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Reimagined Turkey Leftovers

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One of my husband’s favorite meals is turkey dinner.  And not just on Thanksgiving.  Once the fall hits and it’s time again to use the oven (or smoker) for long stretches, we will have a full roast turkey dinner a number of times.  Turkey is great because it feeds a crowd and there are always leftovers.  But how many times can you eat a turkey sandwich?  How about some reimagined turkey leftovers or 10 uses for turkey leftovers

These recipes are not specifically Whole30, but I point out the ones that are or that could be adjusted to make them Whole30

Note:  This post contains affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Reimagined Turkey Leftovers | 10 ways to use turkey leftovers after a holiday meal #Thanksgivingleftovers

10 Uses for Turkey Leftovers

Turkey Sandwich

Seems a little obvious, but don’t forget to try it with slices of white meat, lettuce, mayo and Cranberry Clementine Sauce for a little zing.  

Turkey Salad

Make it into turkey salad with shredded turkey, celery, fresh or dried apple, dried cranberries  and mayo.  Change the dried cranberries to unsweetened dried cherries, use compliant mayo like Primal Kitchen, and serve it on a lettuce wrap and it could be Whole30.

10 Recipes for Leftover Turkey | Roast Turkey Leftovers | Whole 30 Recipes | Day After Thanksgiving Recipes

Turkey and Gravy over Mashed Potatoes

This is a great way to reimagine lots of your holiday leftovers and always my mom’s go-to the day after Thanksgiving.  Cut up some turkey and reheat it in the leftover gravy.  Serve it over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. This makes for a really easy weeknight meal which is something we are always looking for around here.

Turkey Pot Pie

We use this recipe from Pillsbury to make turkey pot pie.  Leftover pieces of turkey, frozen mixed vegetables, a gravy made with a roux and turkey or chicken broth.  Fairly easy to make with a refrigerator crust.

Reimagine Turkey Leftovers | Whole30 Turkey Shepherd's Pie--leftover roast turkey, gravy, veggies and mashed potato toppig

Whole30 Sheppard’s Pie

This is Sunshine’s favorite dish to make with leftover turkey–turkey and veggies in gravy and topped with mashed potatoes and then bake to perfection.  See the recipe here.

Turkey Enchiladas

Mix up Taco Tuesday a little bit with this recipe from Kraft. We totally made this homemade enchilada sauce from Gimme Some Oven and my own homemade salsa. They were delicious.

Reimagined Turkey Leftovers | Clean Out the Fridge Breakfast Hash

Whatch’ Got Omelette or Clean Out the Fridge Breakfast Hash

Turkey for breakfast?  Why not?  Turkey is a perfect base for making a Whatcha’ Got Omelette or a Clean Out the Fridge Breakfast Hash.  Check out the recipes.

Bone Broth or Turkey Soup

Don’t let that carcass go to waste. Even after you have used most of the meat, the bones can still make one more meal.

reimage turkey leftovers--soup

In at least a 4 quart pot (with a lid), add the mostly stripped turkey bones.  To that, add 8-10 cups of water, salt, a whole celery stalk, an onion, quartered and a whole carrot.  Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for an hour or more.  When all the meat has cooked off the bones, place a colander over a smaller sauce pan and pour the liquid through.  Separate the meat from the bones to make Turkey Soup or discard it all–the bones, etc to make bone broth.  Discard the vegetables either way.

To save the broth as bone broth, pour into wide mouth pint or quart jars.  Leave plenty of of expansion space.  Cover and cool completely (I usually do in the fridge overnight).  Then you can place them in the freezer. Be sure to use our new favorite no leak lids from Ball.

To make turkey soup, return the meat to the broth.  Add fresh chopped onion, chopped celery, chopped carrots and simmer until soft.  Next, add frozen vegetables of your choice.  Add a starch if desired—whole baby potatoes (to keep it Whole30) or cooked rice or cooked noodles. See my recipe for Drumstick Chicken Soup for a little bit more guidance.

