Intro To Cooking: Nana’s Turkey Tetrazzini

My Italian Nana had seven children. Seven. Needless to say, she was the queen of easy recipes and delicious meals made from the leftover scraps of last night’s dinner.

By Samantha

Now, I’m pretty sure none of you people have 7 kids, but you do have a full course-load and weekends spent laying in bed watching TV. Yeah, you’re busy and there’s not much time to cook, which means my Nana’s recipes are perfect for your college life.

And the best/easiest/warms-your-tummy from-the-inside-out recipe: Nana’s Turkey Tetrazzini. It sounds fancy, and tastes fancy, but it’s super easy (got a bowl and a spoon? You’re good to go) and quick to make (open, pour, mix, cook). And it can be made vegetarian! Just take out the turkey.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp chopped celery
2 Tbsp chopped black olives ( I put in lots more)
1 and a half to 2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken!), cut in pieces
8-12 oz cooked pasta, like spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup water or chicken broth
¼ cup white wine or sherry, if desired (and who wouldn’t desire a little wine in their dinner…and the rest of the bottle while they make it?!)
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Bread crumbs for topping

Tetrazzini Time:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook onion and celery in microwave for 1 minute to soften.

3. Combine all ingredients except breadcrumbs (and save some cheese for the top) and pour into pre-greased baking dish.

4. Top with crumbs and cheese and bake for about 30 minutes, or until top looks brown and cheese is melty and gooey and, mmmm, so delicious.

5. Act like it took forever to make, tell no one your secret.