Like many of these recipes I cover on my blog, I did not grow up with Tetrazzini. I know I would see it pop up in magazines and across the internet after Thanksgiving as a way to use up those turkey leftovers. I might be in the minority but I quite like Thanksgiving leftovers just as they are. If you have ever made tuna noodle casserole from scratch, you may notice that this casserole is quite similar.

What is Tetrazzini?
Tetrazzini is a dish traditionally made with either chopped chicken or turkey in a cream sauce that has been combined with spaghetti. It is then placed in a casserole dish and topped with bread crumbs and baked. Usually, sherry (or white wine), parmesan cheese, mushrooms, garlic, and onions are added to the cream sauce. Whether the dish first contained chicken or turkey is a debated topic.

The mid-century (well actually the 1960s) got a hold of the recipe and many interesting variations can be found for better or worse. Of course, cream of mushroom soup starts to be used as well as canned consomme. I found recipes for seafood tetrazzini that used either shrimp, crab, salmon, or tuna. Even the 1960s version of Joy of Cooking included a seafood Tetrazzini. Many used cheddar instead of parmesan cheese. Though a few recipes did dare to use blue cheese as well as processed American cheese or cheddar cheese spread. Other crazy additions were using a can of roast beef in gravy, hot dogs, and even deli lunch meat.

Any way that it is made there are a few pieces of advice that have been given. Famed cookbook author James Beard says that it is better eaten the day it is made. America’s Test Kitchen offers the tip not to “skimp” on the seasoning as most of the ingredients in the recipe are rather bland on their own. 

Who and Where was Tetrazzini made?
There is really not a lot of documentation of the origins of the dish so we will start with what everyone agrees on. First, it is an Italian-American dish, not a dish from Italy. Craig Claiborne in Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Food Encyclopedia said that “although the proper name Tetrazzini is Italian in origin, the dish known as chicken Tetrazzini is about as American as Waldorf salad.” It was created in honor of the Italian coloratura soprano Luisa Tetrazzini. Luisa Tetrazzini was a popular opera singer that toured America in the early 1900s. I say in honor because no one even knows if Luisa Tetrazzini herself ever even tasted the dish. In her autobiography, the dish is not even mentioned.  

Three are two cities that are often credited with being the possible birthplace of Tetrazzini. First is San Francisco. One story goes that Luisa Tetrazzini sang in The Palace Hotel’s Palm Court in 1905. A banquet was held and that is supposedly when the dish was created. Though no newspaper that was present that day mentioned the dish.

The other is New York City. This gets backed up by a 1908 article in Good Housekeeping. The magazine talks about Luisa being the namesake but puts the origins to a New York restaurant. Two restaurants have been pointed to, the first being the New York restaurant Lorber’s which was across the street from the Metropolitan Opera House. The other was Chef Pavani of the New York City Knickerbocker Hotel who said it was created to “please the palate of the famous coloratura soprano, Luisa Tetrazzini.”  

Honorable mention goes to famed French chef George Auguste Escoffier who sometimes gets credit for crediting the dish. This is unlikely as the dish was not mentioned in any of his own cookbooks. Though he did create peach Melba as well as Melba toast for Nellie Melba, another famous opera singer of the day. 

When was Tetrazzini popular?
From the early 1900s through the 1950s, women and home cooks saw the potential of this dish as a great way to use up chicken and turkey leftovers. A 1948 article asked “Do you have turkey leftover problems?” with Turkey Tetrazzini being one of the answers and another article in the same year called it an easy-to-make casserole. It was easy to make yet could be elegant enough to entertain with such as a 1938 article called it a “de luxe dish recommended especially for company occasions”. 