Reimagined Leftovers

We love to reimagine our leftovers around here.  Check out some other ideas like 6 Uses for Leftover Ham and Taziki Chicken Salad. And go out and make the most of your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

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We sure do love our shepherd’s pie around here.  Traditionally, shepherd’s pie was a dish made from left over lamb (or mutton) and leftover mashed potatoes (hence the shepherd part of the title).  I was first introduce the shepherd’s pie in college, in the dining hall of all places.  That version was made with ground beef.  I have adapted that recipe into a Venison Shepherd’s Pie and to use up leftover ham, we have Cheesy Ham Shepherd’s Pie and now for our post-Thanksgiving delights, we have Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.

Note:  This post contains affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Whole30 Turkey Shepherd's Pie | reimagine turkey leftovers with a gluten free, dairy free turkey shepherd's pie of leftover roast turkey, gravy, veggies and mashed potatoes

Using up the Leftovers

So Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is designed to use up that leftover turkey for a big roast turkey, however, you could use ground turkey if you don’t have leftover roasted meat.  Just add the step of browning the meat before you move into the onion step.  The same is true of the mashed potatoes.  If you need to make mashed potatoes fresh, begin boiling the potatoes before you begin making the filling.

Whole30 Turkey Shepherd's Pie | reimagine turkey leftovers with a gluten free, dairy free turkey shepherd's pie of leftover roast turkey, gravy, veggies and mashed potatoes

The Filling

Begin by melting butter or ghee (to make it Whole30) in a large cast iron skillet (We love our 12 inch one from Lodge).  Add onion, celery and carrots and cook until soft.  Once they are soft, you are going to make a roux.  I use potato starch to make this gluten free (you could use flour if that is not a concern).  Slowly add the potato starch to the vegetable and ghee mixture.  Make sure that it gets fully absorbed into the mixture and that you do not have any lumps.  Slowly add chicken or turkey stock allowing it to mix completely with the starch before adding more.  Use a wooden spoon to make sure that you are working out the lumps.  Lumps cannot be worked out later.

Let your gravy simmer until it begins to thicken.  Then add leftover turkey and leftover vegetables of a bag of frozen green beans.  Remove from heat.  Neither the turkey nor the vegetables will have to cook because they will finish in the oven.

Prepare the Casserole

Add your meat, gravy and vegetable mix to a 2 quart casserole dish (this one is our favorite).  Top with mashed potatoes.  If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, you may want to reheat them for a minute in the microwave.  They are easier to spread if they are hot.  Sometimes though, I just pull “balls” of mashed potatoes and plop them on top of the gravy, they kind of spread out as they heat.  That’s the lazy way though.  😊

Whole30 Turkey Shepherd's Pie | reimagine turkey leftovers with a gluten free, dairy free turkey shepherd's pie of leftover roast turkey, gravy, veggies and mashed potatoes

The Day after Thanksgiving

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is the perfect day after Thanksgiving, use up some of those leftovers meal.  If you are looking for more ways to use up leftover turkey, be sure to check out next week’s post 10 Uses for Leftover Turkey.  Some of these recipes are ours.  Some come from the inter webs.  All are delicious.

Whole30 Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie (Whole30)

Leftover turkey with vegetables in gravy topped with mashed potatoes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • large (cast iron) skillet
  • 1.5 quart casserole dish

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups mashed potatoes
  • ½ cup butter or ghee use ghee to make the recipe Whole30
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ½ cup potato starch
  • 2½ cups chicken or turkey stock
  • 2-3 cups shredded turkey
  • 2-3 cups frozen vegetables use green beans, cauliflower and broccoli to be Whole30 compliant

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • In a large cast iron skillet, melt the butter or ghee.
  • Add the chopped onions and cook until soft. 3-5 minutes.
  • Slowly add the potato starch, making sure that each addition is fully absorbed into the melted butter.
  • Slowly add the chicken or turkey stock. Stirring until smooth before adding more. Be sure to get all the lumps out. You can not get them out later.
  • Add the turkey and vegetables. Remove from heat and pour into a prepared casserole dish.
  • Top with mashed potatoes.
  • Bake in a 350°F oven until the gravy begins to bubble and the potatoes become golden brown. About 40 minutes.
Keyword Whole30

Whole30 Salmon Sliders

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We just returned from a Disney Cruise to Alaska.  It was A-MAZE-ING.  This is actually not our first Disney Cruise to Alaska.  It was so great the first time, that we decided to do it again.  On that first cruise (6 years ago), the men-folk went salmon fishing.  And, they caught a mess of fish.  Since that time, Sunshine has been a salmon lover.  She loves the idea of knowing where her food comes from.  One of the things that made our first Whole30 journey possible for Sunshine was seafood, especially salmon.  Enter Whole30 Salmon Sliders–a perfect make-ahead meal from leftover or canned salmon.

