Turkeys are great for feeding a crowd. If you were lucky enough to score a turkey for free from all of the grocery store promotions {spend $100, get a free turkey sort of thing}, then you can potentially squeeze quite a few meals out of the leftovers, and slide into the holidays with a little extra money in your grocery budget. Even if you didn’t get it for free, it’s amazing how many recipes you can make from leftover turkey–which makes the initial cost waaay more affordable.
First off, leftover cooked turkey can be frozen, which means if you over-indulged {no judgement} on the Thanksgiving bird and need to put some distance between yourself and the incident, you can totally freeze it, and use it up when the memory is not so fresh. To freeze leftover turkey, take it off of the bone, slice or dice it, and then place it into freezer safe bags. The more air you can squeeze out of the bag, the better the turkey will store. Leftover turkey will keep in the freezer for 2-6 months, according to food safety guidelines.
Once you have removed the turkey from the bones so that you can freeze or use it, don’t throw the carcass away! It makes a great homemade broth that you can also freeze. Then, you can whip up homemade turkey gravy anytime your little heart desires. To make the broth, just toss the carcass into a crock pot, cover completely with water, add 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar and toss in any leftover veggies and peels {I like carrots, celery, and onions}. Cook on low for 8-24 hours. Strain the broth from the carcass and veggie bits, and then place the broth into mason jars–leaving at least 1″ head space to allow for expansion during freezing. Transfer the mason jars to the freezer and use the broth as needed.
If you need some recipe inspiration for that leftover turkey, not to worry, I got you covered. I have tossed leftover turkey into just about everything. Here are my favorites:
These leftover turkey enchiladas are one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers, because they are completely different tasting than your standard holiday meal. You almost don’t even realize your still having turkey.
Pot pies are freakin’ delicious. They are the ultimate comfort food. As an added bonus, this is a great way to use up leftover gravy too.
This recipe is the perfect way to toss basically all of your leftovers into a pie dish and bake it into a casserole. It’s like a one dish Thanksgiving feast.
In case sweet potato frosting {listed above} isn’t your thing, here’s the same basic recipe with your regular mashed taters option: Turkey Casserole with Mashed Potato Topping.
How will you be using up your leftover turkey?
~Mavis
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