3 easy thanksgiving leftover recipes

- entreés, leftover recipes -

Thanksgiving is some people's favorite holiday. For me, that isn't the case. I have my favorites on the table (uhh cough...cough...pie...cough...cough,) but I usually skip some of the classic Thanksgiving dishes such as dressing and gravy. My gold mine of Thanksgiving is the leftovers when I know I can make different, interesting meals with generally the same ingredients. Turkey is at the center of most of these recipes, but there is usually pie to follow each of them. Enjoy!

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mustard turkey sandwiches

The easiest and quickest way to ramp up boring Turkey Day leftovers. I have done this with turkey and regular yellow mustard in past years, but this year I decided to change it up a bit with dijon and whole grain garlic mustards. 

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serves 1

INGREDIENTS

scant 1/4 cup turkey, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 yellow onion, sliced into thin rings
​1.5 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1.5 tbsp dijon mustard
1.5 tbsp whole grain garlic mustard (or any mustard of your preference)
2-3 rolls, depending on size

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DIRECTIONS

1. heat 1 tbsp oil in a small skillet over medium heat
2. add the onions and sauté until brown and slightly crispy
3. remove them and drain them on paper towel
4. slice the rolls in half and toast in a toaster oven or in the oven (on broil) depending on the size of the rolls
5. combine the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil, the mustards, and the turkey in the pan
6. cook until the turkey is warm again
7. top the toasted rolls with the turkey and onions

BBQ turkey nachos

If you live or ever have lived in, heck, ever been to Memphis, (and done it right) you've probably had bbq nachos at Central BBQ. Ever since I first made the swap from pulled pork to chicken on them, I haven't gone back. This is my riff on Central BBQ's, and they are my favorite way to reuse leftover turkey when I'm feeding the whole family. It's easy to make and, once it's done, I put the sheet tray out and it's served - no plating required. 

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serves 3-5

INGREDIENTS

cheese sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 - 1.5 cup whole milk 
1 - 1.5 cup mexican blend shredded cheese (or any cheese of your preference)
salt to taste
nachos
approx. 21 ounces tortilla chips (find my top 2 favorites here and here)
1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
1.5 cup turkey, roughly chopped
5-6 tbsp BBQ dry rub, divided
pickled jalapeños (optional)
extra mexican blend shredded cheese (optional)

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DIRECTIONS

1. whisk the butter with the flour in a medium pot over medium-low heat
2. once the roux is bubbling and slightly foaming, continue to constantly whisk for ~45 seconds
3. whisk 1 cup of the milk in and turn the heat up to medium-high heat
4. continue whisking frequently until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
5. turn the heat off and add the cheese a half cup at a time. 
6. if the sauce cools too much and the cheese is not melting, put the pot on low heat and whisk the sauce until it combines.
7. if the sauce is too thick, add more milk (skim works better when thinning sauces)
8. once the cheese sauce is the right consistency, add 1-2 tbsp BBQ dry rub. Taste the sauce and add salt accordingly (it's important to taste before salting because BBQ dry rubs have varying amounts of salt)
9. set the pot aside and heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet
10. add the turkey and 1 tbsp BBQ dry rub. Cook until the turkey is warm
11. warm the oven on broil
12. prep the sheet tray with parchment paper
13. lay one layer of tortilla chips out and cover with a light drizzle of cheese sauce and a sprinkle of BBQ dry rub
14. lay another layer on top and repeat the last step with the addition of 1/2 of the turkey
15. stack the final layer on top and repeat the previous step with the rest of the ingredients and sprinkle with extra cheese (optional)
16. broil just until the cheese is melty
17. top with onions and jalapeños

Spicy turkey and rice stir fry

My grandfather always enjoys rice with his turkey and gravy, so it is on the Thanksgiving menu when he is here. There is always a good amount of it leftover, but leftover rice is normally mushy when reheated, so I decided this year I was going to try to reuse it and maintain an edible texture to it. Stir fry seemed like a good option because I can use leftover veggies in it. This was probably my favorite one of these 3 leftover recipes. 

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serves 2

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup leftover turkey, chopped into small pieces
1 cup cabbage, roughly chopped
1/3 yellow onion, sliced thinly into 1/2 rings
leaves of 3 brussels sprouts (*you can chop up the remaining fragments of the sprouts and add them with the cabbage)
3/4 cup cooked rice
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp red pepper flakes (this is a bit spicy, so adjust this to your spice tolerance)
vegetable oil spray 
4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

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DIRECTIONS

1. preheat the oven to 350
2. lay the brussels sprout leaves out on a small sheet tray and spray with vegetable oil spray and bake for approx. 5 minutes or until the leaves are lightly brown and are crispy
3. evenly coat the bottom of a deep sauce pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and put it over the stovetop on medium-low heat
4. add the rice to the pan in an even layer, folding it over ~ every 20 seconds until the rice is toasted, most of the moisture from the original preparation of it is gone, and it is light brown in color
5. remove the rice from the pan and spread it out in an even layer on a plate (if it is in a pile on the plate it will start to steam)
6. add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and turn the heat up to medium-high heat
7. sauté the onions until brown then remove to a separate plate from the rice (again, you don't want to steam the rice)
8. add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and the cabbage (with brussels sprout remnants) to the pan for 20 seconds
9. drizzle in 1/8 cup of water and stir the cabbage (this should deglaze any brown flavor from the bottom of the pan)
10. add another 1/8 cup of water if needed and cook just until the cabbage is soft, I wouldn't suggest adding more than 1/4 cup of water
11. remove the cabbage to the onion plate
12. turn the heat down to low and add the soy sauce and red pepper flakes to the pan
13. stir until the sauce is slightly thickened then spoon it out of the pan, leaving 2-3 tbsp of it remaining in the pan
14. turn the heat back up to medium and add the turkey, cooking until just warm
15. stir the cabbage, onions, and 4 tbsp of the sauce in with the turkey
16. fluff the rice with a fork then add it in with the rest of the ingredients
17. serve and top with the brussels sprout leaves and additional sauce