Smoked Turkey Tetrazzini

The other day we decided to buy a turkey and smoked it. We have an electric smoker (this one, I believe) and we absolutely love it. LOVE love love it. My parents bought it for us for Christmas.... I think last year. We use it spring, summer, fall, winter. But you can also smoke on an outside grill, use whatever you think is best. I love this one because you just plug it in, add the soaked wood chips of your choice (we usually use applewood), some water and then put the meat in. Easy as that. I appreciate the convenience even more now that I have 2 kids. For a 12 lb turkey it takes roughly 6 hours at 225F, but keep an eye on it.

Ok, let's move on to last night. We had leftover turkey, it was 5pm, I just got back from work.... I started dishes, fed Emmett and before I knew it.... 6pm, and still no dinner started. So I said to hubs, who was either holding Emmett or entertaining our little tornado toddler, "Let's have turkey tetrazzini" to which he replied, "Huh? What is that?" And then we both started laughing and I have no idea why. Probably from a lack of sleep. So after we recovered from this hilarious moment that really wasn't hilarious at all, I explained it to him (probably in way more detail than he cared to know) and he said, "That sounds complicated..." (meaning: Oh man, we're going to end up having dinner at 10pm and I'm starving...)
True, it does sound complicated, especially if you look at the ingredients list and the instructions, but it isn't, I swear! Super easy, like any pasta or casserole.

Anyway, you can make this without smoked turkey, meaning just regular turkey, but the smoked adds a ton of flavor. It will definitely change the taste quite a bit. But I'm sure it will still taste great. There is probably a way to give it a smokey flavor without smoked meat, any thoughts?

Onions, mushrooms, garlic

Cooking the flour and butter

The sauce

Place into casserole dish

Remove from oven after bubbling and golden brown

Smoked Turkey Tetrazzini
Serving Size = at least 4

• 1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 1 smoked turkey breast, diced (maybe 3 cups and we smoked ours with applewood)
• 3/4 lb of spaghetti
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Parmesan (to taste, at least 1/2 cup but I'm sure I added added at least 1 cup)
• 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted), 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter (unsalted) plus a touch of oil (extra virgin olive oil works)
• 1/4 cup or so of Panko breadcrumbs

1. Start the pasta by bringing water to a boil with salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for about 9 minutes (I actually check it before 9 mins and undercook it just a tiny bit since it will bake in the oven). While this is cooking, start the sauce.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a large skillet with a touch of oil (EVOO), over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms and onions until soft and then add the garlic, stir until fragrant, remove to a plate. 
3. Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan and let it melt, add the flour and stir until it's smooth. Cook for about 5 - 10 minutes until it starts to smell toasty (I usually turn the heat down just a bit). 
4. Over medium-low heat, add the chicken stock and stir until it thickens (this happens quickly, about 5 minutes). Add the heavy cream back in and stir. If it's too thick, add some more chicken stock. Add the veggies and turkey, stir well. Remove from heat and add Parmesan. Stir.
5. Add the spaghetti and stir well. I don't add all of the noodles at once because I'm always nervous it will be too much and it will end up dry. So you might want to add to taste and put any extra in the fridge, depending on how you like your sauce. But 3/4 lb worked for me. Taste to check the seasoning.
6. Place into a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish and top with more Parmesan cheese and Panko breadcrumbs (regular would work too).
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbling and brown. I turned the broiler on at the end to brown the top a bit more.

Linking to: Mangia Mondays