Whether it's Thanksgiving or you just picked up a small turkey for a bargain, the decision of what to make with the leftover turkey is always a bit unnerving. You want something that's different enough so your family doesn't develop turkey burn out, but you don't want something so outrageous that you spend all day in the kitchen trying to make the turkey taste less turkey-like.
Luckily, Pinterest always comes to the rescue and didn't disappoint me when I started searching for leftover turkey recipes. In fact, here are five incredible, yet family-friendly, recipes you can make next time you've got leftover turkey sitting around.
Turkey Soup
https://pin.it/gPofNMw
If your family likes Chicken Noodle Soup, why not serve up this delicious recipe for Turkey Soup from Dinner Then Dessert? All you need is that leftover turkey, some broth, egg noodles, celery, carrots, and an onion. Once you chop everything up, this soup comes together fairly quickly and tastes great for dinner or lunch.
If you're not in the mood to let this one simmer on the stove, no problem! There are variations for the slow cooker as well as the instant pot, meaning you can make it at any speed you'd like. Furthermore, you can always substitute the egg noodles for rice or any other starch you'd like, and vegetable broth works fine if you used all the chicken broth to make the turkey to begin with.
Turkey, Bacon, And Cheddar Sliders
https://pin.it/39FsD1Y
Although the written recipe on this uses turkey from your deli, you can easily shave off some leftover turkey and pull these off. In fact, using that leftover turkey may taste even better than anything you could ever get from the deli section of your local grocery store.
These sliders are great because they're small portions, easy to customize for picky eaters, and come together rather quickly. You can make enough to feed an army or just a family of four. You just need less than 10 ingredients and about 30 minutes to make these tasty sandwiches that your entire family will love. Who's hungry?
Turkey Nachos
https://pin.it/3Y1bSuA
I don't know about you, but my family loves nearly any Mexican dish I throw at them -- like this recipe for Turkey Nachos from The Treasured Mom! Not only are nachos simple to throw together, but the recipe can always be adjusted if your family likes or dislikes certain elements.
To make this simple recipe, all you need to do is gather up the ingredients, dump the tortilla chips onto a cookie sheet, and top the chips with al the ingredients. Then bake in the oven for about 10 minutes and enjoy your meal. Yes, it's really that simple!
Leftover Turkey Shepherd's Pie
https://pin.it/5dfbtA5
If your family has any Irish roots, chances are you're already making Shepherd's Pie on a regular basis. So why not test out this variation the next time you have some leftover turkey in the fridge?
What I really love about this recipe is the fact that it's the perfect solution to using up all of your Thanksgiving leftovers. The turkey goes right in, the gravy can be recycled into the gravy for the pie, and you can even just warm up those leftover mashed potatoes and use those as the top instead of whipping up some new ones.
You can whip this recipe up in a baking dish or even a cast iron skillet, and it comes together in practically no time at all. Eat up!
Turkey Tetrazzini
https://pin.it/5P5NHbb
I feel like no roundup of leftover turkey recipes is complete without at least one variation of Turkey Tetrazzini, don't you? It makes sense, too... it's a pasta dish that comes together quickly and tastes great!
Although Turkey Tetrazzini typically includes a healthy portion of vegetables, you can always make a less green version if your picky eater simply will not ride the veggie train at all. Either way, nearly all kids love the noodles and the cheesy sauce, not to mention the tasty turkey!
This recipe only needs five main ingredients and comes together in right around 45 minutes. What do you say, is it time to give this one a try?
Although finding ways to use up that leftover turkey can feel overwhelming, hopefully these recipes provide the inspiration you need. Thankfully the internet is filled with recipes these days, and ideas for leftover turkey are everywhere. Test out some of these proven favorites and see what your family thinks of all that leftover turkey after these fresh ideas!