So you've decided to cook a turkey to celebrate the holidays with friends and family. Whether you got too big of a bird or some people were no-shows, you may have leftover turkey. Here are a bunch of easy, 30-minute dishes you can make with the leftovers that are ACTUALLY practical... because we both know you don't want to cook another extravagant meal after that holiday feast.
Turkey Jus: Use the leftover liquids in your roast pan to make a turkey jus (a sauce derived from meat) and/or gravy to dip your turkey in. You can also refrigerate or freeze it, and save it for future meals.
Turkey Stock: Use turkey bones and other leftovers to make turkey stock. Later, you can throw some vegetables in and make a comforting turkey noodle soup. You could also use it as a base to cook ramen noodles - possibilities are virtually endless with this one.
Turkey Sandwich: Use the leftover turkey to make a delicious turkey sandwich.
Try this delicious Shredded Chicken Slider recipe by clicking here... just replace the chicken with turkey!
Turkey Alfredo Pasta: Throw your turkey into some alfredo sauce over pasta and you might find its better than the classic chicken alfredo.
Turkey Casserole: Following the pasta train aka the linguini line, a casserole is perfect for leftover holiday turkey because most casseroles call for pre-cooked meat anyway. You can use any pasta, but penne, rigatoni, fusilli (corkscrew), or farfalle (bowtie) work great. Barbecue or smoke the casserole with a layer of cheese on top and serve with gravy. Next step: thank yourself for making this super easy and delicious dish.
Turkey Cobb Salad: This is definitely one of the easier ones. Just cook up some hard-boiled eggs and bacon, then plop them in with your turkey and your chosen vegetables on top of some leaves. Normally cobb salad calls for greens, sliced tomatoes, and avocado, but you can add whatever suits your palate.
Turkey Fried Rice: Fried rice is one of those awesome dishes where YOU make the rules. Throw shredded turkey into some rice with a fried egg, add your choice of vegetables, put it all in a wok, season it with salt or add soy sauce. Voila! You've got a super simple, yet dangerously delicious, turkey and egg fried rice.
Turkey Tacos: If you just cooked spent a day in the kitchen making a delicious turkey for your family, you may not feel like putting too much effort into making food the next day. That's where turkey tacos come in. Just chop up some lettuce, tomato, and avocado, get your shredded cheese and tortillas, and use left over shredded turkey. Add some salsa and hot sauce, and you've got yourself a tasty meal.
There you have it, 8 super practical ideas for leftover turkey that you can do today with minimal effort! Don't forget to send your photos of your go-to leftover turkey dish to our Instagram (@BarbecuesGalore) for a chance to be featured in a post or our blogs!
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