When winter rolls around, there’s a few recipes I love to make that, although they taste delicious, I only prepare them once or twice a year, either due to the amount of work it takes to make them, or because of the decadence of the dish. Today’s recipe falls under the latter category. Made with butter, cheese, mayo, and half and half, this casserole is creamy, high calorie comfort food that instantly takes me back to my grandma’s kitchen. 

My grandma (my dad’s mom) was an amazing cook, and while I loved almost everything she made, the recipe that I most associate with her is turkey divan. While she utilized leftover turkey after the holidays, I’ve adopted this recipe in numerous ways, one of which is in making it with leftover cooked turkey or chicken. 

Another adaptation I made to this recipe over the years is transforming it from a dish made with lots of processed ingredients, to a more scratch-made option. My grandma’s recipe called for things like condensed cream of whatever soup (usually cream of broccoli or cream of chicken) and Velveeta cheese. I swapped those items out for my made from scratch gravy with the addition of half and half to give it that creamy consistency, and grated cheese. 

Here’s the recipe and ingredients