How To Repurpose Your Turkey Leftovers

Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, and not only are you just coming out of a delicious food coma, but you also have almost half a bird in your fridge. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there! 

Many BC residents find themselves with an overwhelming amount of leftovers after cooking an entire bird and aren’t quite sure how to repurpose so much healthy, nutritious turkey meat. Thankfully we have a few recipes, and a handful of tips, ready to help you out this week.

It’s great to keep these recipes on hand all year long so you can make delicious turkey meals throughout the busy months in a mindful, economical way. The grocery store bill and cost of living right now has led a lot of folks to feel overwhelmed when purchasing a whole turkey, but when done properly, you can make this a cost effective, time-saver.

As Tori Wesszer recently told BC Living, turkey is an economical protein because of its versatility when repurposing leftovers! It’s easy to make soup, pot pies, freeze the meat for later days when you need a quick nutritious protein, or boil the carcass to make a delicious and healthy soup stock. 

“I’m team soup,” Wesszer joked to BC Living. “Honestly everything can go into soup.” 

There are so many things you can make that will help stretch the budget when you purchase a whole turkey. Right now life is expensive, so using every ounce of food on our table is a great way to not only provide healthy, locally-sourced meals but also combat food waste—a major problem across Canada.

 

SOUPS

There are so many reasons to make soup this October because autumn is a season for cozy, warm meals shared together at the dinner table or on the couch while watching a fun, family-friendly spooky movie. 

There is something so nourishing and homely about a warm, delicious, leftover soup. Since you can use any vegetable that you want, it’s an easy way to clean out the crisper after a busy weekend, too. With your turkey meat already cooked, all you need is a bit of time to let the veggies soften and voilà! Dinner is done.

 

 

 

SANDWICHES

Quick, easy, full of protein and a nice crunch of toasted bread—sandwiches are a lunchtime classic for a reason. There are so many flavour profiles you can use to repurpose all the cuts of turkey breast or delicious slices of dark meat, and a variety of combos to spice it up and keep each bite exciting and new. 

Full of energy, iron, and healthy Vitamin B12, a turkey sandwich is an ideal power-booster you can enjoy any time of the day. Using it with leftovers is just an added bonus!

 

 

 

POT PIES

Appealing to plenty of picky eaters, pot pies are an ideal way to stretch leftovers over quite a few meals. You can even prep ahead and freeze them for weeknights when you need quick and easy comfort food—perfect for the colder months. 

With tasty, crumbly puff pastry or delicious phyllo, you can pack quite a lot of flavour with different vegetable combos, including some leftover Thanksgiving potatoes and peas.

 

 

 

CASSEROLES

When you’re balancing weeknight sports or just an evening workshop, sometimes a big batch casserole is the perfect way to get the whole family, or just yourself, through a busy couple of days. It’s also just a great way to make a meal out of leftovers that will also give you lunches the next day! 

With cheesy, creamy goodness and loaded with delicious protein, a casserole is a crowd pleaser for a variety of reasons. It’s also an economical way to stretch out plenty of veggies and of course, the leftover turkey.