Dreaming about Thanksgiving leftovers? This easy Turkey and Stuffing Casserole with gravy has all the best parts of Thanksgiving dinner, combined to create your new favorite casserole. So grab a fork, sit back, and enjoy…
On Thanksgiving the turkey was the star of the show, but today it shares the spotlight with cornbread stuffing and turkey gravy. This trio of favorites comes together to create an instant classic.
Let’s face it…after the 2nd or 3rd turkey sandwich, your family is getting a little burnt out. Time to flip the script! This easy turkey and stuffing casserole tastes heavenly and puts those Thanksgiving leftovers to good use.
This casserole is popular because of its versatility. A little bit, and you have a snack. A little more, and it’s a side dish. A plateful, and you have a meal.
It’s also a great way to stretch your budget. Just 2 cups of chopped turkey and you have another couple of nights of tasty dinners. When it comes to finishing those Thanksgiving leftovers, it feels like you’re leaving on a high note.
What I love about Turkey and Stuffing Casserole (besides how yummy it tastes!) is that it is 100% freezer-friendly. Just assemble it according to the directions – but instead of cooking it, freeze it for up to 6 months. When the holidays feel like a distant memory, thaw your casserole in the fridge, throw on some Christmas music, then bake ’til it’s ready.
INGREDIENTS – WHAT YOU NEED
- 1-2 cups chopped turkey
- 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup (or use 2 1/2 cups leftover gravy instead)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- Cooked Stuffing Leftovers (or make a new box). You need enough stuffing to form a layer of stuffing in the casserole pan.
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY AND STUFFING CASSEROLE – Step by Step
- In a medium bowl, hand-mix the chopped turkey with the cream of chicken soup and sour cream.
- Spoon the turkey mixture into the bottom of 9×13 pan, forming a flat layer.
- Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top.
- Spoon a flat layer of cooked stuffing over the cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 30 minutes until sauce is bubbling and stuffing is golden and crispy on top!
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
Freezing Your Casserole: Don’t let the freezer take your favorite baking dish hostage. As you’re freezing your casserole, one simple step frees up your dish for other uses.
Before adding your ingredients, line your baking pan/dish with a single sheet of parchment paper (leaving enough paper to hang over the sides). When your pan is ready, pop it in the freezer for about 1-2 hours until the ingredients are solid.
Remove the pan and lift sides of the parchment paper, pulling out the entire casserole. Transfer the casserole to a separate container and return it to the freezer. Don’t forget to label the container and include the date!
HOW TO THAW YOUR CASSEROLE BEFORE COOKING
Transfer the casserole from the freezer to the fridge, allowing it to thaw for 24 hours. Bake according to the directions, but add an extra 10-15 minutes to your cooking time.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO WITH TURKEY
- Bite into this tasty Turkey Delight
- Create these 10 Best Recipes to Use Up That Thanksgiving Turkey
- Make this California Club Pasta Salad
- Create this Make Ahead Enchilada Casserole
- Make this Turkey Tortilla Salad with Cilantro Dressing
The next time you make this recipe, I would love to see it! Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #happymoneysaver and tagging me @happymoneysaver!
Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups chopped turkey
- 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup or use 2 1/2 cups leftover gravy instead
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 3 cups cooked stuffing leftovers or make a new box. You need enough stuffing to form a layer of stuffing in the casserole pan.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, hand-mix the chopped turkey with the cream of chicken soup and sour cream.
- Spoon the turkey mixture into the bottom of 9×13 pan, forming a flat layer.
- Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top.
- Sprinkle on the layer of cooked stuffing over the cheese.
- Bake at 350° F 30 – 40 minutes until sauce is bubbling and stuffing is golden and crispy on top!
Notes
Nutrition
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This recipe was first posted November 27th, 2010, but has been updated with new photos and better detailed instructions & tips on November 30th, 2020.
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Mary says
Last Sunday I made this with Chicken I put my dressing on the bottom of my pan not on top it was a hit at our Church care group
Patricia Baltzer says
Throw in some dried cranberries with stuffing when you mix it!
