Take Thanksgiving leftovers to a new level with this all-time fave, delicious recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lb. thin spaghetti, broken in half
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. white mushrooms, quartered
- 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
- 1 c. white wine
- 1/3 c. flour
- 4 c. turkey (or chicken) broth, plus more for thinning
- 1 8-oz. package cream cheese
- 3 c. cooked turkey, shredded or diced
- 1 c. finely chopped black olives
- 1 1/2 c. frozen green peas
- 4 slices bacon, fried and cut into bits
- 1 c. grated monterey jack cheese
- 1 c. grated parmesan cheese
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 c. panko breadcrumbs
Directions:
Cook the pasta until not quite done or al dente according to package instructions (it will finish cooking in the oven). Drain, rinse, and set aside.
In a large pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple minutes more. Pour in the wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.
Sprinkle in the flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.
Reduce the heat to medium low. Cut the cream cheese into pieces and add it to the pot. Stir to melt (don't be concerned if the cream cheese remains in little bits for a while; it'll melt eventually!). Add the turkey, olives, peas, bacon, and cheeses. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Add the cooked spaghetti and stir to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven. If it's a little soupy, that's fine! Add up to 2 more cups of liquid if you think it needs it.
Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with panko breadcrumbs. Bake at 350°F until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown, 20 minutes.
At nine years old, Ben Gaffney asked if he could work alongside his father, a chef, at Congress Rotisserie in New Haven. The elder Gaffney put the boy to work washing dishes for two years, in the hope that it would discourage his interest in the restaurant business.
But a calling is a calling. Ben Gaffney has spent his life since then pursuing the wonders of food, bringing Middlefield along for the ride as chef at Lyman Orchards since 2017.