Please note:  All links are to Amazon.  We are an Amazon Affiliate.  If you click through and make a purchase, we make the tiniest little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Whole30 Salmon Sliders | Quick and easy weeknight meal that is Whole 30, gluten-free and paleo

Whole30 Salmon Sliders

salmon sliders ingredients | Whole30 salmon sliders are an easy weeknight meal that is Whole 30, gluten-free and paleo

When we don’t have salmon that we caught ourselves, I buy frozen wild-caught sockeye salmon.  They are already cut into fillets, so I usually cook a few extras to make into sliders, but you could easily use canned salmon.  Start with about two cups of flaked salmon.  As I flake it, I check it for bones.  Mix it with mayo, fresh chives, yellow mustard, egg, salt and almond meal.

salmon sliders ready to bake | Whole30 Salmon Sliders are a quick weeknight meal made in 25 minutes. Whole 30. Gluten-free. Paleo.

Form the salmon mixture into slider sized patties: about 2 inches in diameter.  These sliders are pretty wet; however, they bake up crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.   You can make these up to 24 hours ahead of time or freeze them.  If you are doing a make ahead meal, store them in an air tight container with wax paper or parchment between the layers.

If you are making them to eat right away, preheat the oven to 400° F.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  10 minutes on the first side and then flip to brown the second side for another 5-7 minutes.

We often serve these with Russian Dressing (Not Whole30) or Dill Pickle Barbecue Sauce (Whole30).

#Whole30 #Gluten-free

Salmon Sliders | A 25 minute quick weeknight meal. Whole30. Gluten-free. Paleo.

Whole30 Salmon Sliders are a perfect weeknight meal. They can be made from leftovers and are done in about 25 minutes from start to finish.  Or they can be made ahead and even frozen.  Just take out of the freezer, bake and enjoy.

And, if you are looking for other ideas that are Whole30, check out my posts about Going Whole30 and a few of my other Whole30 recipes like Breaded Flounder and Smoked Tri-tip.  And, if salmon is your thing–electric smoker Smoked Salmon is coming soon!

salmon fishing in alaska and salmon sliders from what we caught

Oh, and did I mention that I went salmon fishing this time too.  We’re looking forward to our delivery of freshly caught by our own hands, Alaskan salmon, so that we can get eating!  It may even come today.

Whole30 Salmon Sliders | a quick weeknight meal that can be made ahead

PS. This post contains affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Print Recipe
 Whole30 Salmon Sliders
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Whole30
Keyword salmon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
sliders
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Whole30
Keyword salmon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
sliders
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
  2. Flake the salmon checking for bones. Add mayo, chives, mustard, egg, salt and almond meal. Mix until well blended.
  3. Form into slider sized patties (about 2 inches in diameter). These will be wet. Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet or in a wax paper lined air tight container (if making ahead).
  4. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. 10 minutes on the first side, then flip and bake an additional 5-7 minutes.
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Quick Ham and Bean Soup

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Sometimes this winter weather just calls for soup.  And I love soup.  Nothing smells better than a house with homemade soup simmering on the stove.  (Except maybe one with homemade bread in the oven.)  But, sometimes in our busy schedules we just don’t have time to make soup.  The hours of simmering on the stove.  All of the cutting and chopping and waiting for the meat the cool so that it can be removed from the bone.  But this Quick Ham and Bean Soup is a weeknight meal that you can make (mostly) from scratch.

Quick Ham and Bean Soup | 20 minute homemade soup from leftover ham and canned beans.

Quick Ham and Bean Soup

If you follow my blog here, you know that we purchased half a pig from a friend who raised it for harvest.  And, you also know that we had lots of leftovers from the ham we got from said pig.  I already shared Cheesy Ham Shepherd’s Pie with you and Six Uses for Leftover Ham.  Today, I am going to share a quick soup recipe that you can make from leftover ham or from a ham steak.  And, unlike a ham bone soup, it’s quick enough for a weeknight meal.

