen!
Sauteed onions and jalapenos are stirred in a soupy turkey, spinach, and sour cream mixture that is then used as the base of this casserole.
Careful not to use all of it at once, as the turkey layer is then topped with a cheese and tortilla chips layer and then both of the layers are repeated.
Baked until bubbly, you can serve it as it is or with some green onions on top.
20. Tamale Pie
A tamale pie can stand out and make your dinner gathering unforgettable thanks to its ingredients and taste.
Made with polenta and a spicy turkey mixture that includes enchilada sauce and black beans alongside the spices, this turkey casserole is served with diced avocado, pomegranate salsa, cotija cheese, and cilantro.
21. Company Turkey Potpie
With vegetables like sauteed mushrooms, shallots, squash, red pepper, and fennel, this stuffing crust turkey pot pie is high in fiber and taste.
Mixed with some chicken broth and thickened with milk and flour, the filling of this pot pie is topped with 10 sheets of phyllo dough that are cut into strips and become flaky and crunchy when baked.
With 28g of protein per cup and only 278 calories, it is a perfect casserole meal for kids or those on a low-calorie diet.
22. Stuffing Crust Turkey Pot Pie
This pot pie casserole not only looks unique but tastes like nothing else you’ve ever tried to!
Cooked cornbread stuffing is moistened in a few tablespoons of chicken broth to create a base that is baked in the baking dish for 10-15 minutes.
The filling is a mix of cream cheese, turkey gravy, cooked turkey, broccoli florets, and Swiss cheese that is then topped with a layer of mashed potatoes mixed with some half-and-half cream (see also ‘23 Easy Half-And-Half Recipes To Help You Use It Up‘).
Drizzled with butter, this casserole needs no more than 25 minutes to bake. Sprinkle some onions on top before baking it for some crispy, sweet, oniony essence.
23. Amish Turkey Casserole
This Amish turkey casserole looks like a deconstructed pot pie but tastes like a Michelin-star restaurant’s dish.
With simple ingredients like carrots, celery, and leftover turkey, this casserole is made with a mouthwatering sauce that is simple to make. Topped with breadcrumbs, it is crispy and juicy at the same time. Yummy!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Reheat A Precooked Turkey Without Drying It Out?
Cover the pan tightly with foil—this will allow the turkey to steam and stay moist—then reheat at a low temperature until hot, about 20 to 30 minutes at 300 degrees.
The Bottom Line
These 23 turkey casserole dishes are delicious and easy to make. So, if you have any leftover turkey or want to cook some to make these recipes, don’t think twice about it!
- 15 Traditional Greek Breads - July 31, 2023
- 30 Delicious And Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes - July 29, 2023
- 30 Of The Best European Desserts - July 29, 2023