Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas - Let's Talk Turkey!

 

Happy Day after Thanksgiving!  I hope you all have a day filled with food, fun, family, friends...and a good movie!

Turkey leftovers?  I sure hope so!  Ending up with a bunch of Thanksgiving leftovers is the best!  You can do so much with them...even have another Thanksgiving plate. 

But the fun part is turning those ingredients into a different dish.  I have some delicious recipes that will fix you right up.  Today we'll concentrate on turkey since that is usually what we have most of!

Just click on the links below to take you to the detailed recipes.

Turkey Guacamole Wraps
These are a great way to use leftover turkey and serve a light lunch for the family or a crowd watching football games. 




Turkey Havarti Hot Sandwich
One of my favorite "hot" sandwiches.  The flavors are outstanding, and you'll just love it!




Turkey Salad Sandwich
Everyone just loves chicken salad.  Switch it up a bit and try it with turkey.  It really rocks!  And if you have home crescent rolls all the better.  A fresh croissant will do too!



Some other ideas:
Beth's Favorite Enchiladas - made with turkey


Turkey and Wild Rice Soup - yummy in your tummy!


Turkey Tetrazzini  -  a classic...





Enjoy Black Friday!

Easy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

What should you do with your leftover chicken?

Make a quick weeknight meal of Easy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas.

This dish takes a little help from Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme.  I saw this new product in my local grocery store and the Santa Fe flavor caught my eye.  What a great way to introduce Latin flavors into a cream cheese cooking creme!  I quickly bought some and couldn't wait to try it out.  It's an obvious choice for Enchiladas since you want your filling moist and creamy.

I had just made some chicken breasts the night before and had some leftovers.  Perfect redo for the leftovers!  If you don't have any leftover chickens on hand a rotisserie chicken will work.  If you want to make fresh poached chicken, check out my recipe here.

I also picked up a bottle of my favorite enchiladas sauce from Sprouts, which has a little kick.  These are going to be quick, but yummy enchiladas.  Don't worry, it's okay to take a little help from some pre-made ingredients.

The result?  I had just enough leftover chicken for MGG and me to each have 2 enchiladas.  The cooking creme was a great touch to the chicken.  The flavor was subtle and tasty.  These were perfect in a pinch!

I'm glad I tried it, and will try adding it to pasta next time.

So give this easy weeknight meal a try.  Be creative and add your favorite ingredients as well.  I'm sure it will be a winner at your house.

Easy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas 

serves 2


1/2 small yellow onion, diced small 
1 t canola oil
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, no salt added, drained 
1/4 tub (10 oz.) Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated 
4 flour tortillas (6 inch)
1 cup of enchiladas sauce
Garnish:  shredded cheese, sour cream (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add diced onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken, tomatoes, cooking creme, and shredded cheese.  Stir to combine.

In a baking dish add a little of the enchilada sauce in the bottom.  Take 1/3 cup chicken mixture and place it down the center of each tortilla and roll up.  Place seam side down in a baking dish.  Continue until all enchiladas are complete.  Top with remaining enchiladas sauce and cover with foil.   Bake 15 minutes.  Remove cover and sprinkle with cheese.  Return to oven and bake uncovered 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve with garnishes if desired.

Turkey Leftover Recipes and Ideas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

One filled with family, friends, and love.  And lots of leftovers!
So you may be thinking what am I going to do with all this left over turkey?

I have some great ideas for you.  Some of them I've made, and a few that I found that I want to try myself and wanted to share them with you too, so you can try them as well.

Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving at my sister Sue's house in Tennessee.  We had quite a bit of leftovers, turkey among them.  We decided to make Enchiladas substituting the chicken for turkey.  It was a secret though.  We didn't think that everyone would actually want to eat turkey enchiladas.  So we made them, ate them, and no one knew...until after.  A couple of groans, but everyone actually like them.  I thought they were great.  Turkey is a meat that when mixed with other items it looses it's distinctive flavor.  And this is one of those dishes.  Here's a pic of Sue's enchiladas (lookin' good Sue!).  You can take your favorite enchilada recipe and just use turkey, or try mine in the link below.  They rock!

Beth's Favorite Enchiladas

Soup is always a great way to use leftover turkey.  This one with wild rice is really easy to make and very hearty.  Great for the fall weather.  You can find the link to the recipe below in the title name.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken Tetrazzini is a nice Italian casserole and has been adapted to utilize leftover turkey.  A wonderful dish to try, full of flavor the whole family will love.  I made the turkey version of this dish  but never did post it.  So here it is!

Turkey Tetrazzini

serves 4

8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 to 3 tablespoons dry sherry, if desired
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash pepper
3 cups cubed cooked turkey
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt margarine in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat; stir in half-and-half, sherry, 1/4 cup parsley, salt, nutmeg and pepper.

Add cooked spaghetti and turkey to mushroom mixture; stir gently to mix. Spoon mixture into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish; sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Cover; bake at 350°F. for 45 to 55 minutes or until thoroughly heated, removing foil during last 10 minutes of baking time. Sprinkle with parsley.


Lastly I saw this on the food network channel the other day and thought "what a great idea".  It's for a turkey sandwich on a stuffing patty, using most of your Turkey day ingredients.  Wonderful!

Open Faced Turkey Stuffing Patty with Gravy and Cranberry Sauce

Recipe courtesy Jeffrey Mauro

Prep Time: 30 min

Inactive Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 2 hr 0 min

Level: Intermediate

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

·         4 slices bacon

·         2 cups Old Fashioned Turkey Stuffing, recipe follows

·         Canola oil, if needed

·         12 fresh sage leaves

·         8 ounces leftover turkey meat

·         1 cup leftover turkey gravy, heated through

·         1/2 cup Simple Cranberry Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Cook the bacon in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until extra crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined-plate to drain and reserve the fat in the skillet.