The trick is to use canned beans a little bit of stock helper, Better than Bouillon Ham Base.

So just chop an onion and a couple of stalks of celery.  Saute them in some butter until soft.  Add some water, ham, a can of beans and some Better than Bouillon Ham Base.  Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 20 minutes or more if you have time.  When I made this soup, we didn’t have time and the celery was still a little chewy, but overall the flavor was perfect.

Weeknight Soup

So we hope that you will make a batch of Quick Ham and Bean Soup.  We have some ham on reserve in the freezer to make another batch soon.  Let us know what you think in the comments below.  And be sure to come back for a quick Hearty Tomato Soup that is perfect for grilled cheese.

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.


Print Recipe


Quick Ham and Bean Soup

Course Soup
Cuisine Locavore

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20-40 minutes

Servings


Ingredients

Course Soup
Cuisine Locavore

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20-40 minutes

Servings


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Saute celery and onions until they are soft.

  2. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20-45 minutes.


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Six Uses for Leftover Ham

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In the fall, we purchased half a pig from a friend who raised them for harvest.  We ended up with a 15 pound ham.  Yikes that’s big!  We served it for Christmas dinner, but we only had eight people at that meal, so there were LOTS of leftovers.  This left me scrambling for ways to use it up.  Here is a list of Six Uses for Leftover Ham.

uses for leftover ham

Six Uses for Leftover Ham

In addition to the six uses for leftovers listed below, we also just reheated leftovers the day after Christmas and I saved some for a lunch salad.  By the time we are done, we will have had at least 10 meals (not including leftover soups or Cheesy Ham Shepherd’s Pie) from this one ham.  Awesome.

One:  Freeze Some for Later

leftover ham for the freezer

By the end of the week, we were getting tired of it.  In fact as we were discussing meals, Sunshine said, “I think we have had enough ham this week!”  So, I chunked some up and portioned it into freezer bags two cups at a time.  This can then be used for any of the recipes below later this winter.

I ended up freezing 6 cups which means three more meals plus the ham bone (see below).  I also decided to save some in sandwich bag to make a chef salad for my husband’s next school lunch.

Two:  Cheesy Ham Shepherd’s Pie

baked cheesy ham shepherd's pie

For some reason, when I was thinking of ways to use ham up, shepherd’s pie popped into my head.  Traditionally, shepherd’s pie is a way to use up leftover meat from the Sunday night roast.  And, it has gravy.  Gravy doesn’t really go with ham, but cheese sure does.  So, this shepherd’s pie takes advantage of other foods that like cheese like broccoli and cauliflower to make Cheesy Ham Shepherd’s Pie.  My non-casserole eating kids loved this.

Three:  Quick Ham and Bean Soup

Quick Ham and Bean Soup with spoon closeup from ham leftovers

Ham bone soup is awesome, but let’s face it, sometimes the weather is soup weather, but we just don’t have time to let a pot simmer all day.  This quick soup uses leftover ham, canned beans and Better than Bouillon Ham Base.  Quick and done in about half an hour.

Four:  Whatcha Got Omelette

whatcha got omelette

During the early fall, I wrote a post about how we often use up leftovers in an omelette.  Leftover ham with cheese of your choice is a perfect way to use some leftover ham.  Whatcha Got Omelette is perfect for a weekend brunch or a quick weeknight meal.

Five:  Ham Salad

ham salad sandwich with ham leftovers

I don’t have a recipe for this one.  Shred some ham, add mayonnaise to taste.  Make a sandwich.

Six:  Split Pea Ham Bone Soup

leftover ham bone

Save the ham bone and make soup.  This is never the same twice, but I generally follow these guidelines.  Put your ham bone in a dutch oven or stock pot.  Add four to six cups of water, diced onion, celery, carrots; add a bay leaf or two.  Rinse and sort a pound of split peas and add those to your pot.  Allow those to simmer for a few hours.  Remove the ham bone and cool to the touch.  Pull any meat from it and return the meat to the pot.  Enjoy.

