Leftover turkey, there’s always lots of it, and you are always looking for creative things to do with it. This year, you could make that same old leftover turkey casserole or turkey pie, but why not try something a little different. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you my Creamy Turkey Lasagna. The perfect use for this year’s leftover turkey. Let’s get to it.
Bechamel Sauce
The base of this creamy lasagna is a cream sauce. If you really wanted to, you could use a store-bought alfredo sauce or something like that, or you can make the sauce as I am about to describe.
To make the sauce, you will need one small-ish onion, about one cup of sliced onion in total. You will also need two cloves of thinly sliced garlic or about two tablespoons worth. With the onion and garlic, you will need two tablespoons of butter and one of olive oil, two tablespoons of flour (I use all-purpose gluten-free flour), three cups of whole milk, a pinch of ground nutmeg, a pinch of pepper, and a big pinch of salt. You can also add some fresh or dried herbs like rosemary and thyme or even poultry seasoning. You want about one teaspoon of dried herbs in total or a tablespoon of fresh.
Making The Cream Sacue
This sauce is a classic bechamel with a little extra flavouring. One other difference between this sauce and a standard bechamel is that the onions and garlic are not strained out. They add extra flavour and texture to the lasagna. To make the sauce sauté the onion in the butter and olive oil over medium heat for four to five minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or two or until the garlic starts to turn brown. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic and cook stirring for about two minutes, then add in the milk and the seasonings. Simmer the bechamel, stirring for about ten minutes or until the sauce has no remaining raw flour flavour. Use the sauce right away.
Lasagna Noodles
You can use whatever brand of lasagna noodles you’d like. You can even make them from scratch if you want to. I used Catelli Gluten-Free Noodles. These are a no-boil noodle. However, the package says to soak the noodles in hot tap water for ten minutes before using them for cream sauces. This worked well for these noodles, but you will have to refer to the package your noodles came in for specific instructions.
Remaining Ingredients
Other than the sauce and the noodles, this Creamy Turkey Lasagna also has cooked and drained spinach (one cup in total. I used the frozen stuff.), half a cup of parmesan cheese, one and a half cups of grated mozzarella, and two cups of cooked, and pulled turkey.
Assembling The Turkey Lasagna
I made a small lasagna using a 10 ¼x7 ¾ ” (26×20 cm) roasting pan that I got from IKEA. If you want to make a bigger version, go for it, but you will have to double all of the ingredients. This Turkey Lasagna is assembled like any other lasagna. First, put a little sauce down, then a layer of noodles, some turkey, some spinach, and some cheese. I made four layers, not including the top (no turkey or spinach on the top), so each layer should get about half a cup of turkey, a quarter cup of spinach, two tablespoons of parmesan and a quarter cup of Mozza, reserving half a cup to broil on to the lasagna to finish it after baking.
Once the lasagna is assembled, cover it with parchment paper and foil, then bake for forty-five minutes at 350°F.
Finishing The Turkey Lasagna
To finish the turkey lasagna, remove it from the oven and turn the broiler on high. Take the foil and parchment off the lasagna, top it with the reserved Mozza, then put the lasagna under the broiler just until it is browned. Let the lasagna sit, uncovered for ten minutes before cutting into it.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup thinly sliced onions
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced garlic
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp flour GF
- 3 cups whole milk
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
Lasagna
- 1/2 cup Parmesan
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
- 2 cups shredded leftover turkey
- 1 cup Cooked and drained spinach 1 cup of frozen spinach is fine
- 1 package of lasagna noodles
Instructions
Sauce
- Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter starts to foam, add in the onions and cook for four to five minutes or until they soften. Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes or until it just starts to brown.
- Add the flour to the pot and cook, stirring for two minutes. Add the milk and seasonings. Simmer the sauce, stirring for ten minutes or until the sauce no longer tastes like raw flour.
Lasagna
- Follow the preperation instruction on the lasagna noodle's package.
- Cover the bottom of a 10 ¼x7 ¾ " (26×20 cm) roasting pan with a ladle full of the sauce. Top with a layer of noodles, another ladle of sauce, 1/2 cup of turkey, 1/4 cup of spinach, 2 tbsp of parmesan, and 1/4 cup of mozza. Repeat this three more times.
- The top layer of lasagna should be only noodles and sauce. Cover the roasting pan with parchment paper and foil, then bake the lasagna at 350°f for 45 minutes.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven, and turn the oven's broiler on to high.
- Take the foil and parchment off the lasagna, top it with the remaining half cup of mozza, then broil the lasagna just until the cheese is browned.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it. Serve it with a side salad.
Conclusion
I was thrilled with how this Creamy Turkey Lasagna turned out, and I think that you will be too. It would benefit from adding some poultry seasoning or fresh herbs like I said, but I will leave that up to you. I hope that this has given you something new to try with your leftover turkey. Enjoy!
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Creamy, velvety texture. Perfect blend of ingredients. Definitely recommend if you are looking for an alternative from the usual repeat of festive turkey dinner.
Thank you Arlene! I’m glad you enjoyed it
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I loved your photos, showing how the sauce should look and each step of the recipe. I was thrilled to find a recipe on a food blog for leftover turkey that wasn’t a soup, tetrazzini or pot pie! I also appreciated a recipe that used common-place ingredients. Given my allergies, I did some conversions. I used plant-based milk and vegan cheese instead of dairy. I used gluten free lasagna noodles instead of wheat noodles. And finally, I used sauteed kale instead of spinach. All worked well. However, I would use a creamier plant-based milk, such as a barista milk cream next time to make the sauce creamier. I would also add two teaspoons seasoning. Nutmeg is a key flavor, which really enhances the dish.