Meanwhile pack a 1 cup dry measure tightly with a 1/2 cup of the Old Fashioned Turkey Stuffing. Dump the stuffing onto a baking sheet and press down into a 4-inch-wide-cake, using a flat spatula. Repeat until you have 4 patties.

Heat the reserved bacon fat in the skillet over medium heat. Carefully lay 2 patties in the skillet and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Transfer the patties to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 patties.

Add oil to the skillet if needed. Add the sage and fry, about 30 seconds. Transfer the sage to a paper-towel-lined-plate using a slotted spoon.

Divide the turkey meat onto each patty and pour gravy over top. Crumble 1 crispy bacon slice over the turkey. Dollop with the Simple Cranberry Sauce and garnish with the sage.

Enjoy!

Beef Enchiladas

I so enjoyed my time visiting with my mom in Tennessee.

One tradition she started is to have her "fabulous" Pot Roast ready and waiting for me when I arrive.  This visit was no exception.  Her pot roast is a family favorite and no one makes it as good as she can.  It's succulent and juicy, it just falls apart!

Click on the link to get the recipe for Mom's Famous Pot Roast .  It's well worth it!

So what to do with all that left over roast beef? 

Well, we could make beef hoagies or french dip sandwiches...but being from California we LOVE Mexican food.  Franklin, Tennessee has a couple of Mexican restaurants around town, but they are different from the Mexican food you get in LA.  And, mom misses her Mexican food!!!  So I decided to give her a mexi-fix.  We needed to make something quick and easy.  Beef Enchiladas!

So simple, lots a spicy flavor, and on the table in a flash!

Let's make Beef Enchiladas.

First, make the filling. 

Take your leftover pot roast and shred it up and place it in a medium sized bowl.  Add a good amount of Rotel Mexican using the juices as well!  This has great flavors with diced tomatoes, chilies, cilantro, and lime.  Add a good amount of shredded Monterey Jack cheese...and then add some more!  Mix well.

Pour some enchilada sauce in the bottom of a pan.  Pan size depends on how many you are making.  We used an 8x8 pan, making 4 enchiladas.  Take a 6 inch flour tortilla and place some of the beef filling down the middle of the tortilla.  Roll them up putting them in the pan seam side down.

Top with enchilada sauce and more shredded cheese.

Look how cute she is!!

Pop them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until bubbly hot and cheese is melted.

That's it!  Simple as that...your done...now go eat!!

YUM!!!

Hope you try these with your leftovers, they are really easy and pack a flavor punch!


Beef Enchiladas

makes 4 enchiladas

Leftover pot roast, shredded
1/2 can Rotel Mexican with juices
1/2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded  (pepper jack would be awesome as well!)
1 can Enchiladas Sauce (I used Ole' El Paso)
4 - 6" Flour Tortillas

Make the filling by placing shredded pot roast in a bowl.  Mix in a good amount of Rotel Mexican along with some juices.  Add shredded cheese and mix well.

In an 8x8 pan pour some Enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Take a flour tortilla and spoon some beef filling down the middle.  Roll up the tortilla and place in the pan, seam side down.

Pour rest of the enchiladas sauce over the top of the tortillas and top with more shredded cheese.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees.  Bake for 15-20 min until hot and bubbly.

Beth's Favorite Chicken Enchiladas

One thing we really like in California is Mexican food.  We grow up eating it, and I can't imagine not having it...I actually crave it!

So I wanted to use my shredded chicken from my  "How to Poach Chicken" tutorial and I decided to first make my favorite Chicken Enchiladas. 

These are not the ooey gooey enchiladas....they are "healthy" enchiladas.....or at least "healthier"!

The flavors in this dish blend so well and it's super easy to make.  Give it a try, I promise you'll love it!

Here's how to make it.

You will need, shredded chicken, a can of black beans, a can of Rotel tomatoes diced with green chilies, a package of Mexican shredded cheese, some enchiladas sauce (I use Lawry's seasoning mix but you can use a can sauce if you like!  you will need tomato paste if you use the seasoning pkg.) and flour tortillas.  Note:  I'm using low carb tortillas but you can use regular...gotta keep those cabs down!

So you take the chicken, and the tomatoes, and the rinsed beans and put it in a large bowl. 

Add about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.  Mix it all together.

Next make the enchiladas sauce by mixing the seasoning pkg with tomato paste and water in a medium sauce pan and heat it up for about 5 min.  If using a canned sauce just heat that up as well.

Pour some of the sauce in a bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish, enough to cover the bottom.

Take some of the chicken mixture and put it down the center of a tortilla and roll it up, placing it seam side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with the rest of the chicken mixture and tortillas.

Pour enough enchiladas sauce over the top to cover the tortillas.  Add more if you want it saucy.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top.

Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 min.
Remove the foil and bake for another 15 to get the cheese gooey and browned a little.

OMG!  LOOK AT THIS!  HEAVEN!

Beth’s Favorite Chicken Enchiladas

Makes 8 enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded chicken (leftover from the poached chicken)
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies - Rotel
1 (8-oz.) pkg shredded Mexican four-cheese blend

8 (8-inch) low carb flour tortillas
Vegetable cooking spray
1 pkg Lawry’s Enchilada sauce seasoning mix

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

3 cups water

Directions:

Combine first 4 ingredients and 1 1/2 cups cheese in a large bowl.

To make enchilada sauce, combine seasoning mix, tomato paste, and water in a medium pan and stir to combine over medium heat for about 5 min.

Pour enough enchilada sauce in a 9x13 inch baking dish to cover the bottom.

Spoon chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla, and roll up.  Place it seam side down in the baking dish. 

Pour enchilada sauce evenly over tortillas, and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 15 more minutes.