Turkey Casserole

Moist, flavorful turkey breast paired with roasted butternut squash, onions caramelized with brandy, pasta, peas in a savory cheesy sauce all topped with crispy fried onions and jalapeños. 

I’ve giving you all the steps for this recipe to make from scratch but you can TOTALLY use your leftover turkey for it. If you’re making a turkey dinner and want to plan ahead for this casserole then just roast butternut squash and onions and you’ll be making this in a flash!

You should say yes to this casserole for get togethers because aside from the amazing taste, it’s really easy to put together and you can make it ahead! Did I mention the fried sage leaves?? 

How to make turkey casserole

• Add seasoning your giant turkey breast and place it in a deep baking dish. Surround with sliced onions. Drizzle with olive oil and bake a 375F. Move the onions around a 3-4 times during the bake. Pouring brandy over the breast towards the end of baking will add flavor and help deglaze the onions. Bake the butternut squash at the same, it will cook thought faster than the turkey so keep a timer on it. While your dish is in the oven make the brown butter brandy sauce.
• Remove meat from turkey breast and shred. Place back in the dish with the now caramelized onions.

• Add butternut squash, noodles, peas, and cheese to the casserole.
•  Pour the brown butter brandy sauce over the dish.

• Mix well so there’s an even distribution of ingredients.
• Sprinkle with fried onions and some fried jalapeños if you’d like an extra kick. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Garnish with fried sage.

Here are some  great RECIPEs that go with this!

Green Bean Casserole

The Best Chicken Pot Pie

Cornbread pudding

Pumpkin Pie

Frequently asked questions

How to make turkey casserole with leftovers

Sub in leftover turkey meat and any vegetables you cooked in the pan with it or roasted separately for the turkey breast with onions and butternut squash. Add the noodles, frozen peas, cheese and sauce. Top with fried onions and bake. 

How to make turkey casserole if you’re in a rush

• Use two rotisserie chickens in place of the turkey breast.
• Buy precut butternut squash and cook in microwave until tender.
• If you’re REALLY pressed on time sub the brown butter brandy sauce for cream of mushroom soup

How long will this keep for?

This casserole can be frozen for two months or in the refrigerator for three days.

Pro Tips for making Turkey casserole

• You can sub in frozen butternut squash as a time saver. Just cook according to the package’s instructions and add in.
• This recipe calls for gouda but any number of cheeses will be great including cheddar, jack, or muenster
• Alchohol in the brandy will cook off but you can omit it if desired.
• This casserole keeps for up to three days in the refrigerator but you can freeze it for up to two months. Make sure to wrap well.
• I love egg noodles in this dish but macaroni, gemelli and rotini work well too.

If you’ve tried this turkey casserole recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

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5 from 9 votes

Turkey Casserole

A delicious and easy to make ahead turkey casserole with roasted butternut squash, peas and caramelized onions all topped with crispy jalapeños, onions and fried sage.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 10 people

Calories 535kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

For the Turkey Casserole:

• ▢ 1 turkey breast
• ▢ 2 onions large
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt 6g
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pepper 6g
• ▢ 1 teaspoon thyme 1g
• ▢ 3 cups butternut squash 615g, roasted and cubed
• ▢ 16 oz green peas frozen
• ▢ ½ lb egg noodles
• ▢ 2 cups gouda cheese 216g, shredded
• ▢ 1/3 cup brandy 79mL
• ▢ 5 oz French’s Crispy Jalapenos optional
• ▢ 5 oz French’s Crispy Fried Onions
• ▢ 1 sprig sage leaves

For the Sauce:

• ▢ 1/2 cup butter 113g, melted
• ▢ ⅓ cup flour 43g
• ▢ ¼ cup brandy 60mL
• ▢ 4 cups chicken stock 946mL

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Turkey:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees
• Place turkey in a deep baking dish.
• Season turkey with salt, pepper and thyme.
• Add chopped onions around the sides of the turkey
  
• Bake for about 60 minutes, or until the internal temp is 160 degrees F. Toss the onions two to three times during baking to ensure even cooking. Towards the end of the bake, pour about 1/3 cup of brandy over the breast and onions.

For the Sauce:

• Melt butter and allow to brown in a medium pan over medium heat.
• Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Add brandy and allow to reduce.
• Add in chicken stock.
• Cook until thick while stirring occasionally.

For the Butternut Squash

• Slice the butternut squash in half. 
• Roast on a baking sheet for 25- 30 minutes. 
• When cooled, slice into cubes. 

For the Casserole:

• Shred turkey meat.
  
• Place shredded meat back into casserole dish.
• Add butternut squash, peas and egg noodles.
  
• Drizzle sauce.
  
• Add gouda, French’s Crispy Jalapeños and and French's Crispy Fried Onions
  
• Mix together.
  
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
• While the casserole is baking heat oil in a small pan and fry the sage leaves for a few seconds three at a time. Transfer to a paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt then arrange on casserole when its done baking. 
  

Video

Notes

• You can sub in frozen butternut squash as a time saver. Just cook according to the package's instructions and add in.
• If you're really in a rush you can use a large can or cream of mushroom soup in place of the brown butter brandy sauce. 
• This recipe calls for gouda but any number of cheeses will be great including cheddar, jack, or muenster
• Alchohol in the brandy will cook off but you can omit it if desired.
• This casserole keeps for up to three days in the refrigerator but you can freeze it for up to two months. Make sure to wrap well.
• I love egg noodles in this dish but macaroni, gemelli and rotini work well too.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 535kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 946mg | Potassium: 688mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5355IU | Vitamin C: 29.1mg | Calcium: 338mg | Iron: 2.4mg

*Nutrition Disclaimer

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