Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Homemade Turkey Divan Casserole

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By 5 Comments

This is a great dish to use up leftovers.

I always make this casserole after Thanksgiving. And the kids get so excited if I make it any other time (sometimes with chicken.)

No canned soup!

Homemade Turkey Divan Casserole with chopped turkey, broccoli, cheese, and noodles.

Turkey Divan Casserole

I make a roux with sautéed veggies in butter with flour and then add milk or cream to make a béchamel sauce. Look how thick it is! It smells quite divine and tastes wonderful alone.

Vegetable Bechamel

Layers of deliciousness – turkey, veggies, cheese, noodles.

Turkey Divan Ready for the Oven

Ready to pop in the oven for a great frugal healthy meal for our hungry family.

Turkey Divan

Warm gooey cheesy deliciousness!

Homemade Turkey Divan
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Turkey Divan Casserole

Course Main Dish
Cuisine Casserole
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3 T butter
  • 1/4 c AP flour
  • 1-1.5 c whole milk and/or half and half
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 c mushrooms sliced or chopped
  • 1/4 c bell pepper any color, but we love red or yellow or orange
  • 2 c cooked turkey or chicken chopped
  • 1-2 c fresh broccoli chopped bite-size
  • 1 box noodles prepared according to instructions
  • 1.5 c shredded cheese We like a Mexican cheese blend. Cheddar tends to be oily.
  • pinch salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 t garlic powder to taste. I usually use a lot of garlic, fresh and powder.

Instructions

  1. Boil noodles according to directions.

  2. Chop vegetables and saute in butter, but don't brown the onions.

  3. Sprinkle with flour and then immediately whisk in milk or half and half. It should thicken like white gravy. Add more liquid as needed. You can also add in some cheese for extra creaminess. Sometimes, I add the broccoli at this point to make things easy.

  4. Combine gravy and cooked noodles and other ingredients in a bowl.

  5. Spread in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
  6. Bake at 350* for 30-45 minutes, depending on how crispy you like the top.

Some have mentioned this casserole was dry…No recipe is perfect and it doesn’t always turn out great every time.

Some tips to try:

  • Increase temperature and/or reduce baking time. All ovens are different. Most of the ingredients are already cooked or just need to be warmed up and melded. Broil for a few minutes if you like it crispy.
  • More bechamel sauce.
  • Try different cheeses or cheese blends for a creamier consistency.
  • Use a deeper or smaller casserole dish.
  • Experiment with the type of noodle in the recipe. Egg noodles are softer while rotini are firmer and dryer.

What’s your favorite casserole?

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The Best Homemade Tuna Casserole

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By 6 Comments

I’ve eaten my fair share of tuna casseroles in my time – some good, some bad, and some ugly.

Most casserole recipes have canned soup in them for the sauce and other ingredients that I would rather not eat. We prefer all natural, real food ingredients.

I think I have perfected the tuna casserole recipe to eliminate all the yuck factors.

This is a great frugal lunch for our homeschool family.

For my two who don’t care for fish? They still love this! It doesn’t taste fishy at all. You can always substitute chicken or turkey or salmon! And I love all the “hidden” vegetables.


I rarely make this for dinner since my husband doesn’t care for it.at.all. But if he’s out of town or busy of a night, it’s a pinch to throw together.

The Best Homemade Tuna Casserole

Procedure:

I have friends who keep the cream soup base in a jar or can in their pantry. I haven’t been that proactive. It’s really just not that hard to make it fresh each time and I have little storage space.

I make a béchamel sauce and boil pretty noodles. (White Sauce – Approx: Melt a stick of butter, add 1/3 c flour, whisk, add 1 pint cream, whisk.)

Boil noodles to al dente. They’re gonna bake in that casserole and you don’t want mush.

Tuna (water and all from the can or pouch – or leftover grilled, roasted, baked tuna steak is very yum!)

Chopped veggies in a big bowl. I love, love, love roasted peppers. We canned our own last fall and wow! does that add a lovely flavor.

Lots of shredded cheese. Usually whatever I have on hand – Parmesan is a must though. A Mexican cheese blend melts just beautifully.

Here’s the casserole beauty, ready for the oven:

Tuna Casserole Ready for the Oven
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The Best Homemade Tuna Casserole

Course Main Dish
Cuisine Casserole
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 2-4 T butter
  • 1/4-1/3 c AP flour
  • 1-1.5 c milk or cream or half and half
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 2 medium carrots chopped
  • 1/4 c roasted red peppers (pimientos) chopped
  • 1/4 c bell pepper (any color but green is pretty) chopped
  • 1 large can tuna or a cooked tuna steak, chopped
  • 12 oz noodles prepared al dente
  • 1.5 c shredded cheese I like a Mexican blend + Parmesan
  • 1 pinch salt to taste
  • 1 pinch black pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch garlic powder to taste

Instructions

  1. Boil noodles according to directions.
  2. Chop onions, carrots, and peppers.
  3. Saute vegetables in butter with a drizzle of olive oil.
  4. Sprinkle 1/4 c AP flour over vegetables, then immediately whisk in cream until smooth and thick.
  5. Combine Bechamel sauce in a bowl with tuna and noodles and cheese.
  6. Spread in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
  7. Bake at 350* for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how crispy you like the top.
Linking up: The Sassy Slow Cooker, Home to 4 Kiddos, Crystal and Co., Kids Activity Blog, The Recipe Critic, Our Table for Seven
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