Leftovers Recipe: Easy Cream And Salsa Turkey Enchiladas

This recipe makes it easy to use up those last few scraps of turkey. You're probably tired of turkey sandwiches and turkey soup by now, so why not shake things up a bit and add some Mexican flavor? These are super fast and easy to put together, so they work great for a quick meal when you don't feel like cooking (and who does, after last week??)...

Easy Cream And Salsa Turkey Enchiladas
(Serves 6-8.)

Ingredients:

3 cups leftover turkey, shredded
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas
1 jar (16 oz) good salsa (your favorite)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish.
• In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, sour cream, cheese, onion, and salt.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat. Put a tortilla in and fry until hot and browned slightly, turn and fry the other side, then put on plate, cover with foil, and fry second tortilla.  Continue until all tortillas are fried, making sure to keep foil on them all to keep them warm and moist.
• Lay a tortilla on a work surface and spoon turkey mixture in the middle, the length of the tortilla, then roll up, and lay in baking dish seam side down. Continue until all 12 tortillas are filled and rolled and in baking dish.
• Pour salsa evenly over the top then put in oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
• (Optional: remove from oven and add more Cheddar cheese on top, then bake 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.)

Holiday Leftovers Recipe: Simple Seconds Turkey Stuffing Casserole

This is a great way to use up just about everything you  have left over from Thanksgiving dinner! Repurpose the leftover turkey, stuffing, gravy, and some cranberry sauce, and save that green bean casserole for Friday's recipe, and you'll finally be done with leftovers (at least for this year). Plus it's super simple and easy!

Simple Seconds Turkey Stuffing Casserole
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

4 cups leftover stuffing
2 cups leftover turkey, diced or shredded
2 cups leftover turkey gravy
1/3 cup leftover cranberry sauce

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter or oil a large casserole dish.
• Put half the stuffing in the baking dish and pat gently to cover the bottom of the dish evenly. 
• Add half the turkey, arranging evenly, then half of the gravy. 
• Repeat the layers, then evenly distribute the cranberry sauce over the top of the casserole.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Low-Carb Leftovers Recipe: Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette Dressed Salad

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! With all the excess of yesterday's feast, you may be in the mood for something lighter today, and this delicious salad will hit the spot - while helping you use up leftovers at the same time! Use the remnants of Thanksgiving dinner to create a scrumptious dinner salad that won't leave you feeling bloated.

Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette Dressed Salad

Ingredients:

Leftover cranberries. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 cup cranberry sauce (whole berry)
1 small sweet orange, zested and squeezed*
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 olive oil
fresh spinach
leftover turkey
chopped walnuts

Instructions:

• Put the cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, and salt in a bowl and stir until blended.
• Drizzle in the olive oil, slowly, whisking constantly, adding a bit of olive oil at a time until the vinaigrette becomes smooth and thickens.
• Arrange a bed of spinach and turkey pieces on salad plates and top with generous amount of vinaigrette.
• Sprinkle walnuts on top of salad and serve cold.

* You can make this also with leftover cranberry orange relish.  Just substitute the sauce with the relish and eliminate the zested and juiced orange in the recipe. Everything else remains the same.

Recipe: After The Feast Turkey Vegetable Soup

Turkey soup is one of my favorite ways to use up holiday leftovers. It's easy, simple, and delicious, and it helps you get rid of that turkey carcass a lot faster!  We usually make this a few days after the holiday, when we've snacked on turkey sandwiches for a couple of days, and are ready to be done with it. But if you just want to get that big carcass out of the fridge sooner, pick most of the meat off the bones and put it in stackable containers in the refrigerator, and then use the carcass in this tasty soup. The stock is filled with flavor and good healthy stuff. To get the most nutrients out of the bones, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the stock before cooking.

After The Feast Turkey Vegetable Soup
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: churl)

Stock:
Carcass from roasted turkey, picked clean
1 large yellow onion, peeled, quartered
1 large carrot,  scrubbed, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed
1 bay leaf
10 whole black peppercorns

Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 cups leftover turkey meat, shredded or chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, taste as you add
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Put the turkey carcass, quartered onions, coarsely chopped carrots and celery, smashed garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a large stockpot.
• Cover with cold water and set over medium-high heat and bring to boil, then immediately turn heat to simmer and slowly simmer for 1-2 hours.
• Remove pot and pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or pot.  This should yield about 10 cups of broth.

• Dry the inside of the stockpot a little with a paper towel.
• To the stockpot add the oil and place over medium heat. 
• Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots and cook until starting to get soft, about 5 minutes. 
• Add the minced garlic and thyme, stirring to combine for just 1 minute.
• Pour in the reserved stock and bring to a gentle simmer; simmering until vegetables are just soft, about 10-15 minutes. 
• Add the leftover turkey meat, salt, and pepper, tasting to adjust seasoning.
• Simmer just until turkey is heated through. 

