3 Recipes for Turkey Leftovers

Ready to start tackling the turkey in the fridge? 🌞

Turkey leftovers can be daunting. And especially so if you made a big bird and it seems like no matter how much you’ve eaten, the turkey just seems endless.

I developed three new recipes to use up lots of turkey in different ways!

The first is the classic approach: a turkey tetrazzini. This pasta casserole is rich, comforting, and perfect for a chilly evening.

The second is a turkey udon soup. Have leftover cranberry sauce? Mix it with chili oil and spoon it on top of the udon to add a gorgeous, fruity tang to the broth.

The third is a spicy turkey curry. This recipe is especially great toward the end of the leftovers. Y’know, when they’ve kinda dried out, and you really gotta add a lot of spice and richness to bring them back to life.

All of the recipes are below! You can visit each recipe link above for more details and tips!

Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients

• 12 ounces dry linguine

• 4 ounces pancetta diced

• 8 ounces mushrooms sliced

• 2 shallots peeled and diced

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dry

• ¼ cup sweet vermouth or sherry

• 6 tablespoons butter divided, plus more for greasing

• ⅓ cup flour

• 2½ cups chicken stock

• 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk

• Pinch of nutmeg

• Pinch of white pepper

• ⅓ cup grated gruyère

• ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano divided

• 3 cups cooked turkey diced

• ½ cup fresh parsley minced

• 10 ounces frozen peas

• 5 ounces challah bread ⅓ of a 1-pound loaf cut into cubes

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the linguine:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF.

• Grease a 13″x9″ baking dish with butter. Set it aside.

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and the linguine. Cook until 1–2 minutes under al dente. Reserve ¼ cup pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.

As you wait for the water to boil, prepare the sauce base:

• Place the pancetta into a wide pot. Turn the heat to medium. Cook, occasionally turning, for 5–6 minutes until the fat renders and the pancetta is crispy. Transfer to a bowl.

• Add the mushrooms to the pancetta fat and cook for 8–10 minutes. Add the shallots and cook an additional 5 minutes. Season all over with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh thyme and toss to coat. Cook for 1 minute.

• Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the pancetta back to the pot. Once everything in the pot begins to sizzle, pour in the sweet vermouth and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced by half. Transfer to a bowl.

Prepare the roux:

• Melt 4 tablespoons of butter into the pot. Once bubbling and frothy, add the flour. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring the flour into the butter, until fragrant and golden.

• Add the chicken stock in ½-cup increments, whisking after each addition to form a slurry. Continue adding the stock in increments until completely incorporated and smooth.

Finish the sauce:

• Pour in half the cream and whisk it into the mixture. Add the remaining half and whisk until smooth. Supplement with more water or milk if you like a looser sauce. Season with salt, nutmeg, and white pepper.

• Add the grated gruyère and ⅓ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano and stir until completely melted into the sauce.

• Fold in the bowl of mushrooms, the diced turkey, ½ cup minced parsley, and the frozen peas, and cook until the peas are warm. Taste and season once more to your preferences.

Prepare the tetrazzini:

• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat for 1 minute, adding the pasta cooking water only if needed. Turn off the heat.

• Pour the pasta and sauce into the prepared baking dish.

• Transfer to the oven for 10 minutes.

Make the breadcrumbs:

• As the tetrazzini bakes, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet. Add the challah cubes and cook in the butter until golden brown, about 3–5 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until blended into a fine meal. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a bowl.

• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano and the remaining ½ cup minced parsley to the breadcrumbs. Season with a pinch of salt.

Finish the tetrazzini:

• Remove the tetrazzini from the oven and cover it with breadcrumbs. Transfer back to the oven for an additional 10–15 minutes.

• Once the tetrazzini is bubbly, and the breadcrumbs are browned, remove them from the oven. At this point, you can broil the top for 1–2 minutes if you like. Otherwise, let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

To serve:

• Spoon the tetrazzini into shallow bowls. Garnish with more fresh parsley if you like. Enjoy!

More recipe details can be found on my website: Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe

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Leftover Turkey Udon Soup

Ingredients

• 1 orange divided

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

• 2 large shallots peeled and thinly sliced into wedges

• 8 cups water, turkey stock, or chicken stock

• 2½ cups leftover turkey cut into bite-sized pieces

• ½ cup prepared cranberry sauce

• 2 carrots peeled and julienned

• Chili oil to taste

• Shichimi togarashi to taste

• 12 ounces udon noodles cooked according to package instructions

• 4 eggs for serving

• ¼ cup tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon mirin or use a pinch of sugar and a splash of rice vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon miso

• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Prepare the orange:

• Use a peeler to peel off 3 small strips of orange zest and set them aside. Juice the orange into a bowl.

Cook the broth:

• Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil into a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until it softens. Add the strips of orange peel and half of the orange juice. Add a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi or crushed red pepper to taste. Pour in the stock or water. Season with salt and pepper and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add the turkey, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Prepare the cranberry sauce and carrots:

• Place the cranberries in a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Once they bubble, reduce the heat to low and add the remaining orange juice. Add the chili oil and another shake or two of shichimi togarashi. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

• Combine the carrots in a bowl and add a sprinkle of salt. Drizzle with 1–2 teaspoons of chili oil. Toss to coat and set aside.

Cook the noodles and eggs:

• While the broth simmers, prepare the noodles according to package instructions.

• Cook the eggs for 7–8 minutes in low-boiling water and then add to an ice bath. Peel and then halve lengthwise. Set aside.

Finish the broth:

• Taste the broth and stir in the tamari, mirin, sesame oil, and miso. Once the miso has melted into the broth, turn off the heat. Taste and season once more.

To serve:

• Divide cooked noodles between bowls and place two egg halves on top. Ladle the turkey and broth on top. Serve with cranberry sauce and sliced carrots on top. Enjoy!

More recipe details can be found on my website: Leftover Turkey Udon Soup

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Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

• 1 yellow onion peeled and sliced into thin wedges

• 1 pound potatoes peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes

• 1 tablespoon butter or ghee

• 2 tablespoons curry powder or garam masala depending on your preference

• Cayenne powder or crushed red pepper optional, to taste

• 2½ cups leftover turkey diced into bite-sized cubes

• 15- ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 1 cup water or chicken stock plus more if needed

• 15- ounce can coconut milk

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Cooked basmati rice and sliced scallions for serving

Instructions

Cook the onion and potatoes:

• Heat the natural oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sliced onion and diced potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, occasionally turning, for 6–7 minutes.

Bloom the spices:

• Create a well in the middle of the pot. Melt the butter into the open spot. Once bubbly, add the curry powder and cayenne powder. Cook, stirring it into the butter for 1 minute until fragrant. Toss the potatoes and onions in the spices.

Cook the turkey:

• Add the turkey to the pot and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simmer the curry:

• Pour in the water or chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the crushed tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Add more water as needed.

Finish the curry:

• Taste the curry and season again to your preferences. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes more. Turn off the heat.

To serve:

• Serve the turkey curry over cooked basmati rice and garnish with scallions or cilantro. Enjoy!

More recipe details can be found on my website: Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe

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