How was your weekend, friends? What did you do? I got lots done - laundry, food prep, errands, work, etc. - had lots of play time with the kids - playground, bike rides, board games, card games, reading and snuggles - and I even got in some relaxation, which made me a very happy lady. Well-balanced weekend all around (You may have seen some of this in action if you follow me on Instagram. I’ve been having fun with the Instagram stories feature recently!) So, anyone with me on loving the Thanksgiving leftovers almost as much — and maybe even a little more — than the official meal?
I don’t think I used to feel that way but in recent years, I’ve gotten really into the leftovers. We always eat the leftovers again for dinner on Friday night and after that, I can start to get creative, transforming the leftovers into new meals. Using them in completely different ways. And of course, making ALL the sandwiches 🙂 So this week I’m bringing you all recipes for leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Starting today with this creamy turkey artichoke casserole, continuing on Wednesday with a 15-minute dinner and capping off the week on Friday with the ultimate leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwich. Stay tuned for deliciousness! Here, your leftover turkey becomes a whole new meal of easy, creamy casserole goodness. This is perfect when you still have company in town and need to feed a crowd.
Or maybe you don’t have leftover turkey but wish you did? Happens to me all the time. You can make my slow cooker turkey breasts with some basic seasonings (I use salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to make leftovers for things like this). This recipe came from my Christmas Memories cookbook, one of the many that I’ve picked up from used bookstores over the years. I love finding community cookbooks like this with people’s favorite homemade recipes - just feels like there’s so much love and history there.
Notes on making turkey artichoke casserole:
This is designed for leftover turkey, but you could also use chicken. And you can add leftover ham if you want to do ham and turkey. Just use a total of about 4 cups of whatever meat you choose. You can make this ahead through step 4. Cover the casserole and put it in the fridge. Take it out while you preheat your oven and add the breadcrumb mixture before baking so it will get crunchy. Add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time. It will be ready when it’s bubbling all around the edges. You can try adding some frozen spinach (that’s been thawed) or some peas to have some greens in here. If not, we like to serve this over rice and have some buttered peas on the side. You could also serve it over leftover mashed potatoes if you have some and do a simple spinach salad. Me, who adds salt to everything, didn’t think this casserole needed it at all. It will depend on the seasoning of your leftover turkey, however, so taste and adjust to your liking.
Be sure to stop back by for my other leftover turkey recipes this week — or sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter and never miss a post. (You’ll also get my free e-cookbook, Easy Weeknight Dinners, when you sign up.) I’d also love to connect on social media - follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter for more recipe goodness! Enjoy! XO, Kathryn
You can use a combination of leftover ham and turkey, or use leftover cooked chicken, for this casserole if you prefer. You can make this ahead through step 4. Cover the casserole and put it in the fridge. Take it out while you preheat your oven and add the breadcrumb mixture before baking so it will get crunchy. Add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time. It will be ready when it’s bubbling all around the edges. You can try adding some frozen spinach (that’s been thawed) or some peas to have some greens in here. I don’t add salt to this, but depending on the seasoning of your leftover turkey, you may want to. Taste and adjust to your liking.
