Happy Saturday after Thanksgiving! (Otherwise known as, “What on earth am I going to do with all these leftovers?” Day). I assume you have a fridge full of stuffing, turkey, gravy … probably not gravy. That’s usually the first thing to go.
This year, we have TWO kinds of stuffing in the fridge. That’s because our friends, Jay and Kathy, brought their amazing cranberry and sausage stuffing, and I made my usual batch for Dave, who doesn’t eat cranberries if he can help it.
We are leaving in a half an hour to take our visiting friends, Mark, Cathy, and their daughter, Toni, to Leavenworth. If you’re not native to our parts, you are likely thinking that we’re taking them to prison. But around here, people know that I’m referring to the Bavarian village tucked up in the mountains about two hours from our house. Although the Riches are such easy-going, accommodating people that if I DID suggest a trip to prison, they’d just smile and nod and suggest we stop at Starbucks on the way.
I thought we should have something hearty for breakfast. And then I thought that I should post the recipe for turkey casserole that a friend asked for. And then I thought that I should do both those things by getting rid of some of the leftovers in the fridge.
So here’s a favorite casserole. This recipe assumes you already have stuffing on hand. If you don’t, mix together a box of stuffing (12-14 oz) with 1/4 cup melted butter and enough water to moisten slightly.
Turkey Royale Casserole
- stuffing–enough for two layers in your baking pan
- turkey–about 2 1/2 cups, chopped
- 1/2-3/4 cup onion
- 1/2-3/4 cup diced celery
- salt and pepper
- mayo–enough to moisten the turkey, onion and celery
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 2/3 cup milk (or whipping cream and a little water, which is what I had on hand this morning)
- cheese … lots and lots of cheese
I made a medium-sized casserole this morning, so I fudged on everything to make it fit my dish.
Butter a casserole dish and spread out one layer of stuffing.
In one bowl, mix soup and milk. Pour half of this over the layer of stuffing.
In a second bowl, mix diced turkey, onion, celery, salt and pepper, and enough mayo to moisten all. Spread this over the soup and stuffing.
Add another layer of stuffing over turkey mixture. Pour the rest of the soup mixture over this layer. Top with as much cheese as you can fit in your pan.
Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, uncovered.
Enjoy! 🙂
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Have you ever seen the fun old Christmas movie, “Christmas in Connecticut,” with Barbara Stanwyck? It’s one of my favorites… Reading your blog today just suddenly reminded me of the main character in this. She is a journalist who writes a food column for a magazine. She starts out with a warm story, describing her charming Connecticut farmhouse (though made up out of her imagination) then suddenly finds a way to fold into her recipe with “mix together for warm bubbly goodness…” I love that. Your writing here often makes me smile, just like that scene…