The 1960s and 1970s are really when this dish had the height of its popularity. Jean Anderson in her cookbook The American Century Cookbook credits the shortcut versions of the recipe that used creamed soups as popularizing the casserole during this time period though not every recipe went this route. Poppy Cannon in her popular 1968 cookbook The New New Can-Opener Cookbook called Tetrazzini a “delightful combination” that has the “advantage of being very simple and easy to prepare – and economical, too”. Of course, being the can opener cookbook her version used canned soups to make the sauce. Surprisingly, another popular cookbook of the day, Peg Bracken’s I Hate to Cook Book, actually included a homemade sauce. In it, Bracken writes, “This isn’t exactly a lead-pipe cinch, because you have to make that cream sauce; but if you ever have to have company the day after Thanksgiving, you’ll thank me for it.” She offers advice at the end of the recipe “And next time, for heaven’s sake, get a little turkey.” This casserole made an appearance (though not by name) in season 1 episode 9 of Mad Men as confirmed by Matthew Weiner, the creator of the drama based in the 1960s.

So why was it so popular in the 1960s beside the now widely used canned soup to make the dish quicker to make? For largely the same reason it was popular before. It was a great use of leftovers that was cheap and easy to make. It not only made a great family meal but was still considered a great dish for entertaining. In 1961, one article said that “Tetrazzini remains a popular company dish, though it appears often on the family menu.” while another reminded this casserole was perfect to make ahead of time. It was called a great casserole for informal buffets that can be kept warm until ready to serve in 1962. The article goes on to say that though it is made with lowly leftovers it is a “menu (item) worthy in its own right”. In the mid-1960s, a newspaper article asked “What more elegant end for the tasty bird than Turkey Tetrazzini, for example?”. The dish was both called a “gourmet way to use leftover chicken or turkey” as well as an “applause-winning encore for left-over roast turkey” in the late 1960s.

In the 1990s and 2000s as the country got more concerned about fat, calories, and cholesterol, you start to find healthier versions being printed in newspapers. It is still considered a perfect way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers as well as economical. You also have a generation of kids that grew up on the casserole making it due to nostalgia. 

This is where I thought the tale of Tetrazzini was going to end but it got a short resurgence of popularity due to an unlikely source. In 2010, a woman went on the Maury Show claiming that her boyfriend was lured away by another woman’s Chicken Tetrazzini. Joel McHale featured the clip on his popular show Talk Soup which recapped funny pop culture clips of the week. This fueled a short interest in the old-fashioned casserole.

Why should I make Tetrazzini?
Well like I said in the introduction, this quite similar to tuna noodle casserole. So if you love that dish, for sure give this one a try. It really does hit all those comfort food notes on a cool fall day.

How to make Tetrazzini?

---

Sources

America’s Test Kitchen. The Cook’s Country Cookbook. Massachusetts: America’s Test Kitchen, 2008.

Anderson, Jean. The American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century. United States: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 1997.

Beard, James. James Beard’s American Cookery. United States: Little, Brown and Company, 1972.

“Blue Cheese Peps up Sauce for Tetrazzini ”. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. March 26, 1964.

Borrman, Laura Smith. Iconic San Francisco Dishes, Drinks & Desserts. United States: American Palate, 2018.

Bracken, Peg. The I Hate To Cook Book. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1960

Byrn, Anne. The Dinner Doctor. United States: Rodale, 2004. 

Cannon, Poppy. The New New Can-Opener Cookbook. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1968.

“Casserole, Cold Platter Charm Guests and Hostess”. The Atlanta Constitution. October 21, 1965.

Chase, Florence. “Home Economics: Using Up the Leftovers”. The Pasadena Post. November 29, 1930.

“Cheese–Two is Twice As Good In Tetrazzini”. The World. October 19, 1961.

“Chicken Tetrazzini: An Epicure’s DIsh Made of Leftovers.” The Tampa Daily Times. May 12, 1949.

“Chicken Tetrazzini” Daily News Republican. October 30, 1909

“Chicken Tetrazzini Will Delight New Year’s Guest”. Santa Cruz Sentinel. December 21, 1958.

Claiborne, Craig. Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Food Encyclopedia. United States: Wings Books, 1985.

Dean, Dorothy. “Lunch Meat Tetrazzini is Ready in Minutes”. The Spokesman-Review. March 8, 1966.

Dorris, Nancy. “Nancy’s Daily Dish For the Busy Housewife”. Daily News. July 26, 1947.

“Food Comments”. The Charlotte Observer. December 1, 1934.

“From Other Papers”. Oroville Daily Register. December 3, 1909.

