I think I figured out why most people only make turkey 1-2 times per year. We make it for Thanksgiving, eat dry boring leftovers for a week, then repeat that sequence for Christmas. By the time the new year rolls around, we feel as if one more bite of dry turkey sandwich might kill us. This year for Thanksgiving, I smoked my turkey, a tradition I began last year. The flavor is amazing and you end up with juicy leftovers for days. Since it literally takes all day to smoke a turkey, I went ahead and did two this year to ensure that there were plenty of leftovers for all of our out-of-town guests. Here are a dozen tasty and creative ways to use your leftover turkey. Say goodbye to boring turkey and cheese on bread, say hello to flavor!
1. Turkey Berry Brie Sandwich - Take turkey, leftover cranberry sauce, slices of brie cheese and a few pieces of lettuce. If you have a panini press (or a George Foreman grill), go ahead and give it a press. If not, it will still be tastier than your traditional turkey sandwich.
2. Turkey Broth - Use turkey bones instead of chicken in my chicken broth recipe. Leave out the olive oil, as the turkey has more fat than chicken. Use it in soups, stews, rice, risotto, etc. Freezes great for months!
3. Turkey Pot Pie - Use turkey instead of chicken in my chicken pot pie recipe. I made this the night after Thanksgiving, using the turkey broth I had made. If you have leftover turkey gravy, you could always thin that out and use it instead. This meal was such a hit, our dinner table was silent...not a common occurence here!
4. Stuffed Acorn Squash - For this recipe, I used a few things I had leftover. This serves 2 people.
1 acorn, cut in half and seeds removed
2 Tbls butter
1/2 small onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 handful arugula
1 cup prepared (or leftover) rice (Normally I would use risotto but I had leftover white rice from Chinese delivery!)
1/4 cup turkey broth (or chicken broth, whatever you have on hand)
2 Tbls goat cheese
Salt and pepper
Fresh grated parmigiano reggiano
Roast squash cut side up in a 400 oven for about 30-45 minutes, until flesh is soft. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute onion and garlic int he butter over medium heat. Add tomatoes and arugula. Stir until tomatoes are soft and arugula is wilted. Add rice. Add only as much broth as your dish needs to be slightly moist but not soupy. (Leftover rise especially tends to be dry.) Season with goat cheese, salt and pepper and stuff squash. Top with parmigiano and bake another 5 minutes.
5. Turkey and Pumpkin Risotto - I love pumpkin risotto!! The flavors just go so well together! Use my basic risotto recipe and add some pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh, whatever you have) along with the diced leftover turkey about 3/4 of the way through the cooking process. Season with some fresh sage and call it dinner. This would be a great place to use some of that turkey broth!
6. Turkey, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Risotto - Again, just substitute the diced leftover turkey for the chicken in this risotto recipe.
7. Turkey Flatbread - Use your leftover turkey in the very first recipe I posted, Chargrilled Pesto Turkey Flatbread. Tired of cooking? Go ahead and use some store-bought pesto...I won't tell anyone. :-)
8. Second Thanksgiving - Sunday night, we invited our dear friends Kris and Kelly over for leftovers. I told them that good friends come over for dinner but great friends come over knowing you're serving leftovers! They didn't have Thanksgiving at their house so they hadn't had any leftovers yet!
9. Turkey Noodle Soup - Use that turkey broth you made! Add some chopped up onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, egg noodles and diced turkey for a great soup on cold days.
10. Turkey Panini - Break out that panini press or George Foreman again! Add some leftover turkey, slices of pear, havarti cheese and your favorite kind of mustard. Press it until warm throughout and enjoy!
11. Turkey Baby Food - If you're new to the world of making your own baby food, click here. You can puree your leftover turkey with some veggies and rice and freeze in ice cube trays. Or if your little one is ready or soon-to-be-ready for finger foods, cut it up into tiny bite-sized pieces and freeze it in a ziploc baggie.
12. Turkey Salad - Use the leftover turkey instead of chicken in my chicken salad sandwich recipe. To get some more fall flavors, substitute dried cranberries for the grapes and walnuts or pecans for the almonds.
I know its a little late, seeing as Thanksgiving was a week ago and your leftovers are probably gone by now. But try these recipes next time, maybe after Christmas turkey. Or just make a turkey mid-year for the leftovers! Get creative with your leftovers and maybe we can start a revolution of year-round turkey eaters!
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