Baked Turkey Rigatoni

Transform that Thanksgiving leftover Turkey into a baked casserole. This recipe usually calls for chicken, but let’s save some time and use up what we already have. No one will ever know it os Leftover Turkey… Delicious!

Recipe Summary

Prep:

15 mins

Cook:

1 hrs 10 mins

Total:

1 hr 32 mins

Servings:

8

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds cooked, chopped turkey meat

½ cup chopped pepperoncini peppers

½ cup chopped, pitted kalamata olives

1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed

6 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1 cup diced onion

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

salt to taste

½ cup white wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 (28 ounce) jar prepared marinara sauce

1 cup water

½ cup heavy cream

1 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked and drained

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

Directions

Step 1

In a mixing bowl add chopped leftover turkey, pepperoncini peppers, kalamata olives and set to the side.

Step 2

in a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage, breaking it up into small pieces and let it cook until sausage is browned and crumbled, for about 5 minutes. Add diced onions, mushrooms, and salt. Cook until onions are soft for about another 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 3

With white wine, deglaze the bottom of the pot and simmer until wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, marinara sauce, water, and cream. Add turkey mixture and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 15 minutes.

Step 4

In the meantime, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, Drain.  Tip: Rigatoni should be cooked 2 minutes less from package directions, since it's going to be baked in the sauce.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Transfer the cooked rigatoni into the sauce pot and mix well. Transfer mixture to a large casserole dish (9 x 13 inches). Dot surface with mozzarella cheese and push inside the pasta mixture. Sprinkle the top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until sauce is bubbling around the edges, and the top is nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.