This mouthwatering Turkey and Stuffing Casserole is the perfect way to repurpose your leftover Thanksgiving turkey or any leftover chicken. This lightened up casserole features tender turkey and colorful veggies enveloped in a creamy sauce and topped with savory stuffing- it's a nutritious, hearty, and comforting meal the whole family will love!
I love Thanksgiving side dishes like mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and my twice-baked sweet potatoes. But at the end of the night, I'm usually left with a fridge full of leftovers that last for several days. I usually turn to my turkey and cranberry panini recipe to repurpose those leftovers. But now I'm excited to share this delicious Turkey and Stuffing Casserole with you.
Featuring tender turkey and colorful veggies enveloped in a creamy sauce, and topped with a crispy layer of savory stuffing, this hearty casserole the perfect way to transform your Thanksgiving leftovers.
Of course, you can still make this delicious casserole even if you don't have any leftover holiday turkey. You can make this into a delicious Chicken and Stuffing Casserole any night of the week using rotisserie chicken. Along with my Ultimate Rotisserie Chicken Quesadillas, it's one of my favorite ways to use up rotisserie chicken.
Whether it's a quick next-day meal after the holidays or a simple dinner any time of the year, this delicious Turkey and Stuffing Casserole is a winner!
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Why You'll Love This Dish
- Effortless Transformation: A great way to turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into a whole new delicious dinner with minimal effort and prep time.
- Versatile: While it's a fantastic post-Thanksgiving treat, this recipe works perfectly with leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken any time of the year.
- Packed with Flavor: Turkey, stuffing, and savory herbs infuse tons of flavor in every comforting bite of this stuffing casserole recipe.
- Full of Veggies: Add a healthy touch by incorporating lots of colorful veggies—use leftover Thanksgiving vegetables or frozen vegetables for convenience.
- Family-Friendly: Win over the whole family with this tasty dish.
- Make-Ahead Meal: Prep this easy turkey casserole in advance and enjoy a quick and hearty meal on busy days.
Doctor's Tips
I've put my own spin on this Turkey and Stuffing Casserole to lighten it up and make it more health-conscious than traditional casseroles. Here's how I do it:
- Homemade sauce
Most turkey or chicken casseroles rely on canned soups such as cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken, or cream of celery soup to provide a creamy base. However, canned soups are often very high in sodium.
For my turkey and stuffing casserole, I make a simple homemade sauce using olive oil, butter, flour, reduced sodium chicken broth, and milk. It's not only more flavorful, it's also a lot healthier.
To cut back on the amount of butter in the dish, I use a mixture of heart-healthy olive oil and butter in the sauce. It's enough butter to get that rich flavor, while also reaping the health benefits of olive oil.
- Protein Boost
Instead of the sour cream used in most casserole recipes, I substitute plain Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt adds nice flavor, a creamy texture, and a boost of protein.
- Plenty of Veggies
I pack plenty of colorful vegetables into this casserole- the more the better! You can use any leftover veggies you have from Thanksgiving like green bean casserole, corn or sweet potatoes, or you can use frozen vegetables. Carrots, peas, corn, string beans, broccoli, potatoes, and cauliflower are all great options.
- Homemade Stuffing
I like to use my homemade Classic Sage Stuffing recipe for this dish. However, for convenience, you can buy boxed stuffing from the grocery store. Keep in mind that boxed stuffing is typically very high in sodium, so choose a lower sodium stuffing mix.
Ingredients
Ingredient notes and substitutions. See recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredient amounts.
- Leftover turkey- you can used diced or shredded leftover Thanksgiving turkey; you can also use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken
- Leftover stuffing- use any leftovers you have like my Classic Sage Stuffing; you can use a box of store-bought stuffing but look for reduced sodium stuffing (see "Doctor's Tips" section above)
- Vegetables- use any mix of frozen vegetables (I use mixed vegetables, broccoli, and cauliflower) or any leftover veggies from Thanksgiving like leftover green bean casserole, Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes
- Chicken broth- use reduced sodium chicken broth or turkey broth for the base of the sauce
- Milk- use whole milk or 2% milk for creaminess
- Greek yogurt- adds creaminess and a boost of protein
- Shredded cheese- a small amount of shredded cheese goes a long way to add extra flavor to the sauce; you can use cheddar cheese, cheddar Jack or any cheese that you like
- Dried spices- a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning add lots of flavor to the dish
- Parsley- a garnish of fresh parsley at the end adds a pop of bright flavor
How To Make Turkey and Stuffing Casserole Step-By-Step
See recipe card at the end of the post for full recipe details.
- Step 1- Heat oil and unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook the flour 1-2 minutes.
- Step 2- Pour in the chicken stock and milk, whisking it continuously until a smooth sauce forms.
- Step 3- Stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning. Simmer a few minutes until sauce thickens.
- Step 4- Turn off the heat and stir in the Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, turkey, and vegetables.
- Step 5- Pour the turkey mixture into a prepared casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.
- Step 6- Spread the stuffing in an even layer over the top. Bake casserole in the oven 30-35 minutes at 375°F until filling is bubbling and stuffing is golden brown.
Chef's Tips
- I use my homemade stuffing recipe for this dish- my Classic Sage Stuffing is the best stuffing recipe! However, you can use store-bought stuffing mix. Look for reduced sodium stuffing.
- You can use leftover turkey or chicken in this casserole. It's one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken, along with my turkey and cranberry panini and ultimate rotisserie chicken quesadillas.
- This is a great dish to incorporate a lot of vegetables. Use any leftover veggies you have in your fridge or frozen vegetables.
- I like to add some hot sauce to the filling for extra flavor but this is optional.
Recipe FAQs
Once it is cooled completely, you can store any leftover turkey casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes, you can freeze this casserole. Once it is cooled completely, wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven.
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Recipe
Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cups low sodium chicken or turkey broth
- ½ cup milk (whole or 2%)
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (can substitute a mixture of dried thyme, rosemary, and sage)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
- ½ cup 2% plain Greek yogurt (can substitute sour cream)
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheddar Jack)
- 3 cups diced or shredded turkey or chicken breast
- 3 cups frozen vegetables, defrosted (I use mixed vegetables, broccoli, and cauliflower)
- 3 cups leftover homemade stuffing (can use boxed stuffing)* see Notes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until butter is melted. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook the flour 1-2 minutes. Then, slowly pour in the chicken broth and milk, whisking it continuously. Stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning. Simmer a few minutes until sauce thickens.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt, shredded cheese, turkey, and broccoli.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Spread the stuffing over the top.
- Bake in the oven 30-35 minutes until filling is bubbling and stuffing is golden brown.
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