Turkey Tortellini Recipe: A Tasty Way to Use Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey by Melissa Vickers

My mother-in-law made quite a production of Thanksgiving meals – a beautifully roasted turkey and all the fixin's. And we could count on her using any leftovers to make turkey tetrazzini afterwards. She gave me her recipe and I was tempted to try it with leftovers from a recent early Thanksgiving turkey breast. The recipe was a little more involved than I wanted to deal with so I tweaked it and put my own spin on it.

Her version had a homemade tomato sauce and spaghetti noodles with some fresh vegetables and the leftover meat. I opted for jarred spaghetti sauce, tortellini noodles and a few more fresh veggies than her version called for. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand! The result was a success – and still reminiscent of my mother-in-law’s version. I wish she was still around to make the real thing, and maybe one of these days I’ll give it a try. But in the meantime, this will do quite nicely!

Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 12 ounce package Barilla Collezione Cheese and Spinach Tortellini, boiled 10 minutes, drained (or your favorite tortellini)
• 2 cups leftover chopped turkey
• 1 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 zucchini, cut into half-round slices
• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 8 ounces fresh spinach
• 1 jar (23 ounces) spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Here’s how to make it:

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain.
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Sauté vegetables (all but spinach) until soft.
3. Add turkey and spaghetti sauce and simmer until heated through.
4. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in cooked and drained tortellini.
5. Top with cheeses (as much as you like!).

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