Recipe: Turkey Gravy Gumbo

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!  In case you still have some leftovers, here's a great way to use the rest of them up - and it's not your same old "turkey sandwiches or soup" idea. Give your leftovers a Cajun twist on a classic favorite with left over gravy and turkey, combined with Creole flavors for a tasty treat that won't taste like leftovers!

Turkey Gravy Gumbo

Ingredients: 

Shrimp and turkey stock and the Cajun trinity (bell pepper, onion, celery) for gumbo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green bell pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups leftover turkey gravy
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 cups chopped leftover turkey
1 cup chopped andouille sausage ( or any sausage you like)
6 to 8 cups turkey stock (depending on how thin you want the gumbo)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cayenne (more or less to taste)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp gumbo file powder (which is powdered sassafras leaves)
1 lb. shrimp, cleaned (optional)
rice for serving

Directions:

• In large soup pot, add onion, celery, and green pepper along with olive oil over medium heat and cook until veggies are tender, but not soft.
• Add garlic to pot and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add the leftover gravy and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the tomatoes, turkey, and sausage stirring to mix, then add enough turkey broth to make gumbo the consistency you want.
• Add seasonings and turn heat down to low; simmer very slowly for 15 minutes.
• Add shrimp (if desired) and let simmer just until shrimp is pink, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Serve in bowls with a scoop of cooked rice on top.

Note: This gumbo doesn't need a roux because the basic idea of this thickening agent, roux, is replaced with the turkey gravy which contains the same ingredients - fat and flour - and it's already made, so it makes dinner easy!

Leftovers Recipe: Thanksgiving Table Shepherd's Pie

I do have a great recipe for leftover turkey soup, but everyone does soup, so I wanted to mix it up a little this year, and give you a new option. This one uses multiple leftovers - turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and vegetables, so you can start getting the fridge cleaned out this weekend, and won't feel like you're eating the same thing again. Plus, since just about everything's already cooked, this one's a snap to make, which will be nice after all the work you put into the Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy!

Leftover Thanksgiving Table Shepherd's Pie

Shepherds Pie (Photo credit: seriouslygood1)

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked turkey, shredded
3 cups cooked vegetables, anything you have leftover (if you don't have leftover vegetables, just quickly steam some chopped broccoli and carrots or peas and you'll be good to go)
1 cup gravy
4 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 egg
1 Tbsp cream cheese; room temperature
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, broken up
dash paprika

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a large pie plate or casserole dish.
2. Heat turkey, vegetables, and gravy in a saucepan until warmed through, then turn into prepared dish.
3. Mix room temperature mashed potatoes with egg and cream cheese until smooth and well blended, add salt and pepper to taste, then mix again.  
4. Spoon the potatoes over the ingredients in casserole, spreading to cover ingredients completely.
5. Stick pieces of butter all over the potatoes and sprinkle with paprika.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until potatoes are browning and filling is bubbling hot.

Recipe - Turkey Wild Rice Soup

Got leftover turkey??  Check out this delicious hearty recipe great for a cold winter evening! It's a tasty way to use up some of your Thanksgiving leftovers, or you could also make it anytime using leftover cooked chicken.

Image by Back to the Cutting Board via FlickrHearty Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup wild rice, cooked according to package
2 tsp olive oil
3 celery stalks, chopped small
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
1 onion, diced small
1 tsp dried sage
6 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, cut small
1/4 chopped parsley
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

• In a large soup pot over medium heat, put olive oil, celery, carrots, onions, and sage, cooking until vegetables are starting to soften, about 4 or 5 minutes.
• Pour in the stock, add the cabbage, stir and turn heat down to low, cover pot loosely, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cabbage is soft.
• Add the turkey, cooked wild rice, and parsley, and simmer very slowly (without bubbles), uncovered, for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste and adjust seasonings, adding more balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper as desired.

Leftover Turkey Recipes

Image via WikipediaTo those of you who bought an 18-lb turkey (or more!), you may be wondering, what the heck do I do with all these leftovers?  After all, there are only so many turkey sandwiches a person can eat, right? I found this great article for you, which lists 15 different recipe ideas for all those Thanksgiving leftovers. You and your family are sure to be less than bored with all these yummy options. In fact, you may just want to make another turkey!  :-)

15 Recipes for Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers - Joelen's Culinary ...
Perhaps you'll warm them up and enjoy them as is or you'll be looking for something different to use them up in other recipes. Here are 15 recipes for Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers that may come in handy! ...
Publish Date: 11/19/2010 10:27
http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/11/15-recipes-for-thanksgiving-turkey.html

Related articles on Thanksgiving Leftovers:

• Turkey gumbo: Perfect for after Thanksgiving guests (mnn.com)
• Thanksgiving Gallery: 10 Recipes for Leftovers That Top Cold Turkey (blisstree.com)
• Autumn Turkey Stew (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)