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!