Most of this year’s leftovers are at my sister’s place, where they will feed her hungry stepkids this weekend. I’ve got sweet potatoes in the fridge, some of which will become sweet potato pie, and the turkey carcass simmering on the stove for stock. Anyone have a favorite recipe that calls for turkey stock? I usually make it into turkey/vegetable soup with mushrooms and wild rice (it duplicates the favors of our usual stuffing), but I’m up for trying something new.
There’s at least one thread currently waxing poetic on the subject of turkey sandwiches, of which I am also a fan - but alas, I have no leftover turkey other than the carcass, which would have gone into the trash if I hadn’t lovingly wrapped it and taken it home from my sister’s place. But let’s branch out a bit here, guys - what are some more creative things to do with leftover Thanksgiving food?
Take two pieces of bread. Plop turkey on them. Spread lavishly with ketchup. Hear husband express sighs of disgust at ketchup. Giggle madly as you eat said sandwich in front of him.
2 slices of bread (thick-sliced bakery bread is best), toasted
warmed-up leftover turkey
tomato slices
cheddar cheese soup
cooked bacon
Put the turkey on the bread, then the tomatoes. Pour the cheddar cheese soup over it, put it under the broiler until cheese is bubbly. Then top each with 3 or 4 slices of bacon.
I wrangled the carcass away from my mom, and I have a vat of turkey stock sitting on the stove right now, waiting to be strained. I’ll make a simple soup from it, a little every day so the noodles don’t get mushy.
My favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipe uses creamed onions; these are a family favorite and my responsibility every year. Creamed onions are just little white onions in a casserole dish, topped with a white sauce and served as a side dish.
I always make extra for me at home. I’ll put some creamed onions in a casserole dish, put down a layer of leftover turkey, more creamed onions, frozen peas and corn, and more creamed onions. Top with bread crumbs. Bake covered until bubbly, then briefly uncovered to brown the top. Disgusting. Delicious. Not for the lactose intolerant or for anyone with a nodding acquaintance with a weight loss program.
We’re having club sandwiches tonight for dinner because my sister and BIL don’t like dark meat, so they gave all that was left from TWO turkeys to me!
Mom used to deal with leftover mashed potatoes by making small (like 4-inch diameter) mounds of them on a cookie sheet, sprinkling them with shredded cheddar, and baking until the cheese was melted and the potatoes had browned a little.
It’s not very creative, Eva Luna, but if you have an overabundance of turkey stock, you could freeze it in recipe-friendly quantities, like a cup or a quart.
Turkey and dumplings is every bit as good as chicken and dumplings. I second the idea of freezing some of the stock in manageable quantities…turkey stock makes a good base for many soups. We like turkey soup with potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and some mixed frozen veggies in it. I’d like to put rice in it, or barley, but my husband and daughter don’t like grains in soup.
It’s really easy to make turkey croquettes, and they are quite yummy. Just chop your leftover turkey meat to a fairly fine consistency, and mix the meat with some leftover stuffing and an egg. Moosh it around until the egg is well blended in, form into patties, and fry in a small amount of oil or butter. My husband likes turkey croquettes even better than the original roasted turkey meat.
I have a recipe that I don’t even know the origin of, for chili. My ‘regular’ chili recipe is dandy, this one’s very different, and the title on the page simply says “Hot Chili”. The meat to be used is indeterminate, but for years it’s been my leftover chili highlight.
Very simply it’s about 2 lbs of turkey, a can of tomato sauce, a can of tomato paste, a couple packets of that McCormick’s powdered chili spice, a big jar of salsa (hot), a splash of vinegar, and a big pile of jalapenos, serranos, some cayenne pepper, a handful of dried red peppers and a splash of Tabasco.
It’s pretty warm stuff.
Around Casa Bus, we also have a mass tamale-producing day, usually the weekend after Thanksgiving. Normally, this involves 10-15 lbs of roast pork, but we also manage to use a good supply of leftover turkey in the tamales.
I always, always make Turkey a la king when we have leftover turkey. It’s a simple enough thing to do - about 8-10 ounces of turkey cut up small goes into a white sauce made with about 2T butter and 2T flour, cooked down and smoothed out with about (this is a very rough measurement, I never actually measure, I just keep adding til it’s the right consistency) 1 1/2 cups of milk. Toss in some minced garlic, season to taste with salt and pepper, chuck in some peas. I serve it over pasta or toast.
Turkey Manhattans! It seems to be a very regional term, confined to the Midwest, but here’s how you make ‘em:
Two slices of bread (doesn’t need to be good bread, just any will do) on a plate with thinly sliced turkey on top. Warmed-up leftover mashed potatoes on top of that. Top with warmed-up leftover gravy.
It’s the ultimate comfort food. Very 1950’s lunch counter style.
The Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, I always make Turkey Tetrazzini. I use the recipe from the Joy of Cooking, but I flavor it up a little by chopping a whole onion & a couple of garlic cloves, sauteeing them with the mushrooms, and mixing it all together with the turkey before adding it to the cream sauce. I also add some Worchestershire sauce to the cream sauce while I am cooking it. Delicious.
We had a lot of leftover sides this year, so on Friday night I made a little casserole…put mashed potatoes on the bottom, turkey in the middle, and stuffing on the top. Spooned a little gravy onto each layer before adding the next one, and heated it up. It was really good!
The best way to make soup with noodles or rice is to not cook them into the stock. If you make the pasta or rice separately, then ladle the soup over it in a bowl, everything remains fresh and unmushified. This way, you can freeze your stock and not have that unpleasant consistency when it thaws out. I also recommend putting a bit of fresh herbs in the bowl to get a nice flavor boost.
My mom used to make “Goodbye Turkey Casserole” which was basically a couple cups of cut up turkey, a couple cups of white sauce (medium thickness), a couple cups of white rice, then mix it all up with some frozen peas, a huge bunch of cut up velveeta and then bake it for about an hour. For the last few minutes, put more velveeta on top till it melts and browns.
Sorry I don’t have the exact recipe, but it’s really easy to eyeball.
Shepherd’s Pie, Thanksgiving-Leftovers Style
In a casserole dish, layer the following:
Leftover stuffing.
Turkey chunks mixed with leftover veggies mixed with some kind of sauce (if the veggies are creamed onions, that will do; gravy works; or a can of cream soup if there’s nothing sauce-y amongst the leftovers).
Layer of leftover mashed potatoes.
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until the sauce starts bubbling up through the mashed potatoes.
You guys have left-over stuffing? When my S.O, and I cooked the turkey the stuffing was the first thing eaten! There are some very good recipies above and I’m going to try one of the casseroles, thanks!
You guys have left-over stuffing? When my S.O, and I cooked the turkey the stuffing was the first thing eaten! There are some very good recipies above and I’m going to try one of the casseroles, thanks!
Well, duh, that’s why you should make a quintuple batch of stuffing – use some of it to stuff the bird, and just bake the rest in a separate pan (probably with extra chicken broth so it’s moist enough).
The layer of stuffing is optional in my recipe, for those who lack such foresight.
