Turkey (or chicken) Alphabet Soup

Can you believe I'm still using the turkey leftovers from Christmas Eve? I froze a bunch of bags of diced turkey after Christmas Eve and I'm so glad I did because it makes me try new turkey recipes like this one. I found this alphabet soup on Pinterest and it was so yummy and definitely a kid pleaser. All 4 of my kids loved this one. It's a wonderful, warm, and comforting soup - perfect for the flu season.:)

* As a note: I use Ultra-Gel a lot to thicken soups, but you can use cornstarch mixed with a little cold water.

Turkey (or chicken) Alphabet Soup

3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 stalks celery, chopped
12 oz package petite carrots
2, 32 oz containers chicken stock
2 cups water
4 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
8 oz alphabet pasta
2-3 cups cooked and cubed turkey or chicken
1 teaspoon onion salt
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons Ultra Gel (or 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water)

Melt butter in a large pot. Add onions, celery, and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add chicken stock, water, and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil. Add alphabet pasta, cubed turkey or chicken, onion salt, salt and pepper to taste, and Ultra Gel. Stir well and bring to a boil again. Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole (Freezer Meal)

This is a lovely chicken casserole freezer meal. It's creamy with a nice crunchy top. It actually tastes a bit like chicken pot pie. It makes 2, 9x13 pans so you can either freeze them both or cook one the night you make them and freeze the second for another day. It's definitely a family pleasing meal and I'm so glad to have another good chicken freezer meal recipe. This can also be made with leftover cubed turkey.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole (Freezer Meal)

8 oz package wide egg noodles
4 cups cooked and cubed chicken (or turkey)
16 oz package frozen peas and carrots
2 cups milk
2 cans cream of celery soup
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (freeze separately with meal)
2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed, divided (freeze separately with meal)
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter, divided (freeze separately with meal)

Assembly Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile in a very large bowl, combine chicken, frozen peas and carrots, milk, soups, chopped onion, melted butter, salt, and pepper. Add cooked and drained noodles and stir until combines. Transfer mixture into 2, 9x13 baking pans (disposable foil pans work great). Cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze each meal with: a bag with 1 cup shredded cheddar, a bag with 1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers, and a bag with 1/4 cup or half a stick of butter - these will all be used at time of cooking.

Thawing and Heating Directions:
Thaw casserole for about 2 days in refrigerator. Remove foil and plastic wrap from casserole. Cover top of casserole with 1 cup shredded cheddar. In a small bowl microwave 1/4 cup butter, add crushed Ritz crackers and mix. Spread cracker crumbs mixture over the shredded cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

This is an ultra-rich comfort food casserole and it is delicious. Sometimes I just crave something warm and homey on a cold winter night and this casserole certainly fits the bill. It's kind of a cross between macaroni and cheese and chicken and dumplings. Seriously good. I bet it would freeze well too. I'll have to give it a try as a freezer meal sometime. I served it with some homemade pumpkin bread and steamed broccoli - my family loved this dinner.

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

3-4 cups cooked and cubed chicken (or turkey)
16 oz egg noodles, cooked
12 oz plain non-fat Greek yogurt
12 oz sour cream (you can use all sour cream or all Greek yogurt)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine chicken, Greek yogurt, sour cream, cream of chicken soups, and cheeses in a large bowl. Stir well to combine. Add the noodles and gently stir until ingredients are evenly distributed. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish (I think I used the next size up baking dish, but either would work). Mix the cracker crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden and cheese is melted (try a forkful of the middle to make sure it's hot all the way through).

Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Wow, it's been a while! Happy New Year! I've been taking a little break from recipe blogging because I have a new sweet baby girl and life with 4 kids, ranging in age from 13 to 3 months, has gotten a bit busy. It's wonderful though. Oh how I love my kiddos!

So this is a new recipe that I tried for our Christmas Eve dinner. I am all about the Crock Pot lately. It is a life saver because "the witching hour" (read baby fussiness, older kids homework time, pick-ups from after-school activities, etc.) always happens right around the time to cook dinner and if dinner is already in the Crock Pot I don't have to worry about it. Nice. This turkey breast turns out so moist and tasty and the bonus is that we had enough left-over turkey to make sandwiches, turkey noodle soup, and turkey a la king. That makes it an awesome recipe!

