9. Turkey Noodle Casserole

This is just a good old fashioned turkey noodle casserole.  Now I know many of you make this and use cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup and love it.  I just can’t do the cream of soups.  My stomach doesn’t like it and all we taste is processed soup.  So it isn’t for us. 

We are all about fresh, made from scratch sauces and this is a great one.  We really don’t like mushrooms, but love the flavor of mushrooms in a sauce, so we usually keep them in.

Another good side note …. we use Fiesta dishes.  We have found that one cereal bowl full of dry pasta is just enough pasta for the two of us in a meal … plus a little extra for snacking.

**This recipe comes from Rachael Ray 365 – No Repeats.  Most of the recipes are directly from the book, but some I do change out ingredients a bit for things my family prefers. I’ll add my own comments in with a **.

What do you need?

Coarse Salt 
1/2 pound extra-wide egg noodles
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (once around the pan)
3 slices of bacon or turkey bacon, chopped
1 package (about 1 1/2 pounds) ground turkey breast
1 pound white mushrooms, wiped, trimmed and sliced **I buy the ones packaged ones that are already cleaned and sliced!
1 medium onion chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons ground thyme or poultry seasoning
1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken stock)
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (about 3 times around the pan)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (one 8 ounce brick) **I am not a huge fan of Gruyere so I use just a shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese, you could also use Swiss if you wanted to keep the Gruyere flavor
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Now what?

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the egg noodles.  When it boils, salt the water and cook the noodles al dente.  Drain well and return to the pot.

While the pasta cooks, preheat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the EVOO and the bacon.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the fat is rendered and the bacon begins to brown at the edges.  Remove to a paper towel.  Add the turkey and brown it, crumbling it with a wooden spoon.  Move the meat over to one side of the pan and add the mushrooms and onions to the opposite side.  Cook the mushrooms and onions for 3 to 5 minutes, then stir the meat and veggies together.  Season the mixture liberally with salt and pepper, and sprinkle in the ground thyme or poultry seasoning.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Add the wine and deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up pan drippings and browned bits.  Stir in the stock and bring to a bubble, then stir in the cream and reduce the heat to low.  Add the nutmeg and stir.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. 

Preheat the broiler to high.  Combine the noodles with the turkey and sauce.  Grease a casserole dish with a little softened butter.  Transfer the turkey-noodle mixture to the dish and top with Gruyere cheese and then bread crumbs.  Place the casserole 8 to 10 inches from the broiler and brown for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crumbs are brown.  Garnish the casserole with the parsley.

4  servings

How did yours turn out??

Until the next time…
~The girl behind the lama