Are you looking for the most delicious, comforting, and ridiculously easy way to use up your leftover Thanksgiving turkey or rotisserie chicken? This incredible, from-scratch-tasting Crescent Turkey Casserole is your new favorite recipe! It’s a complete, hearty, and satisfying one-dish meal with a rich, creamy filling loaded with tender turkey and vegetables, all topped with a flaky, buttery, and golden-brown crescent roll crust that the whole family will go crazy for.
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s the ultimate comfort food shortcut. We’ll show you how to transform a handful of simple, convenient ingredients into a stunning, bubbly, and crowd-pleasing casserole in under an hour. This is the kind of soul-warming, stick-to-your-ribs meal that tastes like you spent hours on it, but only you will know it was a weeknight breeze.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Comfort Food Shortcut
What makes this Crescent Turkey Casserole so spectacularly delicious is its incredible ease and its classic, comforting flavors. This recipe is a masterpiece of efficiency, using smart shortcuts to create a gourmet-tasting meal in minutes. The “crust” is a simple tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough, which bakes up to be impossibly flaky and golden brown. The filling is a surprisingly simple, from-scratch cream sauce that comes together in about 5 minutes on the stovetop. Loaded with tender cooked turkey and a medley of frozen vegetables, this is a complete, satisfying, and foolproof one-dish dinner.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 40 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4-6 |
The Essential Ingredients for This Easy Casserole
This recipe uses a handful of smart shortcuts and pantry staples to create its signature comforting and savory flavor.
- The Shortcut Topping:
- Refrigerated Crescent Rolls: This is the key to an incredibly easy and impressive crust! A standard 4-ounce tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough creates a wonderfully flaky, buttery, and slightly sweet topping that is the perfect, golden-brown crown for our creamy casserole.
- The Creamy Filling:
- The Shortcut Sauce: This recipe uses a brilliant and unique method for a quick cream sauce. A base of mayonnaise, flour, and chicken bouillon granules is whisked together to form a paste, which is then thinned out with milk to create a rich, tangy, and perfectly smooth cream gravy in just a few minutes.
- The Leftovers: This recipe is the absolute best way to use up leftover cooked turkey breast from Thanksgiving or any holiday meal! If you don’t have leftovers, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken is a fantastic and convenient substitute that makes this a wonderful and easy year-round meal.
- The Veggies: A bag of frozen mixed vegetables (which typically includes a classic blend of peas, carrots, corn, and green beans) is a fantastic shortcut that saves a ton of chopping and prep time.
Step-by-Step to the Easiest Turkey Casserole
This delicious, one-dish meal is incredibly simple to prepare.
Step 1: Make the Quick and Creamy Filling
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Step 2: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, the 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, the 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules, and the 1/8 teaspoon of pepper until a smooth paste is formed.
Step 3: Gradually stir in the 3/4 cup of 2% milk.
Step 4: Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook and stir the sauce constantly until it has thickened, which will take about 2 minutes.
Step 5: Add the 2 cups of thawed, frozen mixed vegetables and the 1 1/2 cups of cubed, cooked turkey breast to the sauce. Cook and stir until everything is heated all the way through.
Part 2: Assemble and Bake to Golden, Bubbly Perfection
Step 1: Transfer the hot turkey and vegetable mixture to your prepared 8-inch square baking pan.
Step 2: Unroll your tube of crescent dough and separate it into 8 triangles. Arrange the triangles over the top of the turkey mixture. You can arrange them in a decorative pattern or simply lay them next to each other to form a solid crust.
Step 3: Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the casserole is hot and bubbly and the crescent roll topping is a beautiful, deep golden brown.
Let the casserole cool for a few minutes before serving.
The Easiest Creamy Crescent Turkey Casserole
An easy and comforting recipe for a Crescent Turkey Casserole. This dish features a creamy filling of cubed cooked turkey and mixed vegetables, made with a simple stovetop sauce using mayonnaise and milk. The filling is poured into a baking pan and topped with a golden, flaky crust made from refrigerated crescent roll dough. It’s a quick and convenient weeknight meal, perfect for using up leftover turkey.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup 2% milk
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (about 10 ounces), thawed
- 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
- 1 tube (4 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
- In a saucepan, whisk together the mayonnaise, flour, chicken bouillon granules, and pepper until a smooth paste forms.
