Christina's Cucina

An impassioned Italian Scot sharing how to cook authentically, and travel with enthusiasm.

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Home » Course or Meal » Leftover Turkey Recipes – 13 Real Meal Recipes (No Soup or Sandwiches)

Leftover Turkey Recipes – 13 Real Meal Recipes (No Soup or Sandwiches)

November 7th, 2020 | 10 Comments

These leftover turkey recipes are a significant departure from the norm. 13 real meal recipes that are easy to make, but so delicious; no one will realize that they’re actually leftovers!

layered leftovers served with cranberry sauce and beans

Inevitable as death and taxes, leftover turkey looms the day after Thanksgiving. 

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I don’t know about you, but I am not one of those people who cannot wait for a turkey sandwich the next day. Even turkey soup, later in the week, isn’t appealing to me. I’m the one who is looking for or creating unique leftover turkey recipes to turn that turkey into something different and delightful!

I came up with my very favorite way to use not just leftover turkey, but the mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy a few years ago: what I called my genius layered leftovers dish which you’ll find below. I adapted an Italian dish called “gattó di patate” which has soufflè-like potatoes along with melty mozzarella cheese and ham!

You’ll also find two more of my recipes along with others from bloggers I’ve curated which pass my “no processed” ingredients criteria. Some are twists on classics, some are international, but all of them are delicious!

13 Leftover Turkey Recipes (Real Meals)

genius turkey and stuffing potato layered leftover turkey recipes
Christina’s Cucina

1. Genius Turkey, Potato and Stuffing Layered Leftovers 

No one will be able to tell that this dish is actually made from leftovers; it’s that good! Honestly, I make extra to be sure that I will have leftovers, especially the potatoes and stuffing! 

turkey and wild rice pot by by half baked harvest
Courtesy of Half Baked Harvest.

2. Turkey and Wild Rice Pot Pies by Half Baked Harvest.

If you haven’t heard of Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest, it’s only a matter of time. Recipes like her turkey and wild rice pot pies, accompanied by stunning photography are only two of the reasons she’s an award-winning food writer! Grey Staub cocottes here.

leftover turkey recipes: cheesy turkey enchiladas
Courtesy of What a Girl Eats.

3. Cheesy Turkey Enchiladas by What a Girl Eats.

My friend, Cynthia, from What a Girl Eats cooks everything from soufflés to sweet potatoes, but it’s not surprising because she’s a trained as a chef. These enchiladas are the perfect option to make something different, but delicious with that leftover turkey. 

Fleming's Turkey Fried Rice on a white and gold plate with chopsticks
Christina’s Cucina

4. Leftover Turkey Fried Rice 

If you don’t feel like Mexican, what about this Chinese-inspired turkey leftovers recipe? This recipe comes from Fleming’s Steakhouse and is very quick and easy to throw together. Mother of pearl chopsticks found here.

butter turkey curry
Courtesy of Endless Meals.

5. Butter Turkey Curry by The Endless Meal.

Kristen from The Endless Meal kindly allowed me to share her beautiful butter turkey recipe. It’s a gorgeous, Indian-inspired meal that is better known by its chicken counterpart, “butter chicken”. Give it a try! All-Clad pan found here.

Turkey stuffing and cranberry sausage rolls
Courtesy of Culinary Ginger.

6. Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Sausage Rolls by Culinary Ginger.

This spin on British sausage rolls comes from my friend, Janette, from Culinary Ginger. What a delicious way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers without throwing them in between two slices of bread! 

turkey tetrazzini
Courtesy of That Skinny Chick Can Bake.

7. Turkey Tetrazzini  by That Skinny Chick Can Bake.

Although it may sound Italian, anything “tetrazzini” is actually an American recipe. If you want a simple, tasty dish that the family will enjoy, give Liz’s recipe a try. She doesn’t just know how to bake! Revol roasting and serving dish found here.

Turkey with Leeks

8. Leftover Turkey with Leeks and Sage Butter Sauce 

If you’ve seen my turkey schnitzel recipe with leeks and sage butter sauce, you’ll know that I liked the sauce so much that I decided to serve it with leftover turkey, too! I think that leeks are a very underappreciated vegetable in the US.

leftover turkey risotto
Courtesy of Self Proclaimed Foodie.

9. Leftover Turkey Risotto  by Self Proclaimed Foodie.

Krissy from Self Proclaimed Foodie has one of the best leftover turkey recipes: leftover turkey risotto! Simple, easy, and delicious; what more do we need?

turkey white chili
Courtesy of Simply Recipes.

10. Turkey White Chili by Simply Recipes.

Talk about comfort food, this has got to be near the top of the list! Where are my fuzzy slippers?

thanksgiving leftovers turkey shepherd's pie
Courtesy of Culinary Ginger.

11. Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Shepherd’s Pie by Culinary Ginger. 

Only a Brit would think to turn Thanksgiving and turkey leftovers into a faux shepherd’s pie and I love it!

leftover turkey and leek pasta

12. Leftover Turkey and Leek Pasta Bake by Farmersgirl Kitchen

My friend Janice knows about comfort food as she lives in Scotland. This dish incorporates leftover turkey with bacon, leeks, green onions and cheese with pasta which is baked until is hot and bubbly! Yum!

turkey gumbo; one of 12 leftover turkey recipes
Courtesy of Amy in the KItchen.

 13.  Turkey Gumbo by Amy in the Kitchen.

Amy’s contribution to these leftover turkey recipes has to be one of the most unique and most mouth-watering of them all! Who doesn’t want to dive into this steamy bowl of gumbo?!

✧

I hope you enjoy my collection of leftover turkey recipes and refer to after Thanksgiving, Christmas and anytime you have leftover turkey. All of these would be equally delicious using leftover chicken, too! Don’t forget to share with friends and relatives who would enjoy these recipes, as well!

 

Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Chicken (Poultry), Course or Meal, Ingredient, Main Courses · leftover turkey recipes, Thanksgiving Leftovers, Turkey

Reader Interactions

10 Responses

  1. Victoria says:
    November 25, 2020 at 2:28 pm

    I don’t see the Turkey Curry recipe. I love curry!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      November 25, 2020 at 2:31 pm

      #5 on the list, Victoria! :) Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Kristen says:
    November 11, 2020 at 6:51 am

    So many great recipes here! Thank you for including my leftover turkey curry!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      November 11, 2020 at 10:31 am

      Thank YOU for letting me share it, Kristen!

      Reply
  3. Cathy says:
    November 10, 2020 at 11:20 am

    What a delicious round up of recipes! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

    Reply
  4. Janette says:
    November 10, 2020 at 5:40 am

    Thank you for some new leftover ideas and thank you for including my sausage rolls and shepherd’s pie.

    Reply
  5. Janice says:
    November 9, 2020 at 2:03 am

    Some lovely ideas for leftover turkey dinners. Thank you for including my pasta bake.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      November 9, 2020 at 1:34 pm

      Thank YOU, Janice!

      Reply
  6. David Scott Allen says:
    November 8, 2020 at 12:51 pm

    What a wonderful combination and how nice of you to make all these introductions. I the turkey gumbo will be coming to our table for sure – we have a 14-pound turkey coming and only three of us (distanced) to eat it. LOTS of leftovers…

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      November 8, 2020 at 4:20 pm

      Fabulous! Happy to help!

      Reply

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Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



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