I actually wrote this post originally four years ago today when I was faced with about three quarters of a huge turkey to try and use up in the days following Christmas. These days we don’t do turkey on Christmas Day because we’re not overly keen (hence all the turkey leftovers we had when I wrote this) but I did think it might be helpful for those of you who do have leftovers!
On another note, it makes me smile to look at my photos from back then and even the way I used to write – it’s a bit cringey (as Master Frugal would say) and I almost didn’t re-share this but then I thought of all the leftovers you guys might have and I decided to take one for the team. 😉
Turkey Leftovers #1 – Christmas Dinner Sandwich
You can’t beat a Christmas Dinner leftovers sandwich – you can go for the simple turkey and stuffing version or if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous you can go all out by adding in some sliced roasties and whatever else you happen to have left along with a little warmed up gravy.
Turkey Leftovers #2 – Turkey Curry
I made a turkey curry a little while ago using turkey and sweet potato and it was delicious. You could make a similar version using your leftover turkey and roasties. You could even add in any leftover vegetables – just add them in at the end to warm them so they don’t go mushy.
Turkey Leftovers #3 – Lemon Turkey Pappadelle Pasta
I made this a little while ago and I chose the Pappadelle pasta to use with it because it looked like more fun to eat that regular pasta shapes but you could use any pasta you like really. Lemon turkey pappadelle pasta is a really quick and easy meal and it’s quite light so ideal for when you’ve over indulged at this time of year!
Turkey Leftovers #4 – Stir Fry
I wrote a post a little while ago asking for some stir fry ideas and some of the comments were great – well worth a look for some flavour inspiration. This week, to keep it simple, I have my usual ingredients along with leftover turkey and I’ll be using some sweet chilli and ginger sauce with it – simply because that’s what I have in as I was using it for something else last week.
Turkey Leftovers #5 – Homemade Pizza
We often have homemade pizzas for tea. They’re not only delicious, cheap and easy, they’re also fun to make together and really diverse as you can use up whatever you have in the fridge. We have some tinned pineapple in the cupboard so we might try turkey and pineapple for a festive version of a Hawaiian pizza or even a meat feast if I can find the pepperoni that I’m sure we have in the fridge somewhere.
Turkey Leftovers #6 – Christmas Pie
This is something I’ve never tried but one of my friends has it every year for tea on Boxing Day. Add your turkey (or whatever meat you have) into the bottom of a pie dish along with all of your leftover vegetables. Dot about any stuffing and then cover in gravy. It just needs a quick mix and then you can top it with mashed potato. Pop it in the oven until it’s warmed through and the mash is a little crispy on top. You could even make a Christmas Tree version of a pie like I did a couple of weeks ago.
Turkey Leftovers #7 – Paella
We love Paella and have it regularly although we often have a simplified version without the prawns. We’ve never made it with Turkey but I don’t think it will taste much different as the main flavours come from the herbs and spices that go in to the pan.
Turkey Leftovers #8 – Risotto
Risotto is one of my favourite quick and easy meals – especially my slow cooker version because it is so easy to make. I’ve made this with turkey a few times and it’s delicious, especially with a little bit of chopped cooked bacon added in.
Turkey Leftovers #9 – Jambalaya
Jambalaya is another one of my favourites – I’m seeing a pattern here. All my favourite foods seem to have something to do with rice. Although it’s usually made with chicken and prawns (I think), I’ve made this with other meats like pork and turkey leftovers before and it tastes just as nice.
Turkey Leftovers #10 – Turkey Egg Fried Rice
This is a really easy recipe – just heat some oil in a frying pan and add in your turkey pieces, when it’s cooked through add some rice and a beaten egg (or two depending on how much rice you’re using) and some dark soy sauce. Stir it all together and cook until the egg has set. That’s it! You can add more ingredients depending on what you have in but it’s lovely just with turkey.
What do you do with your leftovers?
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