- Gradually stir in the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the thawed vegetables and the cubed turkey to the sauce. Cook and stir until everything is heated through.
- Transfer the mixture to the greased baking pan.
- Unroll the crescent dough and separate it into 8 triangles. Arrange the triangles over the turkey mixture to form a top crust.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the casserole is heated through and the crescent roll topping is golden brown.
Notes
- This recipe uses several convenient shortcuts, such as refrigerated crescent rolls, pre-cooked turkey, and frozen vegetables, to create a quick meal.
- This is a great recipe for using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
- The sauce is a quick, mayonnaise-based cream sauce made on the stovetop.
How to Serve Your Crescent Turkey Casserole
This hearty and satisfying casserole is a fantastic, all-in-one meal. It has your protein, your starch (from the topping), and your vegetables all in one dish! It doesn’t need much else, but it is wonderful served with a simple side of cranberry sauce (especially if you are using Thanksgiving leftovers!) or a simple green salad with a bright vinaigrette.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This Crescent Turkey Casserole is a fantastic make-ahead meal for a busy week.
- Make-Ahead: You can fully assemble the entire, unbaked casserole in your baking dish (without the crescent roll topping) up to 24 hours in advance. Let it cool completely, then cover it tightly with foil and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake, simply arrange the fresh crescent roll dough on top and bake as directed (you may need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time).
- Storage: Store any leftovers, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat this casserole and re-crisp the topping is in a 350°F oven for about 15-20 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave.
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Creative Recipe Variations
- Use a Different Protein: If you don’t have leftover turkey, this casserole is also absolutely fantastic with an equal amount of shredded rotisserie chicken, diced ham, or even a pound of browned ground beef (be sure to drain the fat well).
- Add a Cheesy Element: For an even more decadent and delicious casserole, you can stir 1 cup of your favorite shredded cheese, like a sharp cheddar or a Swiss cheese, into the filling along with the turkey.
- Use a Different Topping: If you’re not in the mood for crescent rolls, this creamy filling is also incredible when topped with a layer of canned biscuits, a layer of crispy tater tots, or a simple breadcrumb and butter topping.
Enjoy The Ultimate Comfort Food Shortcut!
You’ve just created a truly special dish that is a perfect harmony of wholesome, classic ingredients and delicious, satisfying flavors. This Crescent Turkey Casserole is a testament to the power of a few smart shortcuts to create a meal that is both incredibly comforting and wonderfully easy. It’s a rewarding and deeply satisfying recipe that is sure to become a new, much-requested family favorite.
We hope you enjoy every last, warm, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves a good, easy, and comforting meal!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Can I use leftover Thanksgiving turkey for this recipe?
Yes, absolutely! This is one of the absolute best and most delicious ways to use up your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Both white meat and dark meat will work beautifully in this recipe.
Q2: Can I make this casserole ahead of time?
Yes, this is a perfect make-ahead meal! The best method is to prepare the creamy filling completely, spread it in your baking dish, let it cool, and store it, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you are ready to bake, simply unroll and arrange the fresh crescent roll dough on top and bake as directed.
Q3: How do I keep my crescent roll topping from getting soggy on the bottom?
The key is to make sure your filling is hot and bubbly when you put the raw dough on top. This recipe cleverly has you heat the filling through on the stovetop first. This hot filling will immediately begin to cook the bottom of the crescent roll dough as soon as you put it in the oven, which will help to prevent a soggy, doughy layer.
Q4: Can I freeze this casserole?
Because this casserole contains a mayonnaise-based sauce and a delicate crescent roll topping, it is not an ideal candidate for freezing, as the texture of both the sauce and the topping can change significantly upon thawing. It is best enjoyed fresh.
Q5: Can I use fresh vegetables instead of frozen?
Of course! If you have about 2 cups of fresh, chopped vegetables (like carrots, celery, peas, or broccoli) on hand, you can simply add them to the saucepan to simmer and soften in the cream sauce for about 5-7 minutes before you add the turkey.