Turkey Noodle-Poppy Seed Casserole

gailanng's Note:

After Thanksgiving I give an extra thanks for a recipe to use up that leftover turkey. Can be prepared and refrigerated night before, let stand 30 minutes before baking. Can sub chicken. See note below for freezing.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 25 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 (8 ounce) package med-sized egg noodles , uncooked
• ¼ cup butter , melted
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon poppy seed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups dicedcooked turkey or 3 cups chicken
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. Cook noodles according to directions; drain well; set aside.
3. Heat butter and saute onion and bell pepper until tender.
4. Add flour, stirring until smooth; cook 1 minute; stirring constantly.
5. Gradually add milk; stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
6. Stir in noodles, 1/2 cup Parmesan, poppy seeds, salt, cayenne and cooked turkey.
7. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 12x8 inch oven proof pan and top with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake uncovered 45 -55 minutes.
9. NOTE:.
10. May be frozen unbaked. Thaw in refrigerator 24 hours in advance. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Reviews

[under12parsecs]

What a completely wonderful way to use up the last bit of our Thanksgiving turkey! I love that there are no cream of anything soups and I really enjoyed the addition of the bell pepper. I also added some finely chopped carrot with the other veggies. This will definitely be a go-to when I have leftover turkey or chicken. Made for Everyday is a Holiday.

[LifeIsGood]

Yummy comfort food here. I had saved the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving in my freezer. This looked like a great reason to defrost and use up that turkey! I'm very glad I tried this. The flavor is wonderful. The texture is creamy, except for the top noodle layer which crisped up delightfully. I will definitely be making this again. I might even try it with leftover chicken. The ONLY change I'll make is to omit the cayenne pepper. I do like spice/heat but didn't think this recipe needed it. Thanks for posting this family pleaser! ~Made for Dec. Aussie/NZ Swap~

[Nif]

Thanks for a quick and easy dinner gailanng! I skipped the green pepper and used about half the butter and it turned out great. I really liked the crunch of the poppy seeds. Made for PRMR tag. Thanks gailanng! :)