Today is Monday and you may be tired of heating up the turkey leftovers by now. There’s lots of ideas out there for using up the turkey but what about that leftover stuffing, veggies or cranberry sauce? Here are some easy ways to use them up.

Leftover cranberry sauce and turkey make a great lunchtime turnover

Turkey Cranberry Turnovers

Makes 8 turnovers

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked turkey breast, diced into small cubes
• 1 box (15 oz/425 g) frozen puff pastry dough, defrosted
• 2/3 cup Swiss cheese, cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) chopped onion
• 3/4 – 1 cup Cranberry Sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C)

Flour the surface you will be working on. Roll one of the pastry sheets lightly to make the sheet an even thickness. Cut the sheet into 4 equal squares. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry.

Divide the turkey, cranberry sauce, onion and cheese equally among each pastry dough square.

Fold one corner of the square over to the opposite end (to make a triangle) and seal the edges with your fingers, pressing the pastry to merge the two edges. Use a fork and press the edges to further seal the turnovers.

Place the turnovers on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned and puffed.

Leftover mashed potatoes make delicious potato pancakes for breakfast or as a side dish.

Crispy Mashed Potato Cakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• Sour cream, for serving

Directions

Combine potatoes, eggs, cornstarch and garlic powder in a bowl. Form into 4 patties (about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture patted into 3 inch circles that are 1/2″ thick).

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the bottom is browned and crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully turn the patties over and cook the second side until brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve with sour cream, if desired.

I make bread stuffing with Italian sausage and the leftovers are delicious in a frittata for a quick weeknight dinner.

Stuffing Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups leftover sausage stuffing
• 1 cup shredded Italian fontina cheese
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to  400°F (200°C)

Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat.

Add the stuffing to the pan and warm through.

Sprinkle with the grated fontina cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the  eggs, milk, 1 tablespoon of parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the egg mixture over the stuffing and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Carefully transfer the skillet to the preheated oven.

Bake until the eggs are set and the sides have puffed up a little bit and the cheese is golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Let rest before cutting.

Sprinkle with remaining fresh parsley.

Turn those leftover sweet potatoes into delicious waffles.

Sweet-Potato Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup leftover sweet potatoes, mashed
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing the waffle iron
• Maple syrup, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking pan and place in the oven.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour through allspice).

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, sweet potatoes, eggs and vanilla until combined. Stir sweet-potato mixture into flour mixture until combined. Stir in melted butter until just blended – some lumps will remain.

Heat a waffle iron to medium-high and lightly brush the grids with melted butter. Ladle about 1/2 cup batter into the center of the iron (grids should be full but not overflowing), close and cook until the iron stops steaming and waffles are golden brown, about 4 minutes (or make according to your manufacturer’s instructions).

Transfer waffles to the wire rack in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup.

Turn those leftover Thanksgiving vegetables into soup.

Turkey Leftover Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 1 turkey carcass, all meat removed
• 1 carrot, halved lengthwise, plus 1 carrot, minced
• 1 whole stalk celery, plus 1 stalk, minced
• 1 onion, halved, plus 1 onion, minced
• 2 bay leaves, divided
• 2-3 cups leftover turkey meat, diced into small pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups leftover cooked Thanksgiving side vegetables ( Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, etc)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

Directions

Put the broth, turkey bones, carrot halves, celery stalk, onion halves and 1 bay leaf in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and then simmer, about 1 1/2 hours.

Before straining the broth, remove the large bones and carcass with tongs. Strain the broth through a sieve covered with wet cheesecloth. Discard the solids and set broth aside.

In a large soup pot, heat the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced carrots, celery and onions. Cook over medium-low heat until softened, 7 or 8 minutes.

Dice the leftover Thanksgiving vegetables. Add the sage to the soup pot along with the reserved turkey broth and the remaining bay leaf. Bring to a simmer. When simmering, add the diced leftover vegetables and diced turkey meat to the soup. Bring it back up to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and cover. Allow to sit and steam for about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Posted by Jovina Coughlin in Cheese, cranberry, Frittata, Leftovers, Pancakes, potatoes, Soup, Stuffing/Dressing, Turkey, Vegetables Tags: Thanksgiving leftovers