Too many Thanksgiving leftovers? Make turkey “glop”

If you’re struggling with Thanksgiving leftovers and/or have been turkeyed out, I have a suggestion: glop.

At least that’s what our anonymous reader calls this casserole dish, adapted from an old (as in 40 years ago) Betty Crocker cookbook.

“I named it after a favorite dish the cook used to make when I was in college…” the anonymous reader wrote.

So, make this turkey “glop” for an easy weeknight dinner that also uses up pesky leftovers.

“I first made it when I was going through the freezer once upon a time and found a package of leftover cooked Thanksgiving turkey bits and pieces just after Christmas one year,” the anonymous reader wrote, “but I’ve also used it when we’ve had leftover cooked chicken thighs or breasts and it comes out just fine each time.”

Turkey “Glop”

1 cup cooked turkey or chicken, diced

6 ounces uncooked pasta (elbows, bowties or egg noodles work best)

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

4 ounces of milk (about ⅓ of the empty can of soup)

¾ to 1 cup frozen baby peas

¾ to 1 cup frozen corn kernels

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided in half

¼ cup bread crumbs

½ to 1 teaspoon salt

Pepper, a dash or two

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the pasta per package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, remove any skin, bones, cartilage, etc., from the turkey or chicken and dice it up into bite-size pieces, then lightly salt the meat.

Measure out the peas and corn into a microwavable bowl and put in the microwave on “defrost” for a minute or so until the vegetables are soft and slightly warm. Mix ¼ cup Parmesan with the bread crumbs and set aside as the topping.

Pour the soup into a 2-quart oven-safe casserole dish (doesn’t have to be greased beforehand) and whisk in the milk, then add the remaining ¼ cup parmesan, meat, vegetables, ½ teaspoon salt and the dash of pepper, and mix well.

After the pasta is done (8-10 minutes or so), drain and pour into the casserole dish, then mix in the noodles well so all the noodles are coated with the soup-milk mixture, otherwise the noodles dry out and get hard. Use a spatula to pat the mixture down evenly in the casserole dish, then sprinkle the top with the parmesan-bread crumb mixture.

Place in the oven and cook, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until you see it starting to bubble. If the topping doesn’t brown up enough for your taste, after the 20-25 minutes are done, turn on the broiler and let it cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

Per experience, this makes about 3 to 4 servings. Also, the amounts shown above are estimates — one can go bigger or smaller on the quantity of meat, cheese or vegetables as one prefers and it will still come out fine. Total prep time is about 15 minutes and total cooking time is about 25 minutes.