This comforting recipe for Easy Broccoli Turkey Divan has been around for a long time, and there are many versions of this dish.
A lot of times this recipe is made with chicken but using turkey makes it great for holiday leftovers! You can use either poultry if you like. Also, try our Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup or our Easy Turkey Pot Pies.
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What Is Turkey Divan?
This recipe dates back to the early twentieth century and was originated back in the day by Chef Lagasi from the Divan Parisien Restaurant in New York City. Originally, the recipe was made with Mornay sauce and broccoli.
I remember it when it made a resurgence in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s with using canned soups and mayonnaise. And then topping it with crushed potato chips also was vogue. (Horrors!! Okay, that sounds perfectly yummy). The version that I liked also included curry.
Then alas, canned soups fell out of favor. Our recipe still has that same wonderful flavor but made with an easy cream sauce (made with milk) and seasoned with onion, garlic and it is still flavored with curry. To keep up with the naughty we added crushed buttery crackers and canned crispy onions. You can omit those if you like but honestly, why would you!
How To Make Turkey Divan
The list of ingredients may seem daunting but they are all prepared already like using cooked turkey, frozen broccoli (which is already washed, cut up and ready to go to be steamed), canned fried onions, chicken broth, etc. It is as easy as making a cream sauce and then adding the rest of the ingredients and putting it into a casserole to bake. Let me give you some details.
Ingredients
Butter
Onion
Garlic
Flour
Dijon mustard
Whole milk
Chicken stock
Sour cream
Sharp white cheddar cheese
Cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
Curry powder
Frozen broccoli florets
Cooked turkey
Ritz crackers or similar
Butter
Canned fried onion
In a large non-stick skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until soft but not browned.
Add the flour, cook for 1 min.
Add in the Dijon mustard and then slowly add in the milk and chicken stock while whisking. Cook for about 7 min. until thickened.
Preheat oven to 425F.
Stir in the cheese, sour cream, a pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and curry powder.
Add in the turkey and broccoli. Stir to coat. Place into a greased 8×11″ casserole dish.
Crush Ritz crackers. Melt the remaining Tbsp. of butter and stir in crackers to coat evenly. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.
Bake for 20 minutes or until starting to bubble.
Sprinkle on the fried onions and bake for another 5 minutes or until bubbly and warmed through. Make sure the onions don’t burn.
What to Serve With Turkey Divan?
Simple rice is lovely with this casserole or just a salad but Honey Dijon Roasted Carrots are one of our favorites to go with a casserole. They can roast in the oven with the casserole at the same time and what could be easier than that as a side dish.
Can You Freeze Turkey Divan?
You can freeze the leftovers as long as your chicken or turkey weren’t frozen to begin with. You don’t want to be repeating freezing too many times and defrosting. If you made your casserole with freshly cooked turkey then by all means freeze the leftovers if you have any.
If you want to make the casserole ahead of time and freeze it you can do that also but just leave the toppings off, wrap in clear plastic and then foil and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator and then bake as normal. Use within a few months.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Easy Broccoli Turkey Divan
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- I cup whole milk
- I cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup sharp white cheddar cheese grated
- Small pinch of cayenne
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. curry powder
- 4 cups frozen broccoli florets cooked
- 2 cups cooked turkey cubed
- 1/2 cup Ritz crackers or similar
- 1 Tbsp. butter melted
- 1/2 cup canned fried onion
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until soft but not browned. Add the flour, cook for 1 min.
- Add in the Dijon mustard and then slowly add in the milk and chicken stock while whisking. Cook for about 7 min. until thickened.
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Stir in the cheese, sour cream, a pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and curry powder.
- Add in the turkey and broccoli. Stir to coat. Place into a greased 8×11" casserole
dish. - Crush Ritz crackers. Melt the remaining Tbsp. of butter and stir in crackers to coat evenly. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until starting to bubble. Sprinkle on the fried onions and bake for another 5 minutes or until bubbly and warmed through. Make sure the onions don’t burn.
Comments & Reviews
Cindy says
I am going to cook this in mini loaf pans so I can freeze it in single servings.
Tara Noland says
Enjoy!! Happy Leftovers!!
Leslie Coffey says
This is a great dish that my family loves. I’ve made it several times. Highly recommend. If you don’t have crackers, you can use bread crumbs/Panko.
Tara Noland says
Thank you Leslie, so glad you like it. Good idea with the panko/bread crumbs too!
Toni Dash says
This is such a great meal! Perfect for weeknights!
Erin says
This looks like a great dish to make for dinner! Will be perfect now that school is starting back up. Will have to make this soon, thanks!
Catalina says
This casserole has all the ingredients I love! My family loves broccoli so much! It’s so tasty!
Lyanna Soria says
Amazing! this looks really tasty. I would love to try this out. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa Favre says
I have never had anything quite like this before! Looks absolutely delicious and definitely need it to next week’s dinner plan.
Angie Agerter says
Yummy. I love this dish and I love that you can use different types of meat. Just seeing this makes me crave now soon.
Celebrate Woman Today says
I like casseroles, especially when they have a ton of veggies. Will attempt it in my kitchen.
Heather says
I don’t think I’ve ever had a divan before. It looks and sounds like something my family would love.
TARA PITTMAN says
My family would love this dish. It sounds so easy to make.