Leftovers done right
All that planning, all that shopping, all that cooking. And all you’re left with are memories of a tasty meal and a refrigerator full of leftovers. But you don’t need to eat reruns of Thanksgiving dinner every night for the next week. There are plenty of creative dishes to be made with leftover turkey, cranberries, stuffing and veggies. Here are some recipes that are so good, they’ll make you thankful for leftovers:
Here are some more recipes to help you reinvent your leftover Thanksgiving staples into soups, casseroles, salad and even dessert.
Turkey Tetrazzini Gratin
From “Thanksgiving 101” by Rick Rodgers
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
10 ounces cremini or button mushrooms
One 10-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup chopped shallots
4 cups bite-sized pieces cooked turkey (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 pound penne
One 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup heavy cream or milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Position rack in top third of oven and heat to 400 degrees. Lightly butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish.
In large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give up their juice, it evaporates, and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the artichokes and shallots and cook, stirring often, until the shallots soften, about 2 minutes. Add the turkey and sherry, and cook until the sherry is almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is barely tender, about 8 minutes. Do not overcook the pasta, as it will cook further in the oven. Drain well.
Return the drained pasta to the still-warm cooking pot. Add the turkey mixture, ricotta, 3/4 cup parmesan, heavy cream, salt and pepper and mix well.
Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup parmesan and dot with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: 614 calories, 28 grams fat (16 grams saturated, 41 percent fat calories), 41 grams protein, 47 grams carbohydrate, 131 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 600 milligrams sodium.
Cranberry Granita with Orange Whipped Cream
From Bon Appetit
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon (scant) ground cloves
1 1/2 cups cooked cranberry sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
Bring cranberry juice, 1/2 cup sugar, and cloves to boil in small saucepan, stirring often; set aside. Puree cranberry sauce in processor; add juice mixture and puree. Pour mixture into 8-by-8-inch baking dish; freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Boil orange juice and 2 tablespoons sugar in small saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Mix in peel. Cool orange syrup. Whisk cream and 3 tablespoons orange syrup in medium bowl to soft peaks. Scrape tines of fork across frozen cranberry mixture, forming flakes. Mound generous 1/2 cup granita to one side in each of 6 glasses. Mound 1/4 cup whipped cream on opposite sides. Drizzle remaining orange syrup over cream in each.
Yield: 6 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: 325 calories, 11 grams fat (7 grams saturated, 30 percent fat calories), 1 gram protein, 59 grams carbohydrate, 41 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 28 milligrams sodium.
Reinvented Green Beans with Orange Vinaigrette
From Food Network
4 cups leftover cooked green beans
2 shallots, minced
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Place green beans and shallots in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Add mixture to green beans and toss to combine.
Yield: 4 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: 89 calories, 4 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated, 35 percent fat calories), 3 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 182 milligrams sodium.
Curried Chicken Soup
From Rachael Ray
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, white and green portions thinly sliced separately
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
One 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
In large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the scallion whites, bell pepper and curry powder and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cauliflower and potato and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in the chicken and chickpeas and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the scallion greens and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the yogurt just before serving.
Yield: 4 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: 534 calories, 19 grams fat (8 grams saturated, 31 percent fat calories), 44 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, 119 milligrams cholesterol, 9 grams dietary fiber, 798 milligrams sodium.
Stuffing Frittata
From Food Network
Cooking spray
2 to 3 cups leftover stuffing
1 cup shredded Cheddar (regular or reduced-fat)
6 large eggs
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Preheat broiler. Coat an ovenproof nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Put stuffing in the bottom of pan to warm and stir to break up a little. Sprinkle cheese over top.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, mustard powder, and nutmeg. Pour mixture over stuffing and cheese to cover stuffing. Sprinkle Parmesan over top. Cook on stovetop over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to the broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, until egg is cooked through and cheese is golden and bubbly.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Serve with sliced tomatoes.
Yield: 4 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: 452 calories, 27 grams fat (11 grams saturated, 55 percent fat calories), 24 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrate, 354 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 1,067 milligrams sodium.