Leftover Turkey & Stuffing Casserole
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This creamy and comforting 4-layer Turkey Stuffing Casserole is a delicious way to use up that leftover turkey, gravy, and prepared stuffing from the holidays. Or you can enjoy a taste of Thanksgiving in casserole form on any weeknight.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Versatility – You can use chicken instead of turkey. A great use for leftover Roasted Chicken.
- Freezer Friendly – Freezer friendly casseroles like this recipe and our Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole save time and money. Not to mention some dinnertime sanity!
- It’s delicious – It’s cheesy, creamy, and super comforting! My kids were “oooing” and ahhing” last night when we had it hot from the oven.
- Uses up leftovers – It’s a great way to use up leftover turkey, gravy, and stuffing from the holidays. (Also, don’t throw away that turkey carcass. Use it to make our super easy Turkey Stock.)
Ingredients Needed
You’ll need four basic ingredients for this super easy dish. If you just made Thanksgiving dinner, then you likely have all of these on hand, too.
Ingredient Notes
- Leftover shredded or diced turkey – Try our Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy recipe. If you don’t have turkey, you can easily substitute shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Leftover Gravy or Cream of Chicken Soup – If buying canned soup at the store, I recommend trying to find an organic brand in the health food section to avoid all the preservatives and additives. You can also make your own using our Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – I’ve always used shredded cheddar cheese, but feel free to buy the kind you like best. Colby Jack would also be yummy.
- Prepared stuffing – Use our delicious Homemade Stuffing recipe or you can always take the shortcut of using a boxed stuffing from the store.
Tip: Use Chicken Instead!
This casserole is a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken or any other cooked chicken that you have on hand.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Stuffing Casserole
You can probably memorize this recipe, to be honest. It only requires three steps.
Prep the Oven & Dish
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8×8-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
Layer the Casserole
Layer 1: Add the turkey. TIP: If you want to include some veggies, you can throw some chopped-up, lightly steamed broccoli or cauliflower florets with the first (turkey) layer.
Layer 2: Spread out the cream of chicken soup or gravy.
Bake
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through and golden brown on top. Serve hot.
Side Dishes That Go With Turkey Casserole
How to Freeze Turkey Stuffing Casserole
Like many of our freezer meals, is that it’s super easy to prepare an extra one ahead and freeze it. If you freeze before baking, it will taste like a fresh meal later. Just follow these instructions:
Freeze For Later:
Grease an 8×8 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Follow Step 2 in the recipe, putting the casserole together. Do not bake. Cover tightly with a few layers of plastic wrap or foil (or an air-tight lid) and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen:
Thaw completely. Preheat oven to 350°F. Set the casserole on the counter while the oven preheats. Bake according to Step 3 in the recipe.
More Comforting Casseroles to Try
If you like this casserole, you’re sure to love some of these other favorite chicken casseroles:
FAQs
You’ll need to replace two ingredients to make this casserole gluten-free. 1) Buy store-bought gluten-free stuffing in the health food section. Or, you can make our homemade stuffing recipe using gluten-free bread instead. 2) Buy gluten-free cream of chicken soup at the store or make our homemade cream of chicken soup using gluten-free flour instead.
Yes. Some vegetables that would be good in this casserole are finely chopped broccoli florets (no need to pre-cook if chopped finely), sautéed diced onions, celery, carrots, or mushrooms, and frozen peas (no need to pre-cook).
It is condensed and I don’t mix with the water first.
Yes, this is a great dish to prep ahead of time. Put the casserole together but do not bake it. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Leftover Turkey & Stuffing Casserole
One of the easiest and most comforting casseroles you’ll ever make with leftovers. Freezing instructions included.
Ingredients
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups diced, cooked turkey (or rotisserie chicken)
- 1 1/4 cups (or one 10.5-ounce can) Cream of Chicken Soup or Leftover Turkey Gravy
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 – 3 1/2 cups Homemade Stuffing OR 1 (6-ounce) box store-bought stuffing, prepared according to package directions
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8×8-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Layer the casserole dish evenly with the turkey, gravy or cream of chicken soup, cheese, and finally the prepared stuffing. (Freezing instructions being here.)
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through and golden brown on top. Serve hot.
Freeze For Later:
Follow steps 1 and 2. Cover tightly with a few layers of plastic wrap or foil (or an air-tight lid) and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen:
Thaw completely. Preheat oven to 350°F. Set the casserole on the counter while the oven preheats and then bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until heated through. Serve hot.
Notes/Tips
- Gluten-Free Version: Use gluten-free stuffing and gluten-free canned cream soup.
- Can I Make a Dairy-Free Version? Because there is dairy in the stuffing, soup/gravy, and cheese, this will be challenging. However, you’re welcome to omit the cheese and try to find DF versions of stuffing and soup/gravy at the store, though.
- To prep in advance: Put the casserole together but do not bake it. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You can use cooked chicken instead of turkey.
I made this with ground turkey that I cooked with onion and garlic. The whole family loved it.
That sounds delicious Nancy! Thanks for leaving a review with your specific substitution.
Very Good! Easy to make and very tasty, especially with the cheese!
Glad you liked this Jean-Allen! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
It’s so simple to throw this together. I have made it a couple times. Last time I added leftover mashed potatoes as the base… it was great.
Hi Mags! The potato base sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing and for leaving a review!
I made a white sauce because I used up the Turkey gravy making a Turkey pot pie. This was good but it needed some more spices, maybe some poultry seasoning or sage? Anyway, very good and I’d make it again.
Hi Carol. Thanks for the feedback. It probably also depends on how much someone already seasoned their gravy and stuffing. Glad you enjoyed it.
Easy to put together and the family really enjoyed it! Great way to use up all that leftover turkey.
So glad you all enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a review Kelly!
I made this with our leftovers. Delicious! Even my granddaughter who doesn’t like casserole had seconds!
Woo hoo! Love hearing that kind of review. 🙂
We’re not big on casseroles but this one is a big winner for my family. Just a great easy dish to prepare. So delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Love hearing this Cheryl. We try to make things easy AND delicious! Thanks for letting others know that even families that aren’t big on casseroles enjoy this one!
Made this with leftover turkey breast. So delicious. Used your stuffing recipe, too. Made it gluten free. The house smelled so good while it heated, just like it did on Thanksgiving day.
Glad to hear it Jeanne!
Tastes like Thanksgiving.
Right!?! Great to use up leftovers after Thanksgiving or just to make when you are craving those Thanksgiving flavors!