Turkey Leftovers - how to use them up?!

cupcakechef

cupcakechef

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I thought this could be useful since at this time of year -- just past Thanksgiving for USA, and leading up to Christmas where a lot of us have turkey again.

I find that if I don't vary things, then I get to the point of never wanting to see another turkey again!

So far we've done:

Turkey salad - pretty straight forward - we just use it like we would chicken
Turkey Subs - thinly sliced turkey and then whatever salads/cheese we want on them!
Turkey & Root vegetable casserole (recipe here: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1826709/leftover-turkey-casserole)
Turkey Pie (http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/turkey-recipes/turkey-and-sweet-leek-pie/)

I read somewhere about a turkey pizza (using turkey as a topping) but my Italian Nonna would be rolling in her grave at that thought :laugh:
 
I am good with the first two mentioned in the opening post. I am not the biggest turkey fan and I most likely won't have any around the holidays since I am not into the holidays, not to mention I don't have any in the freezer right now. Truth be told is that with turkey, I get tired after the first or second day. As for the pizza idea, I am not loving it.
 
I love having leftover turkey after Christmas. I usually make extra stuffing and gravy and then we'll have open faced turkey sandwiches the next day with stuffing and vegetables on the side. It's so tasty and easy since it's all just reheating food. I also like to make a good turkey stock with the bones. I use onions, garlic, ginger, pepper corns, carrots, celery in my stock. Then I have it on hand to make a quick turkey noodle soup. Another great way to use up those turkey left overs is turkey pot pie. I use a Tenderflake pie shell and cream of mushroom soup. Add the turkey to the soup, peas, carrots, onions and you have a nice filling for the pie.
 
Oh man I love turkey I usually serve it up a variety of ways after the holidays as well these are my top picks.

1.) Turkey salad with cashews, any balsamic vinegrette and mangoes or pomelos
2.) Turkey sandwich with mayo!
3.) Turkey pizza actually sounds pretty good just add a lot of parmesan and feta for taste and saltiness
 
We too like turkey [although we had duck this year] but always try to get a small one as there are just the two of us [why we had the duck]. TBH though by this time of year we're just tired of it and the cat gets a good meal.
 
cupcakechef said:
I thought this could be useful since at this time of year -- just past Thanksgiving for USA, and leading up to Christmas where a lot of us have turkey again.

I find that if I don't vary things, then I get to the point of never wanting to see another turkey again!

So far we've done:

Turkey salad - pretty straight forward - we just use it like we would chicken
Turkey Subs - thinly sliced turkey and then whatever salads/cheese we want on them!
Turkey & Root vegetable casserole (recipe here: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1826709/leftover-turkey-casserole)
Turkey Pie (http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/turkey-recipes/turkey-and-sweet-leek-pie/)

I read somewhere about a turkey pizza (using turkey as a topping) but my Italian Nonna would be rolling in her grave at that thought :laugh:
Click to expand...

I had a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, and a turkey breast roast for Christmas. I have leftovers from Thanksgiving in the freezer. I like to pull them out when I'm too tired to cook from scratch, and really like the idea of the Turkey and Root Vegetable Casserole you posted @cupcakechef, but the link appears to be broken. I found this one, that appears to be somewhat similar, it's for a turkey and root vegetable stew. I love stews in the winter, especially, and root vegetables have always been a favorite of mine.
 
I still have some left over turkey in the freezer. i almost threw it out, because I had already used and refrozen it, but there was so much..that I put it back in. I think I can make something else with it. I made turkey hash one day and that was really quite good. I made turkey clubs that were excellent. I also made a turkey soup but I put noodles in it and went to the dentist. The noodles dissolved making a weird turkey paste...so even though it tasted fine, I didn't like it..next time no noodles.
 
cupcakechef said:
I thought this could be useful since at this time of year -- just past Thanksgiving for USA, and leading up to Christmas where a lot of us have turkey again.

I find that if I don't vary things, then I get to the point of never wanting to see another turkey again!

So far we've done:

Turkey salad - pretty straight forward - we just use it like we would chicken
Turkey Subs - thinly sliced turkey and then whatever salads/cheese we want on them!
Turkey & Root vegetable casserole (recipe here: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1826709/leftover-turkey-casserole)
Turkey Pie (http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/turkey-recipes/turkey-and-sweet-leek-pie/)

I read somewhere about a turkey pizza (using turkey as a topping) but my Italian Nonna would be rolling in her grave at that thought :laugh:
Click to expand...
Have put turkey on pizza... with sweet potato as well (made a 'Thanksgiving Pizza' one year!) and, I kid you not... it actually worked!

-Turkey soup (with our without simple flour and salt drop dumplings: Google 'drop dumplings for soup or stew' --- you mix up the batter and drop them right in to your simmering soup, they cook in no time flat)
-Turkey wraps (even better if you add some add cranberry sauce, gravy, or leftover stuffing, plus your cheeses and/or lettuces... heh. :wink: Wrap it all up in a soft tortilla or stuff it into a pita-pocket. Delicious, simple, and quick also)
- Homemade meat-sauce for pasta featuring turkey (white or brown)... dice it or shred it, add it to your sauce but let things cook for a while together to allow the flavours to mingle. I never thought that turkey, tomatoes, garlic and penne pasta could become such good friends. I bet you're Nonna wants to kick me in the butt right now, lol.
-Turkey Quesadillas or Turkey Nachos. YES. They both were epic.

Have fun, and gobble, gobble (pun intended)! :)
 
This is something my mum used to make when we were little - I think its from an old green Good Housekeeping cookbook and whilst I have the ingredients I unfortunately don't have any of the quantities! But you want enough sauce to cover the meat plus a bit more to mix with your rice.

Chicken/Turkey Julienne
- Leftover chicken or turkey torn into strips
- Chopped fresh rosemary
- Chicken stock (or stock cube)
- Milk
- Butter
- Flour
- Cheddar Cheese (grated)
- Lemon Juice

Make a roux, then add the milk and chicken stock and cook until thickened
Add the cheese (enough to make the sauce a light beige colour), the rosemary and a splash of lemon juice
Put chicken in a dish and cover with the sauce
Cover and bake in the oven for around 15 mins

Serve with parsley rice
 
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