This creamy and hearty Cheesy Turkey and Rice Casserole recipe is perfect to use leftover turkey or even chicken. Filled with fresh vegetables like carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, and lots of cheesy goodness this easy-to-make casserole is always a family favorite.
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Using leftover turkey or chicken is always a dilemma for me, especially after roasting a big turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or even when I have leftovers from a rotisserie chicken I bought. This recipe is a wonderful way to make the most of those leftovers.
This quick and easy meal can be made in less than an hour and will serve up a plate of comfort food that everyone loves. This casserole is a savory dish with juicy turkey or chicken, tender rice, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, and cheese, all baked in a rich sour cream broth. No cans of condensed soup are required.
If you like rice dishes and easy casseroles, try this Ground Beef and Rice Skillet meal. I love it, and you will too! It only takes 30 minutes to cook.
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Turkey And Rice Casserole Ingredients
- Cooked Turkey or Chicken—Leftovers are the best. If you make this Lemon Pepper Roast Chicken, use the leftovers. If you don’t have leftovers, you can also cut chicken breasts and poach them to add to this recipe.
- Long grained rice
- Butter
- Garlic
- The veggies – carrots, broccoli, tomatoes
- Scallion
- Turkey or Chicken Broth. Try making your own homemade chicken broth to use in this recipe.
- Sour Cream
- The Cheeses – Dilled Havarti and Parmesan Cheese
- Salt & Pepper
What is Havarti Cheese?
- This recipe uses basic pantry staples, except for one that you probably don’t have on hand, and that is the Dill Havarti Cheese.
- Havarti is a buttery, creamy, and slightly sweet Danish cheese made with whole milk. It has a semi-hard texture with lots of little holes called “eyes.”
- You can find this cheese flavored with ingredients such as dill, cranberry, caraway, pepper, or basil.
- For this recipe, you can use plain Havarti cheese.
- Can’t find Havarti, try substituting Swiss, Gouda, Cheddar, or maybe Monterey Jack; all of these would be delicious.
How to make this turkey casserole
Step 1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat then add chopped garlic, carrots, and 3/4 of the sliced scallions. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Step 2. Add the broccoli florets, diced tomato, rice, turkey or chicken, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
Step 3. Mix the chicken broth with the sour cream, pour into the skillet, and stir well to combine.
Step 4. Over medium heat, bring these ingredients to a simmer. Then add in half the Havarti cheese, and the parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Step 5. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil, place it in a 425-degree F. oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Optionally – You can pour the ingredients into a greased casserole dish, and cover with foil and bake. This does make a prettier presentation and if there are leftovers you can easily put the baking dish in the fridge.
Step 6. Remove the casserole from the oven and turn on the broiler. Take the foil off, and top the casserole with the remaining Havarti cheese and parmesan cheese. Broil for about 2 minutes until the top of the casserole is golden brown.
Step 7. Sprinkle the top with the remaining sliced scallions and serve while hot.
Bake in a skillet or baking dish
For this recipe, you need a large ovenproof skillet. This12-inch skillet includes a lid that also is ovenproof which comes in handy for casseroles and stews.
If you like, you can also use a baking dish for this casserole.
Don’t forget the cheese
Dill Havarti cheese adds a delicious creaminess to this casserole with just a hint of dill flavor.
Try these recipes next
- Did I mention comfort food yet? If you love turkey, try these Turkey and Stuffing Roll-Ups. This is the perfect dinner to serve for a small family for the holidays or actually any day. It’s just like a delicious turkey dinner, but it’s much easier.
- This dump and bake Pasta and Meatball Casserole takes minutes to prep and bakes into a comfort food dish.
- This tasty Cranberry Winter Fruit Salad makes a wonderful side to serve with the casserole.
- Don’t forget dessert, and there are lots of options, like this easy-to-make Apple-Cranberry Galette or Mandarin Orange Creme Caramel, which is also easy to make and quite the show stopper.
- Try these super easy Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers that are filled with ground turkey, cheese, and tomatoes.
- Creamy Chicken Pasta is a 30-minute recipe the whole family will love.
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Cheesy Turkey and Rice Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter substitute olive oil
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 5 ounce broccoli florets about 2 cups
- 2 carrots diced – medium-sized
- 1 plum tomato seeded and diced
- 3-5 scallions depending on your tastes use a few stocks in the dish and save some for garnish. Slice into 1/4" slices.
- 5 ounces turkey or chicken, shredded use leftover cooked turkey or chicken (2 cups)
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 ounce dilled Havarti cheese cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425° f.
- Prepare the turkey or chicken by shredding either into small bite-sized pieces.
- Prepare all the vegetables – chop the garlic, peel and dice the carrots, cut the broccoli into florets, slice the scallions and seed and dice the tomato.
- On a small cutting board, dice the Havarti cheese into small cubes
- In a large ovenproof skillet (12" works great) melt the butter over medium heat, then add the garlic, carrots, and half 3/4 of the scallion. Stir until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Add the rice, shredded cooked turkey or chicken, broccoli florets, tomato, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine all the ingredients
- In a small bowl or measuring cup whisk the chicken stock and sour cream together then pour this mixture into the skillet and stir well and bring this mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Once the mixture is simmering add half of the Havarti cheese and half of the parmesan cheese, stir to combine.
- Cover the skillet with an ovenproof lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed
- Optionally – pour the casserole mixture into a greased baking dish and cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the casserole dish from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the casserole.
- Turn the oven broiler on and move the oven shelf to the top rack. Return the skillet/dish to the oven and broil for about 2 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
- Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining scallions and serve.
- If there are leftovers, cover the pan and place in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Notes
- using your favorite vegetables
- use turkey or vegetable stock
- you can use different cheeses as you like
- feel free to substitute plain Havarti cheese for the dill flavor, or you can use Swiss, Gouda, Cheddar, or Monterey Jack cheeses.
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Nutrition
First published: Dec. 8, 2020, Last updated: Oct. 9, 2023, for better readability.
About Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.
Hi Jere, this isn’t crucial but the scallions in the recipe ingredients. What’s the amount. It sounds like a yummy casserole!
Should I use cooked rice or non-cooked rice to add to the casserole?
Use uncooked rice in this recipe.
Looks delicious. I’ll try this casserole with chicken. I love the use of dill havarti here.
Chicken is just as good, and perfect with a leftover rotisserie.
Such a wonderful dinner idea. Easy to make, light, and healthy. I’m definitely making this casserole. Thanks for sharing your recipe.