Leftover Thanksgiving turkey casserole that even the kids will eat! This is quick, easy and delicious.
I used this recipe as starting place. I first tried it almost as written. I felt the raw spinach should have been precooked and drained before adding to the dish, as I found it was not done while the cheese was rubbery and overcooked. I also added a layer of leftover dressing on the bottom. That did soak up the liguid from the spinach. Even w/ the faults listed, my family liked the dish. I decided to do it again, this time, doing a layer of dressing, smashed spuds,precooked spinach, chopped turkey and salt, pepper and garlic powder. I baked it for 20 minutes and then added the cheese and cooked until it melted. It was very, very good! I will keep messing w/ it but it's a good start!
Read Moredelicious! may i suggest adding some noodles, and taking out the spinach? and then, instead of cheese, you could use spaghetti sauce, and instead of turkey, you could use ground beef.
Read MoreI used this recipe as starting place. I first tried it almost as written. I felt the raw spinach should have been precooked and drained before adding to the dish, as I found it was not done while the cheese was rubbery and overcooked. I also added a layer of leftover dressing on the bottom. That did soak up the liguid from the spinach. Even w/ the faults listed, my family liked the dish. I decided to do it again, this time, doing a layer of dressing, smashed spuds,precooked spinach, chopped turkey and salt, pepper and garlic powder. I baked it for 20 minutes and then added the cheese and cooked until it melted. It was very, very good! I will keep messing w/ it but it's a good start!
This recipe looked too bland to be good, but the idea was interesting. I had leftover turkey and fresh spinach on hand, so, after reading other reviews, I created what we thought was a great dish. I first sauteed some onion and garlic, then wilted the spinach over it to cook it a bit. I also threw in some mushrooms that I had on hand. Added salt & pepper to taste, and some fresh nutmeg gratings since I think nutmeg always goes with spinach. I precooked some white rice (normally would have used brown, but didn't have enough time. I then mixed the rice with the spinach mixture(drain it if necessary), and mixed in the turkey. I covered the dish and cooked for 25 min, then added the cheese, and cooked it another 10-15 min uncovered, to melt the cheese. Wonderful.
Did as another reviewer suggested, adding a layer of dressing in the bottom of the casserole. Delicious! What a great way to use up leftovers.
delicious! may i suggest adding some noodles, and taking out the spinach? and then, instead of cheese, you could use spaghetti sauce, and instead of turkey, you could use ground beef.
I also added a layer of stuffing/dressing, but the whole dish ending up very dry. The flavor was okay and the potential is there, but will probably not make again.
This was really tasty. My only complaint is that the cheese was overcooked. I think when I make it again I won't add the cheese until the last minute. In that case, I will cover the dish with foil before baking otherwise the turkey will dry out. I will try this one again perhaps with chicken.
I decided to add just a few things to "spice" this recipe up a bit. I made a base of mashed potatoes first for the bottom layer. I then took some thawed frozen spinach and added some minced, dried onion and some garlic powder to the spinach. I put the spinach over the mashed potatoes. I layered the turkey on top. I topped the whole thing with a can of cheddar cheese soup (not diluted) spread to cover, and then the shredded cheddar cheese. The cheddar cheese soup cooked down through the turkey and into the spinach. Delicious!
Can't beat this for a simple way to use leftover turkey. I also had some leftover rice that I put in as the bottom layer and I defrosted a 10oz box of frozen spinach for the next layer. It worked fine.
The picture above is what was left over after my husband and I revamped this recipe. We tossed the chopped spinach in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and grated nutmeg. We put half the spinach in the baking dish, topped it with 1.5-2 cups chicken and half the cheese; we then added the rest of the spinach and covered it with foil. We baked it in our convection oven at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, took off foil, added rest of the cheese, 1/2 cup chicken stock, and baked it for 5 more minutes just until the cheese melted. We served it with couscous and it was delicious.
I'm rating this recipe as it was written, not as I modified it. I made it twice. The first time I was faithful to the recipe and I found it really bland. This time I sauteed the spinach with garlic and nutmeg and layered it as another reviewer suggested. In addition I also combined a can of cream of chicken soup with the turkey and an additional cup of shredded cheese and sprinkled the 10 ounces called for in the recipe on top. It turned out much better than the original.
Nice casserole and fun modifying as others did. Sautéed onions and garlic, then added poultry seasoning, a can of oysters and 2 cups of stuffing mix from my freeze to the spinach and turkey. Baked as directed, covered, and added Swiss cheese as the topper uncovered for 5 minutes. Great way to help me with cleaning out the freezer!
This ended up pretty plain. As some reveiewers suggested I sauted onions and garlic with the spinach before I put it in the pan. I added salt and pepper and added a little broccoli. I think the idea of this recipe is good, it just needs more flavor.
This didn't taste any different than Thanksgiving dinner - the ingredients still tasted separate. I did add a layer of stuffing and mashed potatoes thinking the children would eat anything with potatoes and cheese, but that plan didn't work.
yuck - even with adding some minced onion,nutmeg and sourcream. Rice might have made it better - but doubt it.
