Roast Turkey, Asparagus and Wild Rice Casserole

Not your average casserole. Roasted asparagus, a sherry cream sauce with wild rice, roasted almonds and toasted bread crumbs make this a dish to entertain with or just a big family dinner. This served in individual serving dishes is wonderful or a dish made for two to serve for a very elegant dinner. You can always switch this up by use leftover chicken and even broccoli or green beans if you are not a fan of asparagus.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2  cups turkey, leftovers is perfect for this, you can substitute chicken for this as well (shredded or chopped)
• 2 1⁄2 cups milk
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 2  tablespoons flour
• 1⁄4 cup sherry wine
• 1  tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped fine
•  salt and pepper
• 1  cup  Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1  lb asparagus, roasted (just remove the tough ends and cut in 3-inch pieces)
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 5 1⁄2 ounces wild rice, already cooked (1 box Uncle Bens or similar)
• 1⁄2 cup  toasted sliced almonds

Directions

1. Rice -- Prepare the wild rice accordingly to directions and set to the side. You can make the quick cooking, original anything you want, even white and wild rice mix. I just like the wild rice flavor for this. But please you can use what you enjoy best.
2. Asparagus -- Roast the asparagus (broccoli or green beans if you are not using asparagus), as the rice cooks. On a cookie sheet covered with foil or parchment or even on a grill or grill pan, drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 for about 7-10 minutes or grill for 5 just until 1/2 way done. Remove and cool.
3. The Main Part -- In a medium pot, melt the butter on medium heat and stir in the flour to make a roux. Slowly add in the milk and bring to a medium low boil until the sauce thickens. Then stir in the turkey and sherry and mix until combined and heated through. Add a little salt and pepper to your taste and the fresh parsley.
4. In a large casserole dished sprayed with pam or greased add the rice, then top with the turkey and cream sauce, asparagus (or other vegetable), positioned through the dish and top with bread crumbs and almonds. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 25 minutes until bubbly. The last 10 minutes I remove the foil so the bread crumbs can brown. You can also put under the broiler to get it nice and brown the last few minutes if you prefer that.
5. As I mentioned, individual serving dishes make a great presentation but it can just as easily be done in a large casserole dish as well. ENJOY!