Thanksgiving leftovers turned into fresh entrees
My mom spent a good portion of this past weekend cleaning out
the refrigerator.
There were two reasons for this spat of housecleaning.
Refrigerating a turkey big enough to feed at least 10 people
– and all the necessary Thanksgiving fixings – requires a good
deal of space, and there were a lot of yogurts, cheese sticks and
cardboard containers filled with Chinese food taking up space on
the shelves.
Thanksgiving leftovers are the second reason.
Thanksgiving leftovers turned into fresh entrees
My mom spent a good portion of this past weekend cleaning out the refrigerator.
There were two reasons for this spat of housecleaning. Refrigerating a turkey big enough to feed at least 10 people – and all the necessary Thanksgiving fixings – requires a good deal of space, and there were a lot of yogurts, cheese sticks and cardboard containers filled with Chinese food taking up space on the shelves.
Thanksgiving leftovers are the second reason.
I think leftovers are a good thing. I am the Thanksgiving chef in my family, and between you and me, what typically gets me through the worst kitchen clean-up day of the year is the turkey sandwich I treat myself to as I wash dishes. Two slices of a good wheat bread, a little mayo, a dab of homemade cranberry sauce and some white meat turkey – yummy.
But there are only so many turkey sandwiches you can eat before you are sandwiched out, and there are usually plenty of other things leftover from the Thanksgiving table – cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes and rolls are our usual leftovers, as I always double all my recipes. In my family, too much is always better than too little.
One of my favorite ways to use up both turkey and stuffing is in a casserole that originally calls for chicken. Using leftovers really reduces the amount of preparation needed for this dish, as it originally calls for using chicken and boxed stuffing, both of which have to be cooked before the casserole can be assembled. To use the leftover turkey and stuffing, I simply add a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup and 1/3 c. of milk to 3 cups of cut-up turkey and 1-1/2 c. of leftover vegetables. I then add this mixture to leftover stuffing – enough to fill up a 13×9″ pan – and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes or until heated through and slightly browned. I serve this with any leftover cranberry sauce, gravy and rolls.
While this recipe typically uses up most of the stuffing, we generally have way more turkey than anything else. So I’ve added several main dishes to my cooking repertoire over the years. Soup is always a favorite, and I have several different recipes. This year, since my kids and I have moved in with my mom, I’m planning to make a turkey salsa soup to please my sister, who loves spicy (but not too spicy) foods. What I like about this soup is that while you can make a homemade broth using the turkey carcass, it tastes just as good using canned chicken broth.
I also make turkey enchiladas every year. Although I sometimes use a red chile sauce, I prefer to make a green chile verde sauce and serve sour cream and guacamole on the side. Turkey nachos are another favorite – cover tortilla chips with melted cheddar cheese, chopped up turkey and some refried beans, sour cream and salsa and you have a quick and easy lunch for the Friday after when the kids are home from school.
Next to my Thanksgiving night sandwich, the leftover treat I look forward to the most is potato pancakes. My mom used to make these when I was a kid, but it took me years to perfect the technique. My trick is to fry the pancakes in a very mild olive oil over medium heat. This allows the pancake to set while preventing burning.
Turkey Salsa Soup
(Adapted from a recipe from Butterball)
Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes
2 c. chunky salsa (I like a peach/mango salsa, but any type will do)
2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained
2 c. frozen whole kernel corn
2 c. chopped cooked turkey
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream, optional
Combine salsa, beans, corn, turkey and broth in large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with cilantro and sour cream, if desired. Makes 8 servings.
Turkey Enchiladas with Verde Chile Sauce
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes
1-1/2 lb. chopped cooked turkey
16 8-in. flour tortillas
16 oz. can of traditional style refried beans
2 c. enchilada sauce
3 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1-1/2 c. salsa verde (green chile sauce)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread a rounded tablespoon of the refried beans on each tortilla. Place equal amounts of turkey, enchilada sauce and 2 tbsp. of cheese on top of each tortilla. Roll and place in a 13×9″ pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Continue until all tortillas are used. Top with salsa verde and remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes. Makes 16 enchiladas.
Potato Pancakes
2 c. leftover mashed potatoes
¼ c. flour
¼ c. milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
Combine ingredients. Form into 3-in. round patties. Heat extra mild olive oil over medium heat; fry pancakes in heated oil until brown on both sides. Drain and serve.
