Turkey Tetrizinni

My Grandmothers recipe, with some slight changes by The Farmers Wife

Today's recipe is coming to you from my archives. Sometimes when an old recipe didn't get the attention it deserved I'll redo it and re-post it for y'all! This particular recipe is an oldie but goodie, and the wonderful thing about this recipe is it is great for that leftover chicken/turkey you have around after the holidays! This classic dish is a great leftover re-purpose type of meal! One of the things I love about re-purposing leftovers is not only is it great on a budget, but because you're completely changing the way you're using something it tastes completely different from the original recipe and for those who hate to eat leftovers, this is a great trick to get them to eat those leftovers they'd normally try to avoid that end up in the trash. This Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrizinni is something I have to admit I refused to eat as a child. For no reason other than I thought it looked kinda funny and given the choice between that and eating a meal of holiday leftovers, well in my mind there was no contest! As an adult I have found that I love this recipe, and oddly enough have actually gotten my Little Sous Chef to eat it too (guess he's not as picky as his Mom was!) and the Farming Hubby really enjoys it as well. This recipe is wonderful for a crowd as the original recipe fills both a 9x13 and a 8x8 pan FULL! (I have started halving this to feed just us and still put some in the freezer) One of my favorite things about this meal is not only is it budget friendly, you get to re-purpose your leftovers, but it also freezes beautifully, so you can get 3, yes I said 3 meals out of that holiday turkey you made!! You can make this anytime of the year, just buy a whole chicken, and boil it and shred the meat, but using the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving is my favorite way to make this delicious meal.

Ingredients:
3-4 Cups Cut up (or shredded) cooked Turkey or Chicken
1 lbs. Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Green Pepper
7 Tablespoons Flour
3 Cups Chicken or Turkey Broth (or make stock using bouillon)
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 lbs. Velveeta, cut into cubes
1 Small can of Diced Black Olives
1 Small jar of Diced Pimentos

Directions:
Cook angel hair in water, add approximately 1 chicken bouillon cube for every 2 cups of water. Cook angel hair for 8 minutes, drain. In a medium sauce pan (or just use the stock pot you used for the pasta) melt the butter, and saute the onion and pepper until tender. Blend in the flour, forming a roux. Add the broth and cream until incorporated. Then add in the Velveeta and stir until smooth and melted. In your stock pot add back in the pasta, the cooked Turkey, olives and pimentos and pour the sauce over it all. Mix gently, and then pour into an oblong (or 9x13 and 8x8 pans) and heat in oven for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees. When casserole is bubbling in the middle, it's done. This can also be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated.

Review:
We really enjoy this dish, it's creamy and delightful. With the pimentos it has a bit of a kick to it, which is really nice. It is a pretty easy meal to make, which is wonderful when you're tired from the holiday, but are sick of eating leftovers. If you're like our family and have veggie trays, you are likely to have leftover green pepper to use, and chicken or turkey broth as well from making gravy. This is also great if you have a lot of family in town for the holidays and need something large and filling to feed a crowd, you could even make this before the holiday, freeze it and then defrost and re-heat until warmed through and serve! 4 stars.

Happy Cooking!