Easy Leftover Turkey and Noodles Recipe | Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

Thanksgiving meals are filled with traditional and new holiday recipes. Our easy leftover turkey and noodles recipe turns Thanksgiving turkey into a creamy, cheesy crockpot dinner with noodles and veggies.

Instead of eating Thanksgiving sandwiches daily, use that leftover Thanksgiving turkey to make the best leftover turkey and noodles recipe. What do you enjoy at your Thanksgiving dinner?

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, or maybe some dinner rolls. We all have our holiday traditions and family recipes. Those recipes are the perfect way to enjoy holiday dinners, but the recipes always make too much food.

The side dishes can quickly be narrowed down to feed those in attendance. We can’t really help it with the turkey; we have to guesstimate how much is enough for everyone. We make that guess based on what others have experienced for this leftover turkey and noodles recipe.

A common guideline is about 1 to 1.5 pounds of whole turkey per person. Hearing that, could you eat that much plus the rest of the dishes? The answer is most likely no, not after eating Thanksgiving appetizers, drinking, and Thanksgiving side dishes.

We are left with Thanksgiving leftovers that are too good to throw away. Instead, we store the leftover turkey in an airtight container. Then we pull from it to make open-faced sandwiches for the next few days.

These sandwiches utilize every dish we had on Thanksgiving and are delicious. But they get old quickly, and turkey won’t last forever in the fridge; we need another recipe for turkey leftovers.

That is when we turn to the easy leftover turkey and noodles recipe, or the best way to use leftovers. You can utilize a couple of your leftovers in this recipe. And each one will be revitalized as it cooks in this leftover turkey and noodles recipe.

This is not a casserole per se, but it is much like a leftover Thanksgiving casserole recipe. Think of it as a comforting casserole filled with fond memories of family Thanksgiving together.

Easy Leftover Turkey and Noodles Recipe Ingredients

• Leftover Turkey: If you froze your turkey, thaw it in the fridge first. The USDA’s slow cooker safety guidance says to thaw meat and poultry before it goes in. Cut it into bite-size chunks so it stays covered in sauce and doesn’t dry out.
• Cream of Mushroom Soup: The mushroom soup will add flavor and moisture to the turkey, helping to keep it tender and juicy like dark meat. The end result is a creamy turkey casserole that the whole family will love.

• Milk: Milk is not only an excellent way to add liquid to the dish. Milk is used in recipes to add thickness to the liquid. It is an easy way to get a creamy sauce in the ultimate leftover Thanksgiving dish.
• Frozen Vegetables: Here is where we can get a bit creative for this leftover turkey and noodles recipe. Frozen veggies are an easy choice because of the crockpot. We can also freeze our leftover green bean casserole dishes to add to the mix instead.

• Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Poultry Seasoning: The turkey has been seasoned, so why season it again? The original seasoning won’t be as flavorful as it was initially. We need fresh seasoning to bring out the flavors of the ingredients. Great recipes require fresh seasonings.
• Uncooked Pasta: Leftover turkey recipes require a carb to bring them together. Turkey sandwiches are outplayed; instead, we want a hearty leftover turkey and noodles recipe. Egg noodles or a short pasta work best here.

• Chicken Stock: Chicken stock or chicken broth will both work here. Of course, the last thing we consider adding to turkey is stock from a rotisserie chicken. However, we need the extra liquid, and the turkey juices have surely been turned into gravy already. Unfortunately, leftover gravy won’t work for this purpose. We need something the noodles can absorb.
• Shredded Cheddar: We use white cheddar in the recipe pictures. However, any cheese you like will work great. You can use cheddar cheese of any color, or maybe try mozzarella or parmesan.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It turns leftover Thanksgiving turkey into a whole new dinner.
• It’s a mostly hands-off crockpot meal: a few minutes on the stove, then the slow cooker does the rest.
• It uses pantry staples like canned soup, broth, and pasta.
• It’s flexible: swap in stuffing, leftover veggies, or your favorite cheese.

The Thanksgiving meal was good, but by the weekend we’ve had our fill of it. Adding noodles gives the turkey a whole new look, texture, and flavor. It is almost like you made it with raw turkey, not leftovers, as if it were intentionally made.

Plus, the noodles add a good carb to the dish. This easy recipe is a winner thanks to its use of leftovers from a costly meal we worked all day to make.

It is also a mostly hands-off crockpot recipe. After a quick warm-up on the stove, you pour everything into the crockpot, close the lid, and let it go. The cook time might be a bit longer than we’d like, but that’s why we start the recipe in the morning and enjoy it for dinner. We can also make substitutions to turn this recipe into something of our own creation.

Easy Leftover Turkey and Noodles Substitutions

The classic way to make a leftover turkey casserole dish is to use stuffing. You can easily replace the noodles in this dish with stuffing, essentially swapping out the carbs. Of course, you must have enough leftover stuffing to make this work.

The recipe calls for 2 cups of pasta for a unique Thanksgiving casserole recipe. You will need a bit more stuffing to make this work. The goal is to have the carbs absorb enough moisture so that the sauce is thick and not watery.

Start by adding 3 cups of stuffing and mixing it well.

We can also get creative with the veggies we add to the mix since the prep time is so low. We can add things like frozen peas, leftover green beans, broccoli, or any leftover veggies we have from Thanksgiving.

The most important thing to remember is that they should be frozen when you dump them in a crockpot.

Prepping the Ingredients

• If your turkey is frozen, move it to the fridge the night before so it thaws in time.
• Cut or shred the turkey into bite-size chunks, and remove any skin and bones.
• Measure the pasta and shred the cheese ahead so the last hour goes quickly.
• Keep the vegetables in the freezer until you add them in the final hour.

How to Make Thanksgiving Crockpot Casserole

Warm the thawed turkey, wet ingredients, and seasoning in a large pot on the stove until steaming hot (165°F).

Pour the hot mixture into a preheated crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

An hour before serving, add in the frozen vegetables, uncooked pasta, and chicken broth. Stir, cover, and continue to cook.

Top it off with shredded cheddar cheese, and then serve and enjoy!

Storage and Leftovers

Let the turkey and noodles cool, then move them to an airtight container. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. The USDA’s leftovers guidance says to eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days.

The turkey was already a leftover, so eat this dish sooner rather than later. To freeze, portion it into freezer containers and freeze soon after cooking. The noodles get a little softer once thawed.

For the best texture, eat frozen portions within 2 to 3 months. Thaw frozen portions in the fridge overnight. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until hot all the way through (165°F). Add a splash of broth or milk when reheating, since the noodles soak up the sauce as it sits.

FAQ

Can I put frozen leftover turkey straight into the crockpot?

No. Thaw it in the fridge first. A slow cooker heats slowly, and frozen meat can sit too long at unsafe temperatures.

What kind of noodles work best?

Egg noodles are the classic choice. Short pasta like rotini or penne also works. Add it in the last hour so it doesn’t turn mushy.

Can I use leftover chicken instead of turkey?

Yes. Cooked chicken works the same way. Use the same amount and follow the same steps.

Can I make it ahead?

You can prep the turkey, cheese, and pasta the day before. Store each in the fridge, then assemble in the crockpot in the morning.

Why heat the turkey on the stove first?

The USDA advises against reheating leftovers in a slow cooker. Heat them to 165°F first, then keep them hot.

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