The guests are full and the dishes are clean. Now what to do with the holiday dinner leftovers? Cooked turkey, along with other leftover side-dishes, can be revamped in a number of creative ways and can stretch the cost of a holiday meal across the week. Forget weeks of turkey sandwiches; instead, save money by using extra Thanksgiving turkey in dinner menus. Whether in a comforting bite of home-baked pot pie or the spicy twist found in these turkey and rice wraps, using holiday leftovers does not have to be a chore.
Storing Leftover Turkey
Leftover turkey will keep in a refrigerator for up to four days. Cut turkey away from the bone and store in plastic bags or covered containers within two hours of dinner service. Bones can either be discarded or stored separately for making soup stock. It is not necessary to reheat turkey prior to use.
Turkey Pot Pie with Shepherd's Crust
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cups leftover mixed vegetables, strained or fresh vegetables, diced
- 2 cups leftover turkey, chopped
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 2-3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Melt 2 tbsp butter in saute pan on medium heat. Add onion and fresh vegetables, if using, and saute until soft.
- In small sauce pan, melt remaining butter on medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Slowly whisk in the milk and heat through until sauce begins to thicken. Add poultry seasoning, salt and white pepper.
- Combine white sauce, vegetables and turkey in large bowl. Transfer to pie pan and use a spatula to level.
- Using a pastry bag, pipe mashed potatoes on top until fully covered. If pastry bag is not available, cover with an even layer of mashed potatoes and use the back of a spoon to create peaks.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until potatoes have turned golden brown and the edges are bubbling.
Southwestern Turkey & Rice Tortilla Wraps
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- ½ c long grain rice
- 1 tbsp olive or canola oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups leftover turkey, shredded
- 2-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano, fresh or dried
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8-10” flour tortillas
- cracked black pepper to taste
- sour cream to garnish
Directions:
- Bring one cup of water to a boil. Add rice, bring water back to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove rice from heat.
- In a large sauté pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until soft. Add turkey, tomatoes (with juice) and rice. Stir in onion powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer on medium low until most of the tomato juice has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Wrap tortillas in foil and place over a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Spoon ½ cup of filling into the center of each tortilla. Fold sides over and edges up to create a parcel. Place fold side down and return to saute pan for ~1 min to brown and prevent unwrapping. Serve with sour cream.
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