Leftover Turkey Recipes – Ideas on what to do with all that leftover Thanksgiving food

With one of the biggest family dinner days now behind us, many are scouring the internet in search of leftover turkey recipes and other recipes to make something out of all the leftover Thanksgiving food.

While some of the obvious ideas like a turkey sandwich will only get you so far, we searched the internet and found some more interesting ideas for leftover turkey recipes.

Turkey soup may sound a little bland, but with some creative recipes you can spice it up into more of a Tex-mex version. A search online for chicken tortilla soup is the best place to start, just substitute the turkey for chicken and you would think you are at you local Chili’s or Max & Erma’s restaurant.

Love Italian, here is a recipe for leftover turkey we found, at loraincountymoms.com, for Turkey Stromboli:

Hands-on time: 30 minutes / total time: 2 hours 25 minutes (includes rising) / serves: 8

Ingredients:

For the dough:

•1 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
•1 teaspoon sugar
•¼-ounce packet active dry yeast
•3 cups flour
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 tablespoon olive oil
For the filling:

•¾ cup cranberry sauce
•1 generous cup thinly sliced or shredded cooked turkey
•1 cup stuffing
•Egg wash of 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Step 1. First make the dough. Pour the water into a large bowl and stir in the sugar until it’s dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture, stir it briefly, then set it aside until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add 1½ cups of the flour, as well as the salt and the oil, and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and you can form it into a ball of dough that’s firm enough to knead.

Step 2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it until it’s smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. If needed, add more flour to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface. Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl and turn it until it’s coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Step 3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper and set it aside. Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a 10- by 14-inch rectangle. Spread the cranberry sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Layer on the turkey and scatter the stuffing on top.

Step 4. Use a pastry brush to paint one long edge of the dough with the egg wash. Starting at the opposite long edge, roll the dough into a cylinder. Pinch together the seam, then pinch and tuck under each end.

Step 5. Transfer the stromboli, with the seam down, to the prepared baking sheet. Brush it with egg wash, then bake it until golden brown and crusty, about 30 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Finally, here is a recipe for Turkey chili to make with your thanksgiving leftovers: (courtesy of tulsaworld.com)

IMPRESSIONS TURKEY CHILI

¾ cup dried red beans
¾ cup dried black beans
4 tablespoons black pepper (divided)
Half red onion, chopped
Half bunch green onion, chopped
4 stalks celery
? green pepper
¼ cup jalapenos (Tom uses jarred, pickled
but you can use fresh if preferred.)
? cup jalapeno juice (from jar)
2 cans corn
¼ cup melted butter
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons oregano
¼ cup flour
? cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin
About 1 ½ pounds turkey, diced

1. Soak dried beans overnight.

2. When you are ready to begin the cooking, make sure the beans are immersed in water and bring to a boil with 2 tablespoons of the black pepper. Boil about one hour, drain and set aside.

3. Use a food processor to blend the following ingredients until the mixture is almost liquid: red onion, green onion, celery, green pepper, jalapenos, jalapeno juice and drained corn. Set aside.

4. In a stock pot melt butter with remaining 2 tablespoons of the black pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Cook on medium heat and stir to keep from burning.

5. After the spices brown lightly, add the processed vegetables and bring to a warm temperature.

6. Add flour, sugar, chili powder, ground red pepper, teaspoon cumin and stir. Bring to a warm temperature. The flour will thicken it. Watch close so it does not get too hot.

7. Add 1 half pint water, cooked warm beans, another can of whole corn and desired amount of diced turkey. Serve warm.