Got Turkey Leftovers?
As you slide into your well-deserved post-Turkey dinner sleepy state, earned by a combination of hard work, gravy, and wine, you may find yourself jolted awake by the rather daunting prospect of what to do with those turkey leftovers, again.
Your family may be bored to tears with the same old leftover dishes- but here are some ideas that you may not have thought of that will tickle the taste buds and make good use of what you’ve got left (waste not, want not)!
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
This dish is a variation on the traditional Shepherd’s Pie and gives you a good opportunity to use up leftover mashed potatoes and stuffing as well.
Combine about 4 cups of chopped, cooked turkey with two cans of cream of chicken soup, along with about a quarter cup of sour cream, a tsp of sage and a tsp of poultry seasoning. Mix together.
In a greased 9×13 casserole pan put a layer of leftover stuffing, topping with a layer of the turkey mixture. Top with leftover mashed potatoes (about 2-3 cups). Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes or so.
Turkey Chili
Turkey Chili is one of my faves. Although you traditionally use ground turkey, there is no reason that you can’t substitute chopped cooked turkey.
Chop a medium onion and about three stalks of celery. Add a clove of garlic and sauté in butter until onion is translucent.
Add chopped turkey, 1 large can (28 oz./796mL) of dices tomatoes, 1 can of tomato paste, 1 tbsp each of Worcestershire Sauce and Chili Powder and 1 tsp each of Paprika and Cumin. Bring to a boil and simmer for about half an hour. Stir in two drained cans of your favourite legumes (I like to do one black bean and one kidney bean) and cook for another 5 or 10 minutes.
Turkey Pasta Bake
Cook 3 cups of your favourite short noodle (penne, bowties, rigatoni, etc.). With about three minutes of cooking time left, add a cup of diced zucchini, carrots and peppers. Drain and return to pan.
Add two cups of chopped turkey, a minced clove of garlic, a quarter cup of parmesan cheese, a tsp of Italian Seasoning and about a cup and a half of tomato sauce. Stir until heated through.
Spoon into greased baking dish. Top with grated cheddar cheese and bake for about half an hour until heated through.