Crock Pot Turkey Breast

5 1/2 lb bone-in turkey breast, thawed (from frozen it takes 3 days in fridge to thaw)
softened butter (about 1/4 cup)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 stalks (or more) celery, chopped in big pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth
black pepper

Wash and pat dry turkey breast. Trim the meat if necessary to fit in your Crock Pot (I have a large oval Crock Pot so I didn't have to trim the turkey at all). Coat surface of the turkey with butter and then rub with dry onion soup mix. Sprinkle pepper all over the turkey. Place chopped celery in the bottom of the Crock Pot and add 1/2 cup chicken broth. Lay turkey breast, breast bone down, on top of the celery. Cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook for 7 hours. Carve and serve.

I simplified our Christmas Eve dinner this year. Yep, no homemade rolls, deviled eggs, jello salad, or even pie (we had cookies for dessert), but it was still super tasty and no one even mentioned what was missing. Sometimes I think I stress too much about making the perfect holiday meal with everyone's favorites when really my kids just don't care that much. I think they just remember that we spent time around the table as a family and that is what really matters. That was a good lesson to learn.

Turkey Tetrazzini

This is one of my favorite dinners. I love tetrazzini. This recipe is a slightly modified version of my friend Kellie's chicken tetrazzini. Oh it is so good! And this is a great way to use up leftover turkey, which we have lots of in our freezer from our Christmas Eve dinner. Of course chicken works just as well as turkey in this recipe.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Topping:
1/2 cup bread crumbs
pinch salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
6 tablespoons butter, divided
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms (white or cremini)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
salt and pepper
3/4 lb spaghetti, strands snapped in half
1/4 cup flour
1 can, or 2 cups, chicken broth
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon lemon juice (fresh is best, but bottled works in a pinch)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen peas
3-4 cups cooked cubed turkey or chicken
1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

In a bowl mix together topping ingredients with a fork and set aside.

In a skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add chopped onions and mushrooms and saute until onion softens and mushroom liquid evaporates. Season mushrooms and onions with salt and pepper as they cook. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until cooked to al dente (10-11 minutes). Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Drain spaghetti and return to pot with reserved cooking liquid.

In a large saucepan melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Add flour and whisk for about 1 minute. Add chicken broth slowly and whisk until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan, nutmeg, lemon juice, and thyme. Add this sauce to the spaghetti. Stir in peas, turkey, and shredded Italian cheeses.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Turn tetrazzini mixture into a buttered or non-stick sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and then top with topping/bread crumb mixture and bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned and sides are bubbly.

Good Eats Brined Turkey

This is the best turkey!! Seriously I am a huge fan of brining now. The recipe is from the Food Network show Good Eats. My husband did all the work - brining, washing, roasting. He did a great job. Really really good!

Good Eats Brined Turkey

14 pound frozen young turkey

Brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

Aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
6 fresh sage leaves
canola oil

Directions:

2-3 Days Before Roasting:
Begin thawing turkey in the refrigerator.

1 Day Before Roasting:
Combine vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from heat and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

16 Hours Before Roasting:
Combine the brine, and ice water in a 5 gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey, with innards removed, breast side down in the bucket with the brine. If necessary weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed. Cover and refrigerate for 8-16 hours (we did 16 hours), turning bird half way through brining.

At Roasting Time:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove bird from brine and rinse the inside and outside with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast. Set temperature alarm for 170 degrees (Alton Brown sets it for 161*, but we did 170*). Take bird out of oven when it reaches 170, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

Taco Pie

I got this recipe from a cooking magazine. I wrote it down and now I can't remember which magazine it came from... Anywho, it's a nice quichey tasting taco casserole. My family liked it a lot and I like that it calls for ground turkey and is still quite flavorful. Nice easy dinner recipe.

Taco Pie

1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1/3 cup water
1, 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup Bisquick mix (I used the Heart Smart Bisquick mix)
1 cup milk (nonfat works fine)
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 tomato, chopped

Heat oven to 400. Spray a 9" pie pan with cooking spray.

In a skillet cook turkey and onion for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in taco seasoning and 1/3 cup water. Mix well and heat through. Spread turkey meat in pie pan. Top evenly with green chiles.

In a bowl combine Bisquick, milk, and eggs, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour over turkey mixture. Bake 25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle individual servings with chopped tomato.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

I adapted this recipe from Tyler Florence's "Ultimate Sloppy Joes". My whole family loved it and the sloppy joe meat was sweet and tangy and you wouldn't even guess it's ground turkey. We had it on the potato rolls that I made yesterday and it was a perfect pairing (IMHO :)).

