Top 10 Things To Do With Leftover Turkey That Is Not A Casserole

The day after Thanksgiving, it was quiet in the morn’, turkey sandwich or soup I am so torn!

I’ve always loved turkey leftovers, it’s not often you roast a huge turkey. Since you have 15 pounds left of your 20 pound turkey, here are a few tasty recipes, some gluten-free, some low fat, and all use your leftovers!

Top 10 Things to do With Leftover Turkey—That isn’t a Casserole

1. Turkey Sandwich: Gluten-free
My favorite use for turkey is in a sandwich. Layer a nice toasted piece of bread (option: GF bread) with cheese, turkey, mayonnaise, and maybe a little gravy. Or make a delicious turkey and cranberry sandwich.

2. Turkey Pasty
Growing up, my mom always made Turkey Pasty. It looks like a big turnover, but it’s filled with onion, pecans, celery, spices, and of course—turkey. It’s one of those stick-to-your-ribs sort of dishes, but definitely a tasty pasty!

3. Turkey Pad See Ew
My husband will appreciate this one. He loves a good pad see ew. Usually chicken is my fowl of choice for Thai dishes, but turkey would be interesting too.

4. Stock: Gluten-free
Whenever I roast a chicken I toss the carcass, veggies, and enough water to drown the bones in a crock pot for 8-12 hours. I strain it and in the end I usually have around 5-8 cups of homemade stock. You can do exactly the same thing with your turkey, though you may have to cut up the carcass to fit in a pot. Mmmm, homemade turkey stock.

5. Enchiladas: Gluten-Free
You could make ordinary turkey enchiladas, but I recommend trying turkey sweet potato enchiladas. A good use of sweet potatoes if you don’t want any more marshmallows.

6. Chiles Rellenos: Lowfat
For another south of the border meal, rellenos are a spicy treat. Your family might not even know that it's made with turkey!

7. Soup: Gluten free and low fat
This is the easiest recipe, second to a turkey sandwich. But this one can be both gluten-free and low fat. For a soul-warming soup, put turkey, veggies, noodles, and homemade stock in a large pot and simmer for an hour or so.

8. Salad: Gluten free and  low fat
Cranberry sauce paired with turkey and pecans over a bed of spinach is an extraordinary salad. Maybe make some candied walnuts to make an extra tasty dinner. It would make a nice light meal after heavy Thanksgiving and an excellent choice for lunchtime come Monday.

9. Turkey Croquettes
“Executive chef Tom Berry of Temple Bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts, makes pan-fried turkey croquettes with cranberry arugula. It’s his way of using all the leftovers from Thanksgiving, he says, without resorting to stuffing them between two slices of bread.” I don’t think turkey sandwiches are anything to turn your nose up at, in my family they were like gold. And I’m not sure I would prefer his croquettes to a good ol’ turkey sandwich, but I’m old fashioned like that. If you’re looking for something a little more interesting, try out some Turkey Croquettes with cranberry sauce. It’ll use up your turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and bread crumbs. I got to hand it to him, croquettes will free up a lot of space in your fridge. Source

10. Turkey Nachos
These are quick, easy, and a nice flavor relief from gravy and stuffing. Here's a simple recipe from Luminous for the nachos. What do you with your leftovers? Photo by