Chicken Tetrazzini is one of those deliciously retro casseroles that has stood the test of time. We might not be making Wieneroni or Ham and Bananas Hollandaise anymore, but everyone's mom still makes Chicken Tetrazzini. It's a classic! A classic that is not horrifying!
In case you haven't had Chicken Tetrazzini before, it's a pasta-based casserole with a creamy sauce and chicken or turkey (in which case it's called—wait for it!—Turkey Tetrazzini). Sometimes there are mushrooms and peas involved too. There's a Parmesan-and-breadcrumbs topping, but not much in the way of seasoning. When making a vegetarian Chicken Tetrazzini, that lack of seasoning is an issue—without the chicken, this casserole is pretty bland. Sometimes making a recipe meatless is just a matter of switching the meat with some other ingredient, but this is not one of those recipes!
I replaced the chicken in tetrazzini with asparagus and upped the amount of mushrooms. To boost the flavor, I also added leeks and garlic. Then I added my secret weapon—smoked paprika! It's that little je ne sais quoi that you need in a recipe like this. I also used whole wheat farfalle instead of the more traditional spaghetti because I'm not a big spaghetti fan. It's unwieldy! And farfalle looks like a jaunty little bow tie.
This Vegetable Tetrazzini is creamy, delicious vegetarian comfort food—it's everything you love about Chicken Tetrazzini, minus the chicken. Plus vegetables!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound sliced white or cremini mushrooms
- 1 large leek rinsed well and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup shredded Fontina cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 10 ounces whole wheat farfalle pasta cooked al dente according to package instructions
- 1 bunch asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces (discard tough ends)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the mushrooms, leek, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms have released their juices and the liquid has almost evaporated, 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes more, stirring constantly.
- Pour the broth, milk, wine, and cream into the Dutch oven. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in the Fontina, half of the Parmesan, and the smoked paprika. Add the cooked farfalle and asparagus to the Dutch oven; season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spray a large casserole dish with an oil mister. Pour the tetrazzini mixture into the dish and top with the panko and remaining parmesan cheese. Spray the top with additional oil and place the casserole in the oven uncovered. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown. Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Emily @ Zen & Spice says
Yum! This looks SO good. I wish my boyfriend liked mushrooms and leeks. Or, I could make this and eat it all myself lol!
Kiersten Frase says
Eating it all yourself definitely works too. 🙂
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Ohhh yes. This is totally my kind of comfort food! Love how hearty and delicious this looks!
lisacng @ expandng.com says
Yum, smoked paprika. And honestly, I don't think chicken adds that much flavor to dishes. It's such a bland meat. Now chicken stock is another question... thanks for sharing the recipe!
Kiersten Frase says
I could put smoked paprika in just about anything. It is so good! 🙂
Meg van der Kruik says
Yum!!! This sounds so good Kiersten:)
dishing up the dirt says
I could use a warm hearty meal like this right about now! Mushrooms and leeks are one of my favorite flavor combinations. Yum!
Kiersten Frase says
I love leeks too--I don't use them nearly enough!
Joanne says
Somehow I evaded chicken tetrazzini, which is shocking given just how Italian my family is. No idea how that happened. But I will happily have this veg version! I suspect this would even be boy-approved!
Kiersten Frase says
Is tetrazzini really Italian?! I always figured it was one of those American inventions with a fancy Italian name. 🙂
Angie (@angiesrecipess) says
This looks satisfying and delicious!
Stephanie @ Henry Happened says
I'm now feeling like a failure as a mother because I've never made this dish! Because the kiddos would be all.over.this 🙂
Kiersten Frase says
Chris had never had it and I was like, "Whaaaaat? Doesn't everyone grow up eating Chicken Tetrazzini?" 🙂
[email protected] n Dishes says
I ate turkey tetrazzini as a kid, and haven't even thought of it for years! A blast from the past, but made even better, love this!
Kiersten Frase says
My mom used to always make it too--it was one of my favorites! 🙂
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
Every variety of chicken tetrazzini I've seen in the past involved peas. I'm opposed to peas (except snow peas) so have to date never tried the dish. Asparagus, I can handle. This looks great!
Kiersten Frase says
I love snow peas but hate regular peas too. I *want* to like them, but I just can't!
Hari Chandana says
Looks absolutely delicious and tempting. great recipe.. you have a wonderful blog. Happy to follow you 🙂
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks! 🙂
Hayleigh says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Great recipe. I wound up using gouda instead of fontina to save some money and had to use green beans instead of asparagus because the asparagus at the store this weekend looked kind of sad. I'll definitely be making it again soon (hopefully with delicious asparagus next time!)
Kiersten Frase says
Boo for sad asparagus! Green beans are a great sub though. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Jenny says
I made this recipe yesterday but when I finished the white sauce did not thicken. Im not sure what happened. Nevertheless, the pasta taste good.
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe, although I'm sorry to hear the sauce didn't thicken for you! Usually it's thinner right after pulling the casserole out of the oven, but after letting it sit for a few minutes, it thickens.
Stephanie says
I tried this recipe last week and it was so good! I definitely went back for seconds (and thirds!) Thanks for the great recipe!
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment--I'm so glad you liked it! 🙂
Abigail says
Yum! I subbed zucchini from the farm stand for the asparagus, and kept it all in the dutch oven to lessen clean-up - came out perfect! Probably would have been more crunchy bits in a casserole dish, but no one would notice! 🙂
Kiersten Frase says
Yes, the great thing about this recipe is you can substitute whatever is in season! I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Michelle MErcier says
everything on tis website looks delicious I have a problem just like many other food /recipe websites, i can;t email the recipe to myself, can you make this an option?
Kiersten Frase says
We're working on a new system for formatting our recipes and that's an option we'll consider adding. Thanks for the suggestion!
Nicole says
Made this Sunday and have been eating leftovers all week--it's delicious! This recipe gave me the opportunity to try fontina and I love it--it's so smooth and creamy. It's worth the price. I also used all heavy whipping cream instead of adding the wine and it turned out fine. I think I'll try adding spinach next time I make this to bulk the dish up even more. Thanks for this great recipe. 🙂
Amy G. says
Kiersten, this looks great! I'm thinking of making this as a veggie main course for me for Easter. Just a question: Can any or all of this recipe be made ahead of time? Asking due to transporting the dish from home to relative's house issues. Thanks!
Alissa says
Hi Amy! Your best bet would be to do all of the prep work ahead of time, and then just bake the dish at your destination. 🙂 Enjoy!