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.