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Butternut Turkey Casserole combines cooked butternut squash, roasted turkey, and rustic country bread under a melty, cheesy topping.
Just when you thought Thanksgiving leftovers couldn’t get any more delicious…allow us to introduce you to this fantastic Butternut Turkey Casserole!
This super easy casserole is deliciously satisfying, and it’s a great way to create a meal out of cooked butternut squash, leftover turkey, and leftover bread from your Thanksgiving dinner.
In fact – this Butternut Turkey Casserole is basically Thanksgiving dinner – but with melted cheese on top! (And everything is better with melted cheese on top!)
How do you make Butternut Turkey Casserole?
You’ll start out by toasting cubes of bread in the oven. (We used a loaf of rustic, country white bread – but any leftover bread will do.) Then we poured hot chicken broth over the bread cubes, allowing the mixture to sit while the bread soaked up the broth.
Next, in a large skillet, we sautéed onion and celery in melted butter along with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Then, we added bite-sized pieces of cooked turkey (white or dark meat, your choice) and poured this mixture over the broth-soaked bread cubes.
We stirred some beaten eggs into the turkey and bread mixture, then added hot, cooked butternut squash – stirring to combine. (You can use leftover squash from your Thanksgiving dinner – or, if you don’t have any – we give instructions below on how to quickly and easily cook up some butternut squash for this recipe.)
Pour the Butternut Turkey Casserole into a baking dish. Cover with parchment and foil, then bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Remove the parchment and foil, then sprinkle both sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheeses on top. Broil in the oven for a few minutes – just until the cheese is browned and bubbly hot.
Serve the Butternut Turkey Casserole immediately. I think it’s delicious with some cranberry sauce on the side, or with a tossed salad.
This Butternut Turkey Casserole is adapted from a recipe we found in the cookbook, 500 Treasured Country Recipes by Martha Storey. It’s pure, delicious comfort food!
More Comfort Food recipes:
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Butternut Turkey Casserole
Ingredients
4 cups cooked butternut squash (if cooking from a fresh squash, start with 3 pounds)
8 cups rustic country bread cubed, about one loaf
2 cups turkey or chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter plus more to butter casserole dish
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups cooked turkey meat (white or dark or both)
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
If you are starting with a fresh uncooked butternut squash, preheat oven to 425 degrees F and cut the squash in half the long way and remove seeds. Place cut side up on a foil lined pan and place a pat of butter into each cavity. Cover with parchment and foil and bake until fork tender, about 45-60 minutes.
Cool, remove the flesh and mash. The squash can be made in advance or use leftovers from your Thanksgiving dinner.
Cut the bread into one-inch cubes and bake for 5-10 minutes at 325 degrees F to dry out and toast, flipping half way through. Place in a large bowl once they are toasted. This step can be done in advance.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the broth and pour over the bread and let sit.
In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat and add onions, celery, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are tender, about five minutes.
Add the cut up cooked turkey and heat and toss then add into the soaking bread cubes and toss.
Stir in the beaten eggs and combine.
Heat the butternut in the microwave to hot and mix into the mixture.
Butter a 9x13x3-inch casserole dish and pour in the mixture.
Spray a piece of parchment paper and place (spray-side down) over the casserole dish then top with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle the top with both cheeses and broil for 3-5 minutes until browned and bubbly.
Serve immediately.
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