I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and time with family today.
Before we know it we will be on to those tasty leftovers! I am sure I’m not the only one who tries to be creative with all that turkey we couldn’t finish so here are some ideas to consider:
- Make “Turkey Noodle Soup” instead of “Chicken Noodle Soup” (pictured below) and freeze the leftovers. Here is a recipe to get you started (just sub turkey for the chicken): https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/10/05/recipe-homemade-chicken-noodle-soup/
- Make “Turkey Terrific Sandwiches” inspired by a sandwich shop on Nantucket Island called Provisions. All it takes is some good whole-wheat bread, a little mayo, stuffing, turkey, and the optional cranberry sauce to make one good sandwich. Another great sandwich option would be turkey, brie, and a quick apple chutney…yum!
- Make homemade turkey stock with the bones…just like you do with leftover chicken bones/parts. This would be the perfect starting point for your “Turkey Noodle Soup” as mentioned above or for other dishes that call for chicken broth/stock. Here are the details on “The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot” recipe: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/
- Freeze batches of the cooked turkey meat for sandwiches or recipes on another day using either zip lock bags or other freezer-safe containers.
- Sub turkey for cooked chicken/meat (or just add it to the veggies in vegetarian dishes) in some of your favorite recipes including…
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Turkey Gumbo (just sub turkey for the seafood)
- Tortilla Soup
- Fajitas
- As a topping on Whole-Wheat Pizza
- Turkey Chili
- Stuffed Shells or Lasagna
If you have any additional suggestions for turkey leftovers please leave them in the comments below!
Shortcut Chocolate Pecan Pie
We deliberately buy a larger than needed turkey. We eat turkey sandwiches the following day, then all the rest is turned into turkey pot pies, using frozen or refrigerated pastry, and adding the leftover gravy, stuffing and veggies with frozen mixed veg if needed. Then we freeze the pies for a wonderful meal weeks later.
Turkey Tettrazini!!! My absolute favorite :). Last year I even made and froze extra sauce hoping I can whip it up before the turkey disappears this year. I hope it’s still tasty… :D Happy Thanksgiving all!!
Oops! Sorry: Tetrazzini! Fingers aren’t working today. Wish I could edit that :)~
Leftover Turkey shepherds pie : layer sautéed mirepoix in bottom of baking dish, top w leftover turkey chopped into bites; layer of stuffing, spoonfuls of Gravy, layer mashed potatoes, sprinkle w shredded cheddar. Bake until warm and bubbly at 400. Serve w cranberry chutney. Enjoy!!!!
I really like your tip about turning turkey leftovers into a turkey sandwich. My family and I always seem to run into the problem of having a lot of leftover turkey after Thanksgiving dinner. I will be sure to save these tips out for the next time we have a turkey meal and find ourselves with leftovers.
Planning to make your chicken pot pie recipe — subbing with turkey :)
Turkey curry and turkey lentil soup.
What sugar substitute would you use to make homemade cranberry sauce? Honey or pure maple syrup?
This is the recipe I used: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/cranberry-sauce-recipe2.html – except I just used orange juice instead of both types of juice.
IF there is any left after cold sandwiches and one hot meal of leftovers….Turkey Divan and Hot Browns
I have a pot of turkey stock already going on the stove as we eat dinner!When carving the turkey the bits and bobs go into a large stock pot, along with the carcass and veggies.(I clean and chop the veggies the night before and store them in ziplocks.
Last year I really didn’t have much leftovers a little of this a little of that. Faced with the thought of cooking a meal on Friday I made Dump Soup. I took some of the stock, added the chopped turkey and gravy, all the little bits of leftover veggies. I even added the mashed potatoes and stuffing to thicken the broth. It was AMAZING!!! We are looking forward to this again this year.
turkey club sandwich the tearoom way. Bottom slice of bread, cheese, I like Swiss, turkey slice of bread, lettuce tomato, bacon top bread slice sliced egg, Thousand Island dressing over all.
I package up leftover turkey, stuffing, green beans, potatoes, etc. into individual “TV dinners” and freeze them. Perfect for lunch in January when turkey is a long-ago memory!
I love to make turkey tetrazzini – it takes about 2 cups of leftover turkey! I like to use a mix of light and dark meat.
How could everyone forget turkey a’la king? I saute’ mushrooms in butter with a little onion, add turkey gravy, pimento’s and cut in chunks, turkey meat leftovers and serve over homemade mashed potatoes with steamed green beans and maybe a cucumber salad. Yum! Total comfort food with the mashed potatoes.
We use the leftovers and make a turkey burrito. Put in some turkey and anything else you want, throw in a little cheese, wrap in tortilla, warm it up and enjoy.