So the holidays are winding down and you’re having your last few turkey dinners with your friends, family, and distant relatives. Then the age-old question arises… What to do with the turkey leftovers? Here are 5 quick speed-recipe ideas for your leftover turkey:
Our turkey
- Turkey sandwich is probably the easiest and quickest leftover turkey meal. Simply throw together some turkey meat and bread along with lettuce, tomato, and mayo for a delicious sandwich. Brian likes to add gravy and cranberry sauce onto his sandwiches.
- With the carcass, the traditional turkey soup is probably your best option. Simmer the bones for 3-4 hours, strain the broth, strip off the meat and toss it back in. Then, add your favorite veggies. I like to do a basic soup with celery, carrots, and potatoes. For extra flavor, toss in some parsley and marjoram while your soup is simmering.
- After you’ve perfected the art of sandwich and soup-making, branch out a bit and try a turkey fried rice. Trust me, it’s delicious. Just use a regular fried rice recipe and substitute turkey as your protein. I like to do my fried rice with turkey, peas, carrots, egg, and corn. Just add some soy sauce to season at the end and ta-da: fried rice.
- If you have any gravy remaining, a leftover turkey pot pie is also delicious. I like to cheat and make a quasi-pot pie. I use leftover pie dough to form a crust, then simply fill the crust with leftover roast carrots, potatoes, and turkey. I add some frozen peas and the gravy, then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden. If you make multiple small pies, there’s no need to form tops for the pies – they’ll hold together well enough from the gravy.
- And finally, when all else fails – make a leftover turkey casserole. Combine turkey, you favorite cream-based canned soup, your favorite noodle shape, and veggies (broccoli is nice) in a casserole dish. Top with cheese and breadcrumbs and bake for 20-30 minutes. I like using cream of mushroom with spiral noodles and fresh broccoli and cremini mushrooms in my casserole. Delicious!
Do you have any great leftover turkey recipes?
