Casserole Goes Together Fast

My favorite way to enjoy turkey leftovers is to turn them into a casserole.

I don’t pick time-consuming creations that demand separate sauces and a long baking time. To keep the cooking simple, I plan stovetop or microwave entrees that partner the turkey with a few pantry ingredients and are ready in minutes.

To prepare a meal in no time, the first step is to heat the turkey with a can of beans. Any beans that you fancy are fine; best-loved in our house are black beans, garbanzo beans, red beans and pinto beans. I avoid any beans that are canned with bacon or other fatty ingredients. Beans are satisfying, practically fat-free and provide fiber and other great nutritional benefits.

To moisten the casserole, I don’t pour in rich turkey gravy. Rather, I choose diced canned tomatoes or strips of bottled roasted red peppers.

A few days after the holiday, when everyone’s ready for hearty food again, I prepare medleys of grains, turkey and beans. If I have already-cooked rice on hand, or fast-cooking grains like bulgur wheat or instant brown rice in my cupboard, these are the easiest choices. I like to make them into substantial entrees such as garlic-cilantro turkey with black beans and rice.

Instead of beans and grains, I might partner the turkey with vegetables and pasta. This is the time when frozen mixed vegetables come to my aid. I cook them in the pot together with the pasta, adjusting for the difference in their cooking times. Then I simply drain them and turn them into a turkey casserole just as I do with the beans.

Making the best use of the leftovers begins with storing the turkey properly following the festive dinner. Strip the meat off the bones, as there’s no good way to reheat a big chunk of turkey on the bone without having the outside get awfully dry. Refrigerate it in covered dishes as soon as possible.

Of course, if you have far too much turkey to eat in a few days, freeze the extra. It will be most appealing in a few weeks when you long to have ready-cooked food on hand.

Ten-Minute Turkey and Bulgur Wheat Casserole

Turkey flavors the grain and beans in this healthful, economical casserole. Use whatever turkey pieces you prefer - lean breast meat, richer leg meat or a combination. With the sweet red bell pepper, garbanzo beans and fresh basil, this entree is colorful, tasty and very easy to prepare.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch dice

1-1/3 cups bulgur wheat

2-2/3 cups hot water

1 (15-1/2-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

2 cups finely diced roasted turkey

2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried

Salt, freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in saute pan. Add red bell pepper and saute over high heat about 2 minutes. Add bulgur wheat and stir briefly over low heat. Stir in hot water and bring to boil. Cover and cook over low heat 8 minutes.

Add garbanzo beans, turkey, dried basil (but not fresh) and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 2 minutes or until turkey and garbanzo beans are heated through. Add fresh basil, if using. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving, using skinless light turkey meat: 423 calories, 6.6 grams fat (14 percent fat calories), 31 grams protein, 63 grams carbohydrate, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 393 milligrams sodium.