We decided freeze the ham bone and make the soup later.  If you prefer to make ham and bean soup, soak the beans overnight.  Truthfully, I don’t often have success with dried bean which is why I stick to split pea.

Leftover Ham

six uses for leftover ham

We hope that you will enjoy a few of these Ham Leftover ideas.  Most of them make great weeknight meals, so enjoy a home cooked meal after a busy day at work.  Let us know if you try any of these or how you like to use up your leftover ham.

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Whatcha Got Omelette

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That’s “What You’ve Got Omelette” for all the elocutionists out there.  And, it’s probably more scramble than omelette.  It’s what we do with leftovers on the weekend.  And, a Whatcha Got Omelette never fails to impress.

Whatch Got Omelette

What is a Whatcha Got Omelette?

Answer:  whatever you want it to be.  It’s eggs and milk and cheese and whatcha got.  For us, this started as a way to empty the refrigerator when we were coming home from our Adirondack cabin.  On Sunday morning (or the morning of our last day), my husband sits in front of the refrigerator and goes through the leftovers.  And that can vary widely!  But, whatever it is, he has the makings of breakfast.  Leftover cheeseburger?  Yes.  Leftover steak?  Of course.  Leftover veggies?  Sometimes?  Leftover taco fixings?  Oh, my yes.  Leftover hotdogs?  Possible, very, very possible.

Our guests are often skeptical.  My aunt spent a weekend with us at our cabin, and let’s say, she’s not an adventurous eater.  (Not you, Aunt Vicki!)  We had cheeseburgers and hotdogs for dinner the night before and had a number of each left.  Jim started chunking them into pieces and she was incredulous.  Hotdogs and eggs?!!?  Yet, with some American Cheese and ketchup, it worked.

How to Make a Whatcha Got Omelette

Well, lets start with the formula:  2 eggs per person + 1 tablespoon of milk per egg + leftovers + cheese = Whatcha Got Omelette

Really, the first step is the go through your leftovers.  What do you have in the way of leftover meat?  What kind of cheese do you have?  Do you have any leftover veggies or fresh veggies that would complement?  Potatoes?  (Left over or in a tot form from the freezer.)  Once you have decided, cut the meat and veggies into smaller pieces. Grate or slice the cheese if necessary.

In a glass measuring cup, measure the milk, then crack eggs on top, beat vigorously.  Formula help:  if you have two people, you will need 4 eggs + 1 tablespoon milk for each egg.  4 tablespoons is 1/4 cup, so measure a quarter of a cup of milk, then crack the eggs.  Add salt and pepper to taste and whip with a flat whisk.

beans and potatoes for whatch got omelette

Heat a non-stick or cast iron skillet with your choice of oil, butter or leftover bacon fat.  Cook any fresh veggies like onions, peppers and mushrooms.  Add the meat and any pre-cooked veggies (we’ve used mushrooms and onions that were cooked for steak, but also green beans!) to reheat.  Once those are hot, add the eggs and milk combination.  Cook until eggs are soft scrambled.  Add sliced or grated cheese to melt.  Serve with ketchup if desired.

Whatcha Got Omelette

Great Whatcha Got Omelette Combinations

The Picnic Omelette: Cheeseburgers, hotdogs with American cheese

The Steak and Egg Omelette:  grilled or smoked steak with cheddar or Munster cheese

The Chicken Artichoke Potato Omelette:  leftover Lemon Artichoke Crock Pot Chicken, potatoes with cheddar

The Smoker Omelette: smoked sausage, fresh onion and Monterey Jack cheese

The Homestead Omelette:  grilled venison steak (or chops) with fresh mozzarella

The Taco Omelette:  taco meat and onions.  Add diced tomatoes when you add the cheese.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.  Freshly cut avocado or guac is excellent too.

The Meat-lovers Omelette:  Cut bacon into pieces, cook until almost cooked through,  drain most of the fat, then add any and all leftover meat.  Top with your favorite cheese

What’s Your Whatcha Got Omelette?

Let us know about the great combinations you make in your kitchen.  Give it a try.  You never know what amazing meal you might stumble upon!

Oh and Whatcha Got Omelette is hearty enough for dinner too and it makes a perfect quick weeknight meal.

PS. This post contains affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

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