Lori Stritt says
We make pig pies with our Thanksgiving leftovers. We layer turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and corn and then cover with gravy in a casserole dish. (we have friends who use the green bean casserole and cranberry sauce in theirs also) I freeze a couple of them, tastes like a fresh turkey dinner but with out the mess!
Happy.MoneySaver says
Great idea!
Mattie says
I was thinking how good some of those dried onion rings would be in this casserole.
Vanessa says
I made it last night! Thanks! It was a hit with my family (and the kids friends who were over)!
Karrie says
Julia…those look so delicious! Can’t wait to try them..thank you!
Nammers says
Do you use cooked turkey for this recipe? Do you think you could substitute raw meet and adjust the cooking time?
Happy-Money-Saver says
Yes, I use cooked turkey. I would probably cook the meat first instead of worrying about it being cooked in the casserole.
Julia says
Turkey pot pie for breakfast/brunch/whatever. Very simple pour-on crust: equal parts flour and milk (depending on the size of your pan), 6 tbsp melted butter for every 1 cup flour and milk, blend together, pour over cubed turkey, vegetables, and a can of cream-of-anything soup. Bake at 400F for 45 minutes.
Turkey soup with homemade noodles or dumplings: I boil the turkey carcass up with herbs, onions and celery and do the dumpling thing. It is a good way to use any leftover veggies from your dinner or any of those partial bags of veggies that are floating around your freezer. I put sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, edame, corn, green beans, potatoes, okra, sugar peas and potato in mine this year and delivered bowls of the stuff to my neighbors yesterday! Homemade dumplings are easy or you can use Bisquick. I also like to make homemade noodles as an alternative for the dumplings. I just add flour to two eggs to make a stiff dough (and a pinch of salt) Roll out, flouring liberally, I like to cut the noodles wide and keep them long. They don’t have to be perfect! Cook in the broth until done. These are fresh noodles and won’t take long, maybe five minutes, depends how thick you roll them, you will have to check to see when done. You can add butter, eggs, herbs, blended veggies, pesto to the dough for variation. Just depends on what you have. People go crazy for these. Homemade egg noodles…so easy!
Julia says
TURKEY TETRAZZINI
Ingredients: 3/4 cup butter or margarine, 3/4 cup flour, salt, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 quart milk, 2 cups undiluted chicken broth, 4 egg yolks, 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup sherry, 1 pound thin spaghetti, 6 cups leftover turkey cut into cubes, 1 cup fresh or canned sliced mushrooms, 8 oz sharp Cheddar grated (2 cups).
Sauce: Melt butter in large pan, remove from heat. Stir in flour, nutmeg and salt until smooth. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly. Boil 2 minutes until slightly thick.
In small bowl, beat egg yolks and cream. Beat in a little of the sauce, pour back into pan over low heat, stirring until hot but not to a boil. Stir in sherry.
Boil spaghetti, drain and return to kettle. Add 2 cups sauce and toss together. Divide in half and put into two 12-by-8-by-2 baking dishes, push back toward edges. Add 2 cups sauce to turkey and mushrooms, mix well and spoon half into center of each dish.
Sprinkle grated cheese, cover with foil and refrigerate 1 hour or even overnight. Preheat oven to 350F and bake, covered, 45 minutes. Spoon reheated leftover sauce over each serving. You can refreeze and have leftover leftovers. Yes you can lighten this one up or omit something if you don’t like it!
Holly says
We had a wonderful Turkey Soup with dumplings. I made stock with the turkey bones, some onion, carrots, celery, ginger and garlic then added dumplings using the bisquick mix recipe. I had too many dumplings for the pot so I baked the extra into drop biscuits for sopping up the extra soup.
Karrie says
mmmmm..Holly. Love the sound of that. Adding it to my list of leftover cooking too!
Lisa says
We mix the leftover mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey together. Roll it into balls and roll in bread crumbs. Fry in butter until golden brown and then bake until piping hot. Serve with leftover gravy and get fatter by the millisecond……We always do it on the Sunday after Thanksgiving….tomorrow can’t come soon enough.
Karrie says
Oooh…great idea Lisa, going to have to try that one out.