<p>We had Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house, but I cooked a turkey and stuffing, the fat-free mushroom gravy that I posted by accident in the low-fat dessert thread, vegetables, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie on Friday. I always do this if we are away for Thanksgiving, because everyone likes to have a turkey cooked in the house and to have the leftovers. My husband always carves up the bird after dinner and we are left with nice white meat slices for sandwiches and smaller pieces to freeze turkey soup or tetrazini. I make stock out of the carcass.</p>
<p>I have a great idea for using all the leftovers the day after. This is an idea that someone else gave me for a second day dinner after roast chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and vegetables. </p>
<p>Put pieces of cooked turkey and leftover vegetables in a pie dish. Cover with gravy. Cover all with mashed potatoes and bake. This is like a Shepherd’s Pie, and it is very popular around here. Today I am not using the leftover vegetables I have (broccoli rabe cooked in olive oil, garlic, and lemon) because they are not suitable. Instead, I’m using a frozen vegetable mix I discovered recently at Trader Joe’s. It is the usual carrot/corn/pea/green bean mix, that I usually don’t like, but this one is great. It’s called “Organic Foursome” and it comes in bags.</p>
<p>The today show had a good looking recipe for turkey burgers using turkey and mashed potatoes in the burgers and stuffing and cranberry sauce as toppings. Looked good. I don’t have leftovers because we went to someone else.</p>
<p>Curried turkey salad: cut into bite size pieces, mayonnaise, dried parsley and curry powder, major grey’s mango chutney. Mix and serve with a tasty bread, pita etc.</p>
<p>Today I am making turkey vegetable soup with the bones.</p>
<p>I used the turkey carcass to make a huge pot of turkey stock yesterday. It simmered for several hours and made the entire house smell fabulous. I look forward to the many wonderful meals it will make … soups, dumplings, pot pies, etc. I need to dig out a recipe I found a couple of years ago for a wild rice and turkey soup … it was either from Southern Living or Cooking Light and was just fabulous!</p>
<p>I make a turkey a la king, with low fat ingredients for the base, and veggies such as green pepper, onion, mushrooms and pimentos that I cannot make enough of around here. If we go to friends house and cannot bring home enough turkey for the leftovers, I have to cook a separate one. I just took the recipe for chicken a la king from an old Southern Living Cooking Light book and substituted turkey.</p>
<p>turkey gumbo!-----just made last night and it was fab!
The turkey carcass,creole seasoning, louisiana sausage, and all the other gumbo standard ingrediants.</p>
<p>Pretty much anything you might use chicken for you can substitute the turkey…tonight I’m warming up the leftover turkey, dressing and sweet potatoes as is and then taking the leftover mashed potatoes - adding some parsley, egg, cheddar cheese minced onion - making patties, rolling in bread crumbs and lightly frying. Not healthy, but plain ole mashed potatoes don’t work for my family…</p>
<p>I’m cooking a pan of “tetrazzini” as we speak (it’s wildly non-authentic–no white sauce; we use gravy, turkey, pasta, and a ton of sharp cheddar cheese–a diet killer). I also have the carcass in a big pot for turkey soup at this moment. Most of the rest, we just reheat and eat as is. I’m the only one in the family who really likes turnip, so I get to fry up turnip patties all week for breakfast. I adore leftovers, and luckily brought up a family who feels the same way.</p>
<p>What leftover? It’s all gone including the turkey carcass(went into a soup). We tend to buy very small bird(10-11lb), young tom hen. We also had a city ham a la Alton Brown(Good eats) and it was nearly empty. D invited a few of her high school friends, including ex-boyfriend, for the leftovers.</p>
<p>I made a King Ranch casserole with the turkey leftovers. It’s baking as I type this, so I don’t know how it’s going to taste, but it sure smells good!</p>
<p>I love turkey pot pie, I love the leftovers as is. Sometimes I’ve made turkey chile (with white beans). My grandmother always made turkey tetrazinni - I don’t remember it too well but I’m sure it was as authentic as her chile which she made with spaghetti. Your shepard’s pie sounds good. I love shepard’s pie. I always make soup with the carcase.</p>
<p>I made turkey leftover lasagna. I lined a dish with the no-boil lasagna noodles and layered everything that was leftover–scalloped corn, green bean casserole II added sauted mushrooms & onions), turkey pieces. Over the top I spread the mashed sweet potatoes (we didn’t do regular potatoes), covered with gravy & grated cheese. I baked it for about 20 min. until the cheese was bubbling. </p>
<p>Everyone devoured it. I think it was the 1st time all the leftovers disappeared like that.</p>
<p>Turkey minestrone, for something a little different than turkey soup.
NYMomof2: I have made your suggestion for some years. You can use leftover stuffing for a bottom crust (might need a deep dish pie plate). Even sometimes put a layer of cranberry relish in it.</p>
<p>Yesterday I made turkey salad sandwiches for lunch. Just used mayo, celery and onion.
Turns out DH thought he ate a tuna sandwich. Does that count as a leftover?</p>