Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

I love leftover Thanksgiving turkey! After I finish making sandwiches out of the turkey I can't wait to start making some healthy recipes. After reading Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey? By Kim Ray I was inspired to share some of my favorite recipes as well. I always turn to some tried and true recipes that are perfect for eating up any amount of left over turkey. You can also also make these simple recipes all year long with leftover chicken and even some chopped dup deli turkey!

1. Raspberry Turkey Salad

1/4 cup raspberry preserves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced scallion
1 cup fresh raspberries
3 cups of leftover Thanksgiving turkey cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups chopped Bibb lettuce
Nut bread
Cream cheese

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together raspberry preserves, oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Add scallions and raspberries to vinaigrette. Add diced chicken and toss to combine with vinaigrette. Arrange lettuce on individual plates. Spoon chicken mixture over lettuce just before serving. Serve with nut bread and cream cheese, if desired.

2. Turkey Quesadillas

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sofrito (recommended my blend; alternatively Goya Sofrito)
2 to 3 cups diced leftover thanksgiving turkey.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth (recommended: organic)
1/2 packet Latin seasoning mix
1 large onion, sliced
8 large flour tortillas
Grated Cheddar
Grated pepper Jack cheese
Sour cream and salsa, for serving

Preheat a large Dutch oven on medium heat. Add the olive oil and sofrito and stir-fry until golden. Add the diced turkey and stir-fry until partially cooked; the meat should be a bit pink. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, white wine and chicken broth. Mix well, cover and allow to braise for about 10 minutes.

Remove the cover, add the Latin seasoning and the sliced onion; mix well. Cover for 5 more minutes to soften the onion. Remove the cover and raise the heat to high to reduce the cooking liquid; approximately 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Take 1 flour tortilla and fill with the tukey mixture and some of the grated cheeses. Fold in half and place on the skillet adding a heavy object on top such as a cast iron skillet of smaller size. This will help sear the outer tortilla while quickly melting the cheese on the inside. Remove the skillet, flip over and sear the other side. Continue cooking the quesadillas this way until all have been cooked.

With a pizza cutter slice into wedges and serve with a side of sour cream and store bought salsa.

3. Cream of Turkey Soup

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2 stalks celery (with leaves), chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
7 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
3 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 3/4 cups cooked, diced Turkey
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes more.

Pour in the broth and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the soup. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the Turkey and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Whisk the heavy cream, sherry, and salt into the soup and season with pepper to taste. Remove and discard the herb bundle. Divide among soup bowls, sprinkle the top of each soup with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Each of these left Thanksgiving turkey recipes are tried and true favorites I found by watching the Food Network. They have some great chicken recipes and I started inserting my leftver turkey into them. They tasted just as good with thte leftover Thanksgiving turkey as they dd with the chicken. My favorite thing about all of the recipes is that they are somewhat unsual uses for leftoevr Thanksgiving turkey. Sometimes the unexpected can be rewarding. Just make sur you use these reipces for leftover Thanksgiving turkey at least three days after Thanksgiivng. If not you will need to freeze your Turkey meat to keep it from going bad.