By Late July. The pipeline project is winding down for a scheduled break — two weeks off before the fall push, which is the most time I have had off work consecutively since before Kai was born. I have been spending the time in the garden and in the kitchen and driving to Tahlequah to see Lily and making things at the smoker that I have been meaning to make for months.
I smoked a whole turkey. Not a Thanksgiving turkey — a summer smoke, which is a different creature from the one you do in November. Summer smoking is more casual, more experimental, less freighted with expectation. I rubbed the turkey with a sumac and dried chile blend I have been developing since spring, something that has the depth of the venison rub but is calibrated for poultry. Smoked over apple and pecan at 250 for five hours. The result was excellent — the skin dark and fragrant, the sumac adding a tartness that balanced the smoke, the meat inside moist because I had dry-brined it for three days. Hannah said it was a new direction. I said it was an old direction with a new application. Both things are true.
Danny would have eaten this turkey. He would have eaten it slowly, with his eyes partly closed, and then he would have said one word. I have been having these imaginary Danny evaluations all summer. I make something and I think: what would he say? And I hear his voice — the real voice, not a memory, his actual voice — saying the one word. I do not know if this is grief or just the particular way a teacher lives on in the student. Probably it is both. Probably most things are both. I am going to keep making the food and hearing him say the one word and taking it as the instruction it is.
The turkey lasted three days. We ate it off the bone the first night, in sandwiches the second, and by the third day I had pulled the rest from the carcass and was looking at a bowl of dark, smoke-edged meat that deserved one more good use. This casserole is what I landed on — it is not glamorous the way the smoke was glamorous, but it is the kind of food that makes a kitchen feel occupied and warm, and some evenings that is exactly the instruction.
Turkey Spaghetti Casserole
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti, broken into thirds
- 2 1/2 cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped (smoked works especially well)
- 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook spaghetti. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until just al dente, about 1 minute less than indicated. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
- Make the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chicken broth until smooth. Stir in smoked paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Combine. Add the cooked spaghetti, sautéed vegetables, shredded turkey, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese to the bowl. Fold everything together until evenly coated.
- Assemble. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and the Parmesan.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and the casserole is bubbling at the edges. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 510 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 890mg