This Skillet Turkey & Vegetable Tetrazzini recipe is a healthy twist on a beloved classic with loads of vegetables and turkey in an earthy mushroom cream sauce swirled with fresh pasta.
Using leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken, this comfort food dish is a complete, satisfying meal in just 30 minutes.
Skillet turkey & vegetable tetrazzini is our post-holiday go-to for using leftover turkey, but you don’t have to wait for special occasions.
Traditionally, tetrazzini is a pasta-heavy baked casserole-style dish with chicken or turkey in a cream sauce with parmesan cheese and mushrooms, topped with breadcrumbs. The original tetrazzini recipe has undergone numerous transformations, showcasing its versatility and adaptability to changing culinary trends.
Here, we shift gears for a healthier approach to this favored classic. First, the amount of pasta is reduced to make room for colorful vegetables like cauliflower, red pepper, and zucchini—boosting nutrition and lowering carbs.
We like this vegetable combo because it’s quickly seared in a skillet for maximum flavor.
PRO TIP: It’s essential to cook the vegetables separately to evaporate excess moisture and keep them crisp-tender. That’s why we wait to add them to the sauce once it has reduced to avoid overcooking them (no one likes soggy veggies).
Pan-seared vegetables, turkey, pasta, and savory mushroom cream sauce don’t require baking, so there’s a big time-saver there, too. We serve our skillet turkey tetrazzini straight from the pan (less cleanup!) with an extra layer of freshly grated parmesan and fresh parsley.
Whether enjoyed in its classic form or as this reinvented version, Turkey Tetrazzini highlights the timeless appeal of comfort food, bringing people together through a shared love of hearty, satisfying flavors.
TIP: If the breadcrumb topping is a favorite part of traditional tetrazzini for you, toast ½ cup panko bread crumbs with a bit of butter in the skillet before preparing the recipe. Garnish each plate with the crispy crumbs just before serving.
Tetrazzini Recipe Variations
Protein Swaps: While turkey remains the traditional choice, chicken, pork, or seafood are perfectly fine to substitute for the turkey.
Vegetable Swaps: Cauliflower, red pepper, and zucchini are just a few of the possible veggies you could use in this recipe. Asparagus, other types of mushrooms, eggplant, carrots, bok choy, peas, broccoli, or sun-dried tomatoes are suitable substitutes.
Cheese Swaps: Grated Gruyere, Romano, Asiago, and Fontina can be substituted for the parmesan in the cream sauce for a change-up of cheesiness.
International Influences: Infuse global flavors, such as curry spices, harissa, chili peppers, or fresh herbs, and give your tetrazzini a spark of international flavor.
Make it Gluten-Free: Substitute sweet rice flour for the wheat flour and gluten-free pasta (we like Jovial brand) for the wheat pasta.
Make it Vegetarian: Skip the turkey, use vegetable stock for the sauce, and add more vegetables.
Make it Low Carb: Substitute spiralized zucchini noodles to replace all of the pasta if you’re slashing carbs hard.
RECIPE STEP-BY-STEP
1. Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside.
2. Saute cauliflower, zucchini, and red pepper in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, season with salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables are just fork-tender and lightly browned in spots. Remove from skillet and reserve on a platter.
3. In the same skillet, add butter and cook onions over medium heat until onions begin to brown at the edges, about 6-8 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic to the onions and cook until mushrooms are soft and have released their liquid.
4. Sprinkle mushroom and onion mixture with flour, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir to incorporate and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the wine and chicken stock to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring to loosen any browned bits, for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add cream to the skillet and bring to a low boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
7. Add the turkey, Parmesan cheese, reserved vegetables, pasta, and parsley to the mushroom sauce and stir to combine.
More leftover turkey recipes:
Inside Out Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Pot Pie with Gluten-Free Crust
Emeril’s Turkey Club Casserole: One-Dish of Delicious
Healthy Cranberry-Avocado Turkey Salad: Make the Most of Leftover Turkey
Helen’s Chicken Soup: A Bowl of Comfort (can be made with turkey)
Skillet Turkey & Vegetable Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup cauliflower — cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup zucchini sliced into 1/4" thick rounds and halved
- 1 small red bell pepper sliced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small sweet yellow onion chopped fine
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 cups button mushroom cleaned and sliced
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour or sweet rice flour for GF
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups cooked turkey cubed or coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese + more for garnish freshly grated
- 8 ounces pasta (optional) — penne, ziti, or linguini — substitute gluten-free pasta here
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside.
- Saute cauliflower, zucchini, and bell pepper in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, season with salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables are just fork-tender and lightly browned in spots. Remove from skillet and reserve on a platter.
- In the same skillet, add butter and cook onions over medium heat until onions begin to brown at the edges, about 6-8 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic to the onions and cook until mushrooms are soft and have released their liquid.
- Sprinkle mushroom and onion mixture with flour, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir to incorporate and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and chicken stock to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring to loosen any browned bits, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add cream to the skillet and bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
- Add turkey, Parmesan cheese, reserved vegetables, pasta, and parsley to the mushroom sauce and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Jill says
Love this healthier version to use up leftover turkey!
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
Love all the delicious veggies in your Turkey Tetrazzini, Judy! It looks really refreshing and delicious. We have turkey for our Christmas dinner in England so I’ll save this recipe for future reference 🙂 Pinned and shared!
LittleOwlCrunchyMomma says
This sounds amazing. Pinning so I don’t lose it!
I would be thrilled if you would share at Simple Meals Friday. Every week we have featured posts.
http://littleowlcrunchymomma.blogspot.com/2012/11/simple-meals-friday-9.html
Jed Gray (sportsglutton) says
My leftovers went into stock and soup this year, but it’s great to have another tasty alternative for next year. Thanks Judy!!
Judy Purcell says
Raymund, my mom tried to make chopsuey when I was growing up and bless her heart, it just wasn’t that good … yours looks much better, but that isn’t surprising! 🙂
Raymund says
This is really nice and healthy, I love all the vegetables there. I feel its like a Filipino Chopsuey in cream sauce
Alea Milham says
Your tetrazzini looks amazing! I love that you added so many veggies to the dish.
Judy Purcell says
Thanks Alea, it is a nice transition back to less carbs after Thanksgiving. 🙂
mjskit says
What a great turkey leftover dish! Yours look delicious!
Judy Purcell says
Thanks MJ, you are so kind!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
This post makes me laugh. The other day David Lebovitz was opining about Thanksgiving leftovers and said there was only one that mattered, turkey tetrazzini. After looking at your photo, I coudln’t agree more!
Judy Purcell says
Hi Maureen, it is quite good and a nice change from turkey pot pie or soup. 🙂
kitchenriffs says
Turkey Tetrazzini is a really popular way to use leftover turkey, but for some reason I’ve never actually made it! I guess I’ve always found other uses for my leftovers. But I do want to make it sometime, and I really like your veggie-heavy version. Looks terrific! Thanks so much.
Judy Purcell says
You are right, it is really popular and we rarely had enough leftover turkey beyond the sandwich making to give it a whirl until last year, when I made this dish. It was a nice follow-up to the sandwiches, for sure. 🙂