Dairy-free Cheesy Turkey Noodle Casserole
Dairy-free Cheesy Turkey Noodle Casserole is the best dairy-free cheese dinner. It’s quick and easy to make, full of hidden veggies, and uses leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
Dairy-free Cheesy Turkey Noodle Casserole is going to amaze you! The cheesy sauce is the best dairy-free cheese sauce you’re ever going to make. I’m typically not one that needs to re-create food that I’m allergic to. I cannot eat cheese, and that is just fine. I don’t need to create a dairy-free version to make dinners that have cheese in them. I simply make a different recipe. But there was something so intriguing about making a cheese sauce from butternut squash that I just HAD to try it this time.
When I made Creamy Butternut Squash and Apple Soup there was something about the thick and creamy texture that reminded me of a cheese dip. The texture was perfect, but the flavor was too sweet and not quite “cheesy” enough. I knew by changing just a few ingredients I could get the perfect cheese sauce. I dropped the apple, cinnamon, and cayenne and added instead nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder, and sea salt. The nutritional yeast adds that “cheesy” flavor and the other seasonings give a savory flavor that mixes perfectly with the turkey.
Let’s talk noodles for a moment. Usually, I buy regular gluten-free noodles when making a noodle dish for the family. But I came across the Banza brand noodles and needed to try them. They’re made with chickpeas and pea protein so there are 23 grams of protein per serving! A great healthy choice for the family and a great choice for pre or post-workout meals! Carbs and protein in one simple box of noodles! Double win.
Making Dairy-free Cheesy Turkey Noodle Casserole is quite simple. The first thing you need to do is bake the butternut squash until it’s soft. About 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the squash. When the squash has only 10 minutes left to bake, begin boiling the noodles according to package. When the butternut squash is done baking, scoop out the insides and put right into the blender. To the blender add the coarse ground mustard, canned coconut milk, sea salt, nutritional yeast, and onion and garlic powders. Blend on high until it’s creamy and no chunks remain. You may need to stop halfway through and scrape the sides down.
In a large baking dish, combine the cooked noodles, leftover turkey, and cheesy sauce (the butternut squash blended mixture). Stir it all together until the noodles are coated evenly with sauce. Add a couple of fresh rosemary sprigs to the top and bake the casserole in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until it’s heated through. But, if you’re like me and need this done in a hurry, you don’t necessarily need to heat it in the oven. The cheese sauce should still be still hot from coming straight from the oven and the noodles were just boiled, so they’re hot too. If you time it just right, you can cut those 10-15 minutes of bake time out by just adding the hot ingredients together (you can add the turkey cold and the sauce will warm it up OR simply heat the turkey before adding it to the dish) and dinner is done ever faster!
- 2 cups butternut squash, cooked
- 1/2 tsp coarse ground mustard
- 1/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 8 oz box gluten-free pasta (I use Banza)
- 2 cups leftover turkey, shredded
- sea salt and coarse ground pepper to taste
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash lengthwise and remove seeds using a spoon. Place squash cut side down in a baking dish with 2 cups of water poured into the dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until soft enough to scoop out using a spoon.
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In a high-speed blender, add 2 cups cooked squash, ground mustard, coconut milk, sea salt, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powders. Blend on high until creamy and no chunks remain. Scrape sides during blending as needed.
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Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta in a colander.
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In a baking dish add the cooked noodles, shredded leftover turkey, cheese sauce (butternut squash mixture), sea salt and coarse ground pepper. Using a large spoon, stir until noodles are evenly coated with sauce. Add the fresh rosemary sprigs to the top of the casserole. Bake in the oven (350 degrees) for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Serve.
Store leftovers in a covered glass container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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