More Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Here are a few more recipes for using up all of those Thanksgiving leftovers.

The holiday season is almost upon us. If you have a favorite dish that you make for the holidays, that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you! Recipes, with photo (and a short story/history), if available, can be submitted to ads@thedrummer.com.

Thanksgiving Stuffed Shells

Prep Time: 25 min.

Bake Time: 15 min.

Makes: 8 servings

24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 cup cubed cooked turkey

1 cup cooked stuffing

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes

1/4 teaspoon chili powder, optional

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup turkey gravy, warmed

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook shells according to package directions for al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix mozzarella cheese, turkey, stuffing and green onions. In a small bowl, stir sweet potatoes and, if desired, mix in chili powder.

Drain shells; fill each with 2 tablespoons stuffing mixture and 2 teaspoons sweet potato mixture. Arrange in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, covered, 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with gravy.

Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini

Prep Time: 25 min.

Bake Time: 25 min.

Makes: 4-6 servings

1 package (7 ounces) thin spaghetti, broken in half

2 cups cubed cooked turkey

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/8 teaspoon ground mustard

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

Minced fresh parsley

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and place in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Top with turkey; set aside.

In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Whisk in the soup, milk, poultry seasoning and mustard until blended. Add cheddar cheese; cook and stir over medium heat until melted. Pour over turkey.

Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses (dish will be full). Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley.

Stuffing & Turkey Casserole

Prep Time: 15 min.

Bake Time: 45 min. + standing

Makes: 12 servings

4 cups leftover stuffing

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

4 cups cubed cooked turkey, divided

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Place stuffing, cranberries and pecans in a large bowl; stir in broth. In a small bowl, mix egg and the mozzarella and ricotta cheeses.

In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer 2 cups turkey, 3 cups stuffing mixture, and the cheese mixture. Top with remaining turkey and stuffing mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Bake, covered, 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Leftover Thanksgiving Panini

Total Time: 15 min

Yield: 1 sandwich (2 servings)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 slices sourdough sandwich bread

2 slices Swiss cheese

1/3 cup shredded leftover roast turkey

3 tablespoons leftover cranberry sauce

1/3 cup leftover dressing

2 tablespoons leftover giblet gravy

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Spread the mustard on both slices of bread, then lay a slice of cheese on each piece. On one slice, arrange the turkey and the cranberry sauce. On the other slice, lay on the dressing and spoon the gravy over the top.

Carefully unite the two halves into one sandwich, then spread the top side of the bread with 1 tablespoon of the butter.

Invert the sandwich, butter-side down, onto a hot panini maker (or a grill pan or skillet over medium-low heat; see Cook’s Note). Spread the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.

Close the panini maker and grill until the bread is crusty and golden, the fillings are hot, and the cheese is melted. (If using a grill pan or skillet, flip the sandwich halfway through to grill on the other side.)

Pull the sandwich off the heat and slice it in half--this sandwich is to die for!

Cook’s Note

If you use a grill pan or skillet, place a second heavy pan or skillet on top of the sandwich to press it.

Turkey Spring Rolls 

Total Time: 30 min

Yield: 8 spring rolls

2 cups shredded leftover Thanksgiving turkey

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon hot chile oil

1 package cellophane noodles

Eight 8 1/2-inch rice paper wrappers

3 leaves green-leaf lettuce, torn into pieces

1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts

1 carrot, cut into julienne

1 cucumber, cut into julienne

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Dipping Sauce:

1 cup leftover cranberry sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Hot chile oil

Place the turkey in a bowl and drizzle in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and the hot chili oil. Stir to combine and give it a taste. If you’d like a stronger flavor, add a little more of any of the ingredients.

Next, place the cellophane noodles in a large bowl. Cover them with boiling water and let them sit according to the package directions.

When they are tender but still have a nice bite, drain and set the noodles aside.

Soften the rice paper wrappers by placing them one by one into a bowl of warm water and taking them out when they’re soft but still hold together.

To assemble each spring roll, lay a wrapper on a plate. Lay a small line of noodles in the center. Add a small amount of lettuce, turkey, alfalfa sprouts, a few carrot and cucumber strips, and top with a sprinkling of cilantro.

Fold in the sides of the wrappers and roll it into a tight roll. Repeat to make the rest of the rolls.

For the dipping sauce: Combine the cranberry sauce, soy sauce and a few dashed chile oil.

Dip the rolls into the sauce and dig in! Best if eaten within 1 hour of preparing.

Cook’s Note

You will have leftover noodles; make a noodle salad with more spring roll ingredients. Toss in a little of the dipping sauce as a dressing. Let the kids have fun making different combinations! Variations: Use shredded cooked chicken instead of turkey. Add slices of avocado along with the other ingredients. Spring rolls can be dipped in regular soy sauce instead of the cranberry-soy dipping sauce.

Turkey Pot Pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 43 minutes

Cooling Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes

Servings: 6 slices

1 egg beaten

1/3 cup butter

1 onion diced

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 cup chicken broth

2/3 cup milk or cream

1 potato diced and cooked

1-1/2 cups frozen vegetables defrosted

2 cups leftover turkey

1 double pie crust

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.

Cook onion in butter over medium low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour, poultry seasoning, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook 2 minutes more.

Whisk in chicken broth and milk a little bit at a time stirring after each addition. It will seem thick at first but will smooth out. Bring to a boil over medium heat, simmer 1 minute and remove from heat. Stir in turkey and vegetables.

Line a 9” pie plate with one of the crusts. Fill with turkey filling. Brush edges of crust with egg wash and top with second crust. Pinch edges to seal and cut a few slits to vent pie. Brush with egg wash.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and filling is bubbly.

Cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Recipe Notes:

Turkey can be replaced with chicken.

Leftover vegetables can be used in place of frozen vegetables.

Fresh vegetables can be used but should be cooked to tender crisp before adding to the sauce.

If crust begins to brown too much, loosely tent with foil.

Potato can be cooked in the microwave.

Quote of the Week:

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.”

~ Walt Whitman