Gobble Gobble (Turkey) Casserole

I'm sure that I am not the only woman who tries to find other ways to enjoy the leftovers of a Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey. Nah, I can't possibly be. So I put my "little grey cells" to work, as my favorite detective Hercule Poirot would say, and then it hit me! Not a turkey soup...no, I've had plenty of that through the years, it's to be expected...instead it occurred to me that a casserole was the way to go. So here we go!
Here we have the main players of this production. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350°F.
While the oven is getting warmed up, grab a medium saucepan and fill it with 3 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.

Since a watched pot never boils, start tearing, cutting or shredding 2 cups of turkey meat. White meat, dark meat or both...it's your choice. Mine? White meat everytime. Place the turkey meat into a 9x13 baking dish.

It's time to grab your knife! I like to buy pre-sliced mushrooms, it's so convenient, so all that's necessary now is to slice them into halves. If there are a few peices that are too big when halved, then go ahead...get crazy and cut them into quarters! Place the mushrooms into a medium sized bowl.

Now grab your carrots. (I always grab more than needed starting off) Again, take a little bit of the work out of your day...when you hit the store, grab the bag of peeled carrots. Let's slice these beauties into 1/4" thick disks. Perfectly bite-sized. Add the carrots to the mushroom bowl. And set aside. Let's check in on our water...

It's ready for action!

Add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to the water. This is the only chance there is to flavor the pasta itself.

Pour in 1 1/2 cups of mini pasta. I used mini wheels. (my kiddles love the mini wheels) Cover and let cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Be sure to set your timer...we don't want the pasta to cook completely. 5 minutes is all that's needed to reach al dente. This timer annoys me more than the one on my stove so it really gets my attention.
Back to our casserole assembly...in a medium bowl mix 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup...
Add 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning,

1/2 teaspoon sea salt,

1/4 teaspoon black pepper,

 1/8 teaspoon paprika.

Stir until it's creamy and everything is well mixed.

Time to add our milk! Add little by little, stirring carefully so things don't slop all over you. (this is a problem that I battle all the time)

Oh! Time to get our pasta off of the stove! Have your strainer ready and place it in the sink. Step back as you pour the pasta into the strainer...unless you are in need of serious facial. Give the pasta a little cold shower...to stop the cooking process. It will finish cooking in the oven.

Okay, back to the casserole dish. Here we have our turkey...looking a little lonely.

Perhaps a little pasta will help...looking better, but not there yet.
Let's add the carrots and mushrooms....getting there.
Time to mix the turkey, pasta, carrots and mushrooms with your hands to insure that everything is well distributed. (plus it's just another excuse to get your hands in there)
Ah, yes. Much better. Now we're getting somewhere.
Pour the soup mixture over the turkey, carrots and mushrooms...
mix well and spread the mixture evening in the casserole dish.
Oh it looks so good already!

Check out this creamy goodness...it's just screaming to be eaten! And we could stop here...but why do that?

Time to mix our toppings! Here is our next cast of characters.
Pour out 1 cup of French's French Fried Onions onto the cutting board. Here is it.... a chance to get some agression out...perhaps pent up from those pesky laundry stains you just can't seem to get out. Perhaps not. Regardless, these french fried onions are in need of a good beating. Don't resist...how many times does that mallet actually get to come out and have some fun?
Once the onions have been pummeled into crumbs, pour then into a small mixing bowl. Then grab 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs and pour them in aswell. As you could see before, I keep quite a bit onhand. Oh how I love bulk bin shopping.

Pour our toppings over the casserole mixture.

Carefully smooth the toppings evenly, trying not to uproot any goodies along the way.
Since a little more of a crunch is always nice, drizzle 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on top of the toppings.

Now it's time to use a bit of a gently touch. Just mix the oil in enough to get some of the bread and onion crumbs mixed in. As you can see, I've chosen to use a table knife rather than a spoon...I do not want to accidently start scooping things up to the top. And mixing it all into the casserole is definately not what the goal is here.

Okay. Ready to hope on into the oven. All that's needed is a little covering of aluminum foil first. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Then uncover the casserole and bake an additional 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven) so the bread topping can get a little crunchy.
It's time! Pull that badboy out of the oven and let it set for 10 minutes. This is the point when my Charming came over looked at it with a questionable expression on his face (as he knew that I was experimenting with a new recipe) and said, "Well, is this it? Can I try it? It smells good." (pick me up off the floor!) This dish is now a very welcomed addition to our menu. Enjoy!

Gobble Gobble (Turkey) Casserole
Ingredients:
2 Cups Turkey, dark and/or light meat pulled or shredded into bite size peices
2 Cups Sliced Mushrooms, halved
1-1/2 Cup Sliced Carrots, 1/4" thick
1 Cup Dry Pasta of your choice (mini pastas work best)
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt, Separated
3 Cups Water
2 - 10oz. Cans of Cream Of Mushroom Soup
1 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Cup Whole Milk
Topping:
1 Cup French's French Fried Onions
1 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. When water comes to a boil, add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and pasta. Cook for 5 minutes until al dente. (pasta will finish cooking in the oven) When pasta is ready, strain pasta & rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to finish draining excess water.

While pasta is cooking, tear, cut or shred 2 cups of turkey meat. Set aside in a 9x13 casserole dish.
Slice peeled carrots into 1/4" rounds. Set aside in a medium bowl. Slice mushrooms into halves. (quarters for large sections) If your mushrooms are not pre-sliced, then start by slicing them into 1/4" slices, then halve or quarter accordingly. Place in the bowl with carrots.

In a seperate medium bowl combine soup, poultry seasoning, black pepper, paprika and milk.
Pour pasta into casserole dish. Mix with turkey pieces. Add carrots & mushrooms and mix again, distributing ingredients evenly. Add soup mixture to casserole dish. Mix ingredients well and spread evenly.

With a mallet, crush the French's Fried Onions until they become crumbs. Pour into a small bowl and mix with the bread crumbs. Drizzle olive oil over the breading mixture and mix gently. Pour breading mixture evenly over the top of the casserole. (if prefered, pour dry breading over casserole and lightly coat with olive oil cooking spray)

Cover casserole with aluminum foil and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Cook for another 25-30 minutes (depending on the oven) uncovered to allow breading to toast. Remove and let casserole with for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.