Delicious hacks for your turkey dinner leftovers
Leftovers make meal planning so easy. But instead of ladling up the same offerings on repeat, we like to take a more creative approach, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or just a regular weekend dinner with family.
Our quick-and-easy hacks turn leftover turkey and all the fixings into dishes for every mood and season: hot or cold, inside or alfresco, at-home or on-the-go, family-sized or solo. They require minimal additional ingredients and items from your pantry — just cross-check the list below to see what lines up with what’s in your fridge.
Trick out your turkey sandwiches
1. Cranberry-Brie Turkey Sandwich
A staple sandwich at antique shows and roadside stands in the eastern USA is the pilgrim, a stacked concoction of tender turkey, sweet-tart cranberry sauce, savoury stuffing and mayo. You can totally make that, but to save our stuffing for other uses (see below), we’re carving out a new, elevated way to do cold turkey: Toast a Gluten-Free Gourmet Bun and smear with a generous amount of Garlic Aioli Spread. Add lettuce, thin slices of turkey breast and brie. A scoop of cranberry sauce is the crown jewel.
2. Diner-Style Open-Faced Hot Turkey Sandwich
Some like it hot — and we think that’s fair. Go classic diner by buttering the bottom slice of a warmed baguette. Pile on sliced turkey breast, sprinkle with crumbled leftover stuffing, drizzle with gravy and garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Leftover Homestyle Mashed Potatoes and Seasoned Sweet Peas are the perfect sidekicks.
Reimagine leftover cranberry sauce
1. Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins
Delicious by the spoonful or snuggled up to a cold turkey sandwich, cranberry sauce likes to fit in. But have you considered adding it to your baking? Here’s our new favourite trick: Following the package directions, prep enough of your fave oatmeal muffin mix to make 12 muffins, swapping 1/4 cup leftover canberry sauce for 1/4 cup of the water called for in the dough. Stir and divide among 12 muffin cups, topping each with 1 tsp more cranberry sauce. Bake as directed.
2. Spicy-Smoky Cranberry-Glazed Meatballs
We love meatballs unconditionally, but a sweet-heat glaze might make them the favourite child. To revamp your leftovers game, consider stirring together 1/3 cup each leftover cranberry sauce, Thai Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce and Apple Butter BBQ Sauce. Place 1-1/2 lb (680 g) Italian Style Beef Meatballs in your slow cooker and pour over this perfectly balanced sauce, stirring gently to coat. Cook on low for 1 hour, and then enjoy the glossy-good work you just performed. Well done, you.
Hack your roast turkey leftovers
1. Turkey Pasta Alfredo
If we know our carbs — and we do — it’s safe to say that, alongside bread, pasta is one of the friendliest, most accepting vehicles for leftovers. Exhibit A: Heat up our Fettuccine Alfredo (made with al dente noodles in a rich, creamy Parmesan, garlic and cream sauce) and stir in cubed turkey breast. Garnish with shredded basil and a hearty shower of Parm. Perfecto.
2. Turkey Hash Cakes with Aioli
Crusty, herby and so satisfying, these cakes are a slam dunk with a simple green salad on the side. First, in a bowl, stir 1/2 cup regular or panko bread crumbs with 1/2 cup milk; let stand for 2 minutes. In another bowl, stir together 3 cups finely shredded turkey breast, 1/4 cup chopped dill, 2 eggs, salt and pepper. Stir in the crumb mixture and form into four 4-inch-wide patties. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry the patties for 5 minutes per side. Creamy Garlic Aioli Spread is hanging out on the side as the perfect dunk.
