Hearty and cozy, Leftover Turkey Casserole with Wild Rice gives you a perfect use for those holiday leftovers - and feed a crowd while you're at it!
Made with savory herbs and mushrooms, this meal loads up on leftover turkey for a high protein casserole recipe that tastes like comfort food heaven.
This gluten free casserole is about to become a holiday classic! If you love the hearty flavors of a good comforting casserole, be sure to check out Can-Free Tater Tot Casserole or Leftover Pulled Pork Casserole with Poblanos!
Why you'll love this leftover turkey casserole
FEEDS A CROWD: Often you want to transform leftovers into another crowd-pleasing meal, since company might still be around! This casserole serves that purpose.
HEARTY FLAVORS: Wild rice, savory herbs, and mushrooms create an earthy, cozy vibe that's perfect for day-after leftovers.
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Ingredients of note
TURKEY: Leftover roast turkey is the G.O.A.T. here, and you'll probably have quite a bit on hand after the holidays! Use white or dark turkey, or a mix of the two.
WILD RICE BLEND: My family loves the nutty flavor (and extra protein) of wild rice! Use a wild rice blend to still get a good casserole base without it becoming too chewy.
MUSHROOMS: Our go-to variety is cremini mushrooms - they've got much deeper flavor than button mushrooms and work well in a long bake.
GREEN BEANS: I wanted to add SOME type of green vegetable to this casserole, and green beans hold up well! You can use fresh gren beans that you've trimmed and chopped or just opt for canned green beans that you've drained. Either works.
MOZARELLA: Shredded mozarella helps to bind the casserole together. I liked relatively neutral mozarella; you can also use gouda or even swiss.
BROTH: Our go-to broth brand is Kettle and Fire - the flavor fo the broth alone is hard to beat! But you can use whatever chicken broth you like.
HERBS: Fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary build that savory comfort food flavor. You can use dried if you don't have these classic poultry herbs on hand (or if you used them all when you first roasted the turkey)!
Instructions
As a recipe that uses leftovers from one of the biggest food holidays, I did my best to keep this casserole as hands-off as possible.
- Sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms, and herbs - Pre-cooking some of the veggies ensures they soften in the casserole and, in my opinion, creates better flavor! It's a couple extra minutes that goes a long way.
- Grease the casserole dish - The last think you want is cheese stuck or burned to the sides of the dish!
- Combine turkey, wild rice, and beans - Dump 'em all in the casserole dish and stir.
- Add broth, milk, and cheese to the veggie mixture - Pour in the broth, then add the milk and 1 cup of cheese and stir until the cheese begins to melt.
- Pour broth mixture into the casserole dish - Be careful it doesn't overflow! Cover with remaining cheese.
- Bake! - Bake, covered, for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Uncover and finish for another 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Variations and Substitutions
Use whatever rice you've got - I love wild rice in this recipe, but if you can't get your hands on it or a wild rice blend, use whatever you've got! White rice may cook 10 minutes or so quicker than brown or wild rice.
Instead of green beans, use other veggies - Kale, broccoli, or diced tomatoes could all stand in for green beans!
Use a different cheese - Gouda or swiss would make good substitutes!
FAQs
Sure! If you don't have green beans on hand or you just want to load more veggies in, you could use kale, broccoli, or diced tomatoes.
As written, this recipe calls for mozarella. But if you'd like to try something else, you could use gouda or swiss.
Sure! Leftover roasted turkey, Easy Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken, or rotisserie chicken will work great.
Serving suggestions
This leftover turkey casserole is a meal on its own! Garnish with chopped parsley or scallions and you're good to go.
But if you'd like to add more veggies onto your plate, I'd suggest balancing the hearty casserole with a crisp salad.
More ways to use holiday leftovers
Still have turkey to use? Look no further! Use it in a couple of our favorite soups and chilis:
Did you try this leftover turkey wild rice casserole? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.
Print📖 Recipe
Leftover Turkey Casserole with Wild Rice
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Mushrooms, cheese, and savory herbs make this leftover turkey casserole with wild rice a perfect gluten free way to upcycle holiday leftovers! Use a blend of light or dark meat for best results.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the casserole dish
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½ tablespoon fresh sage or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or ¼ teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon gluten free flour blend
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups wild rice blend
- 2 cups leftover roast turkey, roughly chopped
- 1 cup chopped fresh green beans (or 1 15-oz can green beans)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella or gouda cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and position an oven rack to the middle position.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until onions are translucent and softened. Add the mushrooms, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and gluten free flour, stirring to coat the mixture. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the broth while stirring. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grease a 9x13 casserole dish with a small amount of olive oil or butter. Dump wild rice, turkey, and beans into the dish and mix together. Set aside.
- Pour the milk and 1 cup cheese into the mushroom mixture in the skillet. Stir until cheese starts to melt. Remove from heat.
- Carefully pour the mushroom mixture over the turkey and rice mixture. Gently stir the mixture again. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup cheese over the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes, until top has browned and cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.
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