The Greatest Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients

• 4 cupscooked turkey, shredded or diced(leftovers are perfect, white and dark meat)
• 12 ozspaghetti or linguine(broken in half before boiling)
• 1 lbcremini mushrooms, sliced
• 8 tbspunsalted butter, divided
• 1 mediumyellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1/4 cupall-purpose flour
• 2.5 cupswhole milk, warmed
• 1.5 cupschicken or turkey stock, warmed
• 1/4 cupdry white wine or dry sherry(sherry is the classic move, sherry wins)
• 1.5 cupsParmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated, divided(from a wedge, never the green can, do not even look at the green can)
• 1 tbspfresh thyme leaves
• 1.5 tsp, plus more to tastekosher salt
• 3/4 tspblack pepper
• 1/4 tspfreshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cupfrozen peas
• 1/4 cup, dividedfresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cuppanko breadcrumbs

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

2. 2

   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta 2 minutes shy of al dente per the package. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

3. 3

   In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and let them sit untouched for 3-4 minutes to brown. Stir, season with a pinch of salt, and continue cooking until deeply golden and the moisture has evaporated, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl.

4. 4

   Reduce heat to medium. Add 2 more tbsp butter to the same skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 more minute. Pour in the wine or sherry and simmer until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape into the bowl with the mushrooms.

5. 5

   Make the béchamel: in a large saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 90 seconds — it should foam and turn pale gold, not brown.

6. 6

   Slowly pour in the warm milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Then whisk in the warm stock. Continue whisking and bring to a low simmer until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes.

7. 7

   Remove from heat. Whisk in 1 cup of the parmesan, the nutmeg, kosher salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning — it should be assertively flavored because the pasta will dilute it.

8. 8

   In a very large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, turkey, mushroom-onion mixture, peas, half the parsley, and the béchamel. Toss thoroughly until everything is evenly coated.

9. 9

   Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.

10. 10

    In a small bowl, melt 1 tbsp more butter (or use olive oil) and toss with the panko and the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan. Sprinkle this evenly over the casserole.

11. 11

    Bake 25-30 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and the topping is deeply golden brown. If the top needs more color, run it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes — watch it closely.

12. 12

    Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley.