Leftover Turkey Recipes are those recipes that usually use any leftover cooked turkey, typically from meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts. This delicious poultry doesn't have to go to waste after the main meal. Instead, the leftover turkey can be transformed into a variety of other culinary creations, as shown in this amazing list of recipes.
Easy Leftover Turkey Recipes
In these recipes, it is best to use whatever form the leftover turkey may be in, such as chunks, slices, or shredded pieces. Often, these recipes don't need extra or exotic ingredients, making them easy and convenient to whip up. They also cover various meal types, from salads and sandwiches to soups and casseroles.
Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake with Ham and Cheese
Ingredients
- 400 G (4 ½ Cups) Dried Pasta Shapes (I Used Rigatoni)
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 Large Onion Peeled And Chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper De-seeded And Chopped
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper De-seeded And Chopped
- 2 Cloves Garlic Peeled And Minced
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 200 G (1 ⅓ Cups) Leftover Cooked Ham Cubed Or Shredded
- 250 G (2 Cups) Leftover Cooked And Shredded Turkey
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree Paste For Us
- 1 Chicken Or Vegetable Stock Cube Crumbled
- 1 tablespoon Finely Chopped Fresh Thyme
- 3 X 400 G (3 X 14 Oz) Tins Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 100 G (3 Cups) Fresh Baby Spinach
- 250 G (2 ½ Cups) Mixed Leftover Cheese (We Used Brie, Cheddar, Mozzarella And Red Leicester), Grated Or Chopped Finely
- To Serve:
- 1 Small Bunch Parsley Roughly Torn
- 3-4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- Pinch Black Pepper
Leftover Turkey Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 150 G (2 Cups) Chestnut Mushrooms Sliced
- 150 G (5 Oz) Pancetta Cubes
- 1 Onion Peeled And Chopped Finely
- 2 Cloves Garlic Peeled And Crushed
- 300 G (1 ⅓rd Cups) Uncooked Arborio Rice
- 150 Ml (½ Cup + 2 Tbsp) White Wine
- 1200 Ml (5 Cups) Hot Chicken Stock (Homemade Is Best, But Water With 3-4 Stock Cubes Works Well Too).
- 250 G (2 Cups) Cooked Leftover Turkey Shredded
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 50 G (½ Cup) Parmesan Grated
- Juice Of ½ A Lemon
To Serve:
- Grated Parmesan
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Fresh Thyme
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 1 Package (7 Ounces) Thin Spaghetti, Broken In Half
- 2 Cups Cubed Cooked Turkey
- 1 Cup Sliced Fresh Mushrooms
- 1 Small Onion, Chopped
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Can (10-¾ Ounces) Condensed Cream Of Mushroom Soup, Undiluted
- 1 Cup 2% Milk
- ½ Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
- ⅛ Teaspoon Ground Mustard
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Cup Shredded Part-skim Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Minced Fresh Parsley
Crescent Turkey Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Chicken Bouillon Granules
- ⅛ Teaspoon Pepper
- ¾ Cup 2% Milk
- 2 Cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables (About 10 Ounces), Thawed
- 1-½ Cups Cubed Cooked Turkey Breast
- 1 Tube (4 Ounces) Refrigerated Crescent Rolls
Leftover-Turkey Melts
Ingredients
- Makes 4
- 3 Medium Celery Stalks, Finely Chopped (About ⅔ Cup)
- 4 Scallions, Thinly Sliced Zest Of 1 Large Lemon
- 3 Cups (Loosely Packed) Shredded Leftover Skinless Roast Turkey Meat (About 12 Oz.)
