If you’re like me you buy a turkey that’s just a little bit bigger than it needs to be to feed the family (or you buy 2 smaller one ~ even smarter) so you can nosh on the leftovers.  Here are some inspired ideas for that nummy turkey goodness.

Turkey Crudite Stir-Fry

2 tablespoons high heat cooking oil
4 cups leftover raw crudite vegetables, any assortment
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 cups leftover cooked turkey
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
optional: sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds for topping

In a large wok or frying pan over high heat add the oil and heat over medium-high heat until sizzling.
Toss in the leftover fresh vegetables from your crudite tray, including onions, green and red peppers, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, and anything else you want.
Add garlic and ginger, quickly stirring to combine.
Cook stirring constantly just until garlic is fragrant and vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add turkey, broth, and soy sauce and cook quickly, stirring once, until mixture is heated through, about 3 or 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and drizzle in sesame oil, mixing in.
Serve over rice or Asian noodles. Top with onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Serves about 4 to 6 people.

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Turkey Gravy Gumbo

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

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.
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.

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Turkey & Stuffing Stuffed Peppers

1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup stuffing leftovers
1 cup cooked turkey leftovers, chopped fine
3/4 cup stewed tomatoes
4 bell peppers, tops cut off and insides cleaned, save tops, remove the stems
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack or Mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly oil a baking pan deep enough to hold peppers upright.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add butter, melt, then add garlic, cooking just until garlic softens.
Add to the skillet the stuffing, turkey, and tomatoes; remove skillet from heat.
Set the peppers into the baking pan and spoon in the mixture from skillet.
Top with the shredded cheese, then set the tops of the peppers loosely on top of the cheese, like a lid.
Pour 1/4 cup water into the bottom of the baking dish, around the peppers.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then uncover and bake another 10 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the cheese has melted.
Remove and let sit for 3 or 4 minutes.
Makes 4 individual servings.

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Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

4 cups cooked turkey, shredded
3 cups cooked vegetables, anything you have leftover
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

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

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Turkey Stuffing Casserole

4 cups leftover stuffing
2 cups leftover turkey, diced or shredded
2 cups leftover turkey gravy
1/3 cup leftover cranberry sauce, cut up into little pieces

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.
Serves 4 to 6.

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2nd Time Around Muffin Puffs

4 cups green bean casserole, leftover
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup stock, either turkey or chicken
1 to 2 cups leftover turkey, shredded
2 standard puff pastry sheets, thawed if frozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil or spray a 6 cup muffin tin.
Put the leftover green bean casserole in a large bowl along with the milk, stock, and turkey and gently toss until combined.
Lay both puff pastries on a working surface and cut out 12 (4 inch) circles.
Lightly press a pastry circle into the muffin tin forming a cup all the way up the sides and over the edge on top.
Poke little holes along the bottom and up the sides of the pastry.
Spoon filling into each muffin cup so it comes up just below the top of the muffin cup.
Lay a pastry circle on top of each muffin cup and pinch together the pastry from the bottom onto the pastry on the top, sealing the edges all around, like a pie.
Cut a tiny hole in the top to release steam as it bakes.
Put muffin tin on a baking sheet and put in preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling hot.
Serve immediately.
Makes 6 single servings.

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Turkey Wraps with Chili Sauce

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons chili sauce (like Sriracha) to taste
4 (10 inch size) tortillas (your choice)
2 cups finely shredded cucumber, cabbage, or lettuce
4 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small can sliced ripe olives, drained

Put cream cheese in a bowl with chili sauce and mash together, tasting and adding more chili sauce to taste.
Lay the tortillas out on a work surface and spread 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture evenly onto 1 side of each tortilla.
Spoon 1/4 of the cucumber, turkey, onions, cilantro, and olives onto each tortilla.
Roll tortilla up tightly to enclose filling. Cut each in half and serve.
Makes 8 single serving wraps.
Make dipping sauce of cilantro, sour cream, and chili sauce if desired.

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Easy Turkey Enchiladas

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)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 9×13 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.)
Serves 6 to 8.

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Deep Dish Leftover Turkey Pie

4 tbsp butter, divided
1 onion, chopped fine
2 celery stalks, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and diced fine
1 cup mushrooms, diced or sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
3 cups turkey, diced
2 cups leftover cooked vegetables, cut small
2 cups turkey gravy
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tbsp dried crushed sage
4 cups mashed potatoes, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
salt and ground black pepper
1 pie crust pastry

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place pie pastry in deep pie pan, arranging pastry up the sides of the pan.
In a large skillet, add 3 tablespoons of the butter and melt over low heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables soften.
Add in the turkey, cooked vegetables, and gravy (using more or less gravy as desired.)
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh parsley and sage.
Immediately turn mixture into pie crust in pie pan.
In a separate bowl, put the mashed potatoes and mix in the milk until potatoes are somewhat softened; then spread this potato-milk mixture over the ingredients in the pie pan.
Break up the remaining butter and scatter the pieces evenly over the potatoes, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes have gotten lightly browned.
Remove and let sit for 3 minutes, then cut and serve.
Will serve about 6 to 8 people.

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Double Cheese Turkey Pie

1 pastry crust
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup slivered almond
1 1/2 cups leftover cooked turkey, chopped
1 cup leftover whole cranberry sauce
3 eggs
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon dried sage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 9 inch deep dish pie pan with pastry.
When oven reaches 400 degrees, bake the pie pastry for 5 minutes; remove and allow to cool.
Evenly brush the Dijon mustard over the inside of the pastry; set aside.
In a separate bowl, toss together the Swiss and Cheddar cheese.
In a skillet, put the butter over medium heat and melt; then add the onion, celery and almonds, and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened; about 4 or five minutes.
Fill the pie shell with the following layers: half the cheese mixture, all the onion mixture, all the turkey, all the cranberry sauce, and the remaining half of the cheese mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and sage until smooth, then pour evenly over the ingredients in the pie pan.
Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 375 degrees and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes or until pie is firm.
To protect pie crust from getting too brown, cover with strips of aluminum foil during the last 15 or 20 minutes of baking.
Remove and let sit for 8 to 10 minutes before slicing.
Cut into 6 to 8 wedges to serve, depending on how big you want the servings.

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Leftover Turkey Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 cups leftover cooked turkey, diced
1-2 tbsp curry paste (depending on your taste)
1 large onion, chopped
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp oil

Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet and add the onions and fresh ginger. Fry until the onions are softened. Then add the curry paste and cook for a minute. Then add the flour, broth and pineapple. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Mix in the turkey and cook for about 10 minutes until the turkey is heated through.

Serve immediately with rice.

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