Turkey Tetrazzini, Green Beans, Steamed Carrots

This Turkey Tetrazzini is adapted from Taste of Home magazine.

8 oz spaghetti
1 small onion, chopped
2 T butter
1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
2 rounded T flour
1/4 t salt
2 c milk
1 t chicken bouillon
2 c cooked turkey, cubed
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t parsley flakes
optional: 1 T butter and 1/2 c dry bread crumbs

1 can green beans

1/3 lb baby carrots


Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a heavy pot, saute onion in butter until tender. Add mushrooms and red pepper; saute 4-5 minutes longer. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Gradually whisk in milk and bouillon. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in turkey and Parmesan cheese; heat through. Remove from heat. Drain spaghetti; add to turkey mixture and mix well. Transfer to a greased 11x7 baking dish. (Optional: Melt 1 T butter and toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole.) Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Microwave green beans. Season with salt and pepper.

Place carrots in a microwave safe bowl. Cover halfway with water. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes more. Test for doneness with a fork. Continue microwaving at 1 minute intervals until tender. Drain water. Toss carrots with salt, pepper, 1 t butter, and a pinch of sugar.

*Oh wow, we did NOT love this dish. Part of it, I admit, is my own fault. I'm pretty sure I grossly overestimated 8 oz of spaghetti, so we ended up with a very dry pasta dish. I ended up making an additional sauce (1 T butter, 1 T flour, 1 C milk, 1/3 C Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, minced onion) that I served at the table. However, even with the appropriate amount of pasta, I can't imagine this dish being any better than mediocre. The flavor was lacking something; you could easily add some garlic, basil, and pepper. I would also skip the breadcrumbs (I tried half with and half without as an experiment), but in place of them sprinkle extra Parmesan cheese on top. I would also cover the dish with foil for the first half of baking time. Does anyone else have a better Turkey Tetrazzini recipe?