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I get a little OCD about making sure I am taking full advantage of leftovers, and Thanksgiving is like the Olympics of leftover repurposing. One can only eat so many turkey sandwiches, right? And then we need to move on, and figure out how to turn all that leftover turkey into delicious meals the family will be excited to see later in the week.
A possibly unorthodox version of a wonderful Latin American dish. Use chopped leftover turkey in place of the ground turkey, and skip the browning step.
This divine soup is scented with chili, cumin, and coriander and topped with all kinds of deliciousness, like avocado and tortilla crisps. This is one of my favorite soups of all time.
Lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, rice noodles all come together in one of my favorite seasonless soups. This is an unusual way to make use of leftover shredded poultry.
This is our all-time favorite chili recipes, thick and flavorful and loaded with vegetables. Use chopped leftover turkey in place of the ground turkey and/or turkey sausage. Or use a combo of leftover cooked turkey and turkey sausage for even more flavor.
Pick up some mushrooms and a rotisserie chicken and have this pasta for dinner in about 30 minutes. You might even have some leftover sautéed mushrooms from the big holiday meal – add them right in, baby.
This thick and satisfying soup has tailgating or sidelines or post-game meal written all over it. You can just make the soup without the chicken called for in the recipe, and then stir in shredded cooked turkey for the last hour or so of cooking so it takes on the soup’s amazing flavors (coriander! cumin!)
Leftover turkey mixed with sautéed fresh mushrooms and a delightful cream sauce spiked with sherry, sage, and parsley is nestled under a cheesy, crunchy breadcrumb topping. This tetrazinni casserole is anything but boring!
Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.