- ¾ Cup Coarsely Chopped Drained Pickled Peppers (Such As Jalapeños)
- ½ Cup Finely Chopped Dill And/or Parsley
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise, Plus More For Bread
- 2 Tsp. Diamond Crystal Or 1¼ Tsp. Morton Kosher Salt, Plus More
- 1 Tsp. Freshly Ground Pepper, Plus More
- 8 Slices Sourdough Bread
- 8 Slices American Cheese
- Dill Pickles And Potato Chips (For Serving; Optional)
Fried Turkey Waffles With Bacon & Maple
INGREDIENTS
For the Waffles
- 1 stick melted butter
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup water
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the toppings
- 1 avocado
- 2 tablespoon chopped red onion - optional see note 1
- 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon canola oil
- 8 strips of bacon
- 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
- ½ cup maple syrup - see note 2
Healthy Leftover Turkey Mushroom Meatballs
INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs:
- 2 cups leftover cooked turkey
- 2 eggs
- 1 package Let’s Blend Italian finely diced mushrooms
- 1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed
- ½ cup shredded carrots (a smaller shred is ideal but any will work)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon milk
- ½ cup leftover cooked stuffing (or breadcrumbs or oats)
Low Carb Turkey Calzones
INGREDIENTS
Calzone Dough:
- 8 oz Mozzarella cheese grated
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 medium eggs beaten
Filling:
- 2 cups roasted turkey shredded
- 4 tablespoons Marinara sauce low carb
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 oz Mozzarella cheese grated
- 1 egg wash for brushing calzones
Leftover Turkey Potato Cakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt an pepper to season
- 4 cups cold mashed potato
- 2 cups diced turkey, ½ to ¾ inch dice
- 1 cup leftover dressing, stuffing
- 6-8 slices of crisp cooked bacon, chopped. (optional)
- canola oil for frying
- cup flour for rolling cakes. About ¾ .
- leftover gravy and cranberry sauce
Leftover Turkey Curry
INGREDIENTS
- 45ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
- 300g (2 cups) chopped onions
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5cm (2 in) fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1g (¼ tsp) salt
- 1g (¼ tsp) turmeric powder
- 450g (1lb) cooked turkey, shredded
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 2g (1 tsp) cumin powder
- 2g (1 tsp) ground cayenne
- 6 tomatoes, chopped
- 15ml (1 tbsp) tomato puree
- 2.5ml (½ tsp) white vinegar
- 10ml (2 tsp) brown sugar or jaggary
- 1 fresh lime, juiced
Leftover Turkey Sandwich
Ingredients:
Reheating Leftover Turkey
- 3 - 4 servings of leftover roast turkey sliced (about 3- 4 slices per person)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 - 2 cloves garlic minced
- Pinch of salt
Turkey Sandwich
- 4 brioche buns or 8 slices of thick bread (of your choice)
- Unsalted butter
- Leftover cranberry sauce
- Leftover turkey gravy
- Shredded lettuce
- 4 fried eggs
Turkey Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked turkey, white and dark meat
- 1 cup pickle relish
- ½ cup mayo or Miracle Whip
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Cranberry Turkey Enchiladas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 & ½ cups homemade cranberry sauce (or 14 ounce can of whole-berry cranberry sauce)
- 1 & ¼ cups enchilada sauce (or 10-ounce can)
- 2 & ½ cups shredded or chopped roasted turkey
- ½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 scallions, diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded Pepper Jack Cheese, divided
- 8 (8-inch) good-quality flour tortillas
- sour cream, for serving
Turkey Wild Rice Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS:
- 8 large portobello mushrooms (4.5" to 5" in diameter), stems removed and saved, gills scraped out and discarded
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE WILD RICE:
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup whole (not cracked) Minnesota wild rice
To Make The TURKEY:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning (or your favorite seasoning mix)
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (3 to 4-pound) bone-in turkey breast with skin
FOR THE TURKEY WILD RICE MIXTURE:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- reserved mushroom stems, chopped small
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, plus a bit more for sprinkling over the tops
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, plus a bit more for sprinkling over the tops
- fresh pomegranate seeds
Easy Turkey Egg Rolls Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pkg egg roll wrappers
- 16 oz bag coleslaw mix
- 2 cups cooked turkey finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup vegetable or peanut oil