Gelman, Judy and Zheutlin, Peter. The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Inside the Kitchens, Bars and Restaurants of Mad Men. United States: Smart Pop, 2011.

Gilbar, Steven. Chicken A La King & The Buffalo Wing: Food Names and the PEople and Places That Inspired Them. United States: Writer’s Digest Books, 2008.

“Glamorize Turkey Leftovers”. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. December 26, 1965.

Goldberg, Hymen. “Our Man In The Kitchen: Chicken Tetrazzini Strikes Right Note”. The Los Angeles Times June 30, 1966.

Gravel, Henrietta D. “Household Talks”. Sandusky Star-Journal. November 27, 1911.

Gregg, Crissy. “Banishing ‘Day-After’ Blues”. The Courier-Journal. November 28, 1947.

Harbin, Debi and Larsen, Linda. Knack Chicken Classics: A Step-by-Step to Favorites For Every Season. United States: Globe Pequot, 2010.

Heffington, Virgina. “Suddenly, We Look Beyond The Sea For Food Favorites”. The Miami Herald. April 7, 1968.

Heffington, Virgina. “Quick and Tasty Beef Tetrazzini”. The Miami Herald. April 28, 1959.

“Hey, Sports Fans: Turkey Tetrazzini Takes 35 Minutes”. Fort Lauderdale News. November 28, 1973.

Horgen, Tom. “McHale Stirs Up ‘The Soup'”. The Sacramento Bee. May 10, 2010.

“Italian Flavor-Special Dish is Styled from Leftover Baked Ham”. The Shreveport Journal. April 26, 1962.

Kressy, Jean. “Chicken Fit For a Diva”. The Daily Item. March 16, 2011.

Lane, Charlotte Balcomb. “Light Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe Slashes Fat from Old Favorite”. Clarion-Ledger. December 13, 1995.

Lee, Martha. “Mixing Bowl: Delicious Is the Word for Chicken Tetrazzini”. Oakland Tribune. 1961.

“Left-Over Chicken”. Webster County Argus. July 2, 1914.

“Leftovers Transform Into Low-Fat Version of Turkey Tetrazzini Dish”. The Daily Herald. November 21, 1995.

Mariani, John F. The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink. United States: Bloomsbury, 2013.

Morgan, Martha. “Martha’s Memo’s: Freeze Left-Over Turkey to Space Out Servings”. The Salt Lake Tribune. November 28, 1958.

Ojakangas, Beatrice. The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever. United States: Chronicle Books, 2011.

Peters Erica J. San Francisco: A Food Biography. United States: AltaMira Press, 2013.

“Planning Solves Problem About Leftover Turkey”. Battle Creek. December 2, 1948.

Porter, Pat. “Chef’s Emergency Supper Inspired First Tetrazzini”. The Amarillo Globe-Times. March 9, 1961.

Rombauer, Irma S. and Rombauer Becker, Marion. Joy of Cooking. United States: Bobbs-Merrill, 1964.

Rubenstien, Jim. “Plans for All Those Thanksgiving Leftovers”. The Journal News. November 29, 2020.

Saveur Magazine. Saveur Cooks Authentic American: Celebrity the Recipes and Diverse Traditions of Our Rich Heritage. United States: Chronicle Books, 2007.

“Shrimp Replaces Chicken in Famed Tetrazzini Dish”. Fort Lauderdale News. September 5, 1957.

“Spaghetti and Leftover Meat in Casserole Dish”. The Knoxville Journal. November 26, 1948.

“Tetrazzini Franks”. The Napa Valley Register. February 27, 1968.

“Tetrazzini Now Attracts a New Cheese Twist”. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. July 7, 1977.

Thompson, Sharon. “Singing The Praise of Tetrazzini”. Lexington Herald-Leader. February 19, 2009.

“Try Those Turkey Leftovers Italian Style”. Press and Sun Bulletin. May 21, 1969.

“Turkey Tetrazzini”. New York Tribune. December 21, 1919.

Turner, Grace. “He Doesn’t Fiddle About Food”. The Los Angeles Times. December 18, 1938Westmoreland, Susan. Good Housekeeping Great American Classics Cookbooks. United States: Hearst Books, 2004.