Turkey Sloppy Joes

extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 lb ground turkey (I used 93/7 fat turkey)
kosher salt and pepper
1 1/3 cups ketchup (I used Sprouts "all natural" ketchup)
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on heat desired)
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Pour about 2 tablespoons (count to 3 while streaming oil into pan) into a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven and heat. Add chopped onion and cook for about 3 minutes until onions are tender. Add ground turkey and season well with salt and pepper. Brown turkey, breaking up with a wooden spoon or spatula, takes 7-10 minutes. Add ketchup, mustard, cayenne, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add red wine vinegar and heat through. Serve in split rolls or hamburger buns.

Ranch Turkey Wraps

This is a great wrap. I am a huge fan of avocado and turkey together and the ranch spread is very yummy. These are great for a summer picnic. Thanks to Put a Lyd on It for this recipe!

Ranch Turkey Wraps

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup ranch dressing
thin sliced deli turkey
thin sliced monterey jack cheese
1 avocado, sliced thin
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
alfalfa sprouts
10 inch tortillas or wraps

In a bowl beat together the cream cheese and ranch dressing. Spread cream cheese mixture over tortillas. Layer with turkey, cheese, avocado, tomato, and alfalfa sprouts. Roll up tightly and cut in half. If transporting for a picnic wrap up wraps tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate till ready to pack.

Turkey Meatloaf

Everyone liked this tonight. It is a healthier version of your typical meatloaf and has a hint of stuffing flavor because of the thyme and bread crumbs. It was also very moist, which is sometimes a hard thing to achieve with turkey.

Turkey Meatloaf

1 large onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 lbs ground turkey
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup ketchup


Preheat oven to 325. In a skillet, saute onion in oil and butter till translucent, but not browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl combine turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, thyme, chicken stock, and the onions. Mix well. Shape into a loaf on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used my stoneware jelly roll pan). Spread ketchup on top of meatloaf. Place in oven. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack (this helps to make the meatloaf moister). Bake for 1 hour at 325. Then turn heat up to 350 and bake another 1/2 hour. Internal temp of meatloaf should read 160 degrees before it is done. When done place meatloaf on a platter and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with turkey gravy.

Chicken Tetrazzini

This is what we are having tonight. I know this for sure because I made this as a freezer meal last month and it is thawed in my fridge ready for me to bake momentarily. This recipe is from my friend Kellie, who is an excellent freezer meal cook! I know this because we were in a freezer meal exchange group together a few years ago and I always looked forward to Kellie's meals! So thanks to Kellie for this fantastic tetrazzini recipe! Oh you can make this with leftover turkey too and its very good.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Topping:

1/2 cup bread crumbs
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan


Filling:

6 tablespoons butter
3 cups or 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
salt
ground black pepper
3/4 lb. thin spaghetti, strands snapped in half
1/4 cup flour
1 can chicken broth
3/4 cup grated/shredded Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cups frozen peas
4 cups cooked cubed chicken or turkey (I use the meat from a Costco rotissery chicken)


Directions:

Mix the ingredients for the topping and set aside.


In a skillet (medium heat) heat 2 tablespoon butter till melted and foam subsides. Add mushrooms, onion and saute, stirring frequently until onion softens and mushroom liquid evaporates, 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, drain spaghetti and return to pot with reserved liquid.

Clean the skillet that you used for the mushrooms and then heat 4 tablespoons of butter in it over medium heat. When foam subsides, whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly until flour turns golden, 1 - 2 minutes. Whisking constantly add chicken broth. Adjust heat to medium high and simmer until mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes. Off heat whisk in Parmesan, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and thyme. Add sauce, sauted vegetables, peas and meat to spaghetti and mix well. (I usually add a bit more Parmesan cheese to the spaghetti as well.) Adjust seasonings to taste.

Turn mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan. Or you can do what I do and put half into a 8x8 foil baking dish to freeze and the other half into a 8x8 baking dish to cook right away. (Gotta love double duty meals!!) Sprinkle evenly with topping mixture and bake at 400 until breadcrumbs are browned and mixture is bubbly, 13 - 15 minutes.

Freezer Meal Instructions: If you are making this as a freezer meal pour spaghetti mixture into a 9x13 foil baking pan for a large family or 2 8x8 foil baking pans for a smaller family. Cover with plastic wrap and then a double layer of foil to ward off freezer burn. Put topping mixture into 1 small or divide in half and put in 2 small zip lock bags. Tape the topping mixes to the freezer meals to keep them together and label with cooking instructions.

Freezer Meal Reheating Instructions: Thaw in fridge for a day or 2. Remove plastic wrap and foil and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle on the topping mix and cook 5-7 minutes more, until bread crumbs are browned.