Leftover Turkey Casserole
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By Alyssa Rivers
on Nov 26, 2021 |
This leftover turkey casserole is creamy and delicious! Made with your leftover turkey, it’s the easiest recipe to make just after Thanksgiving! It’s SOO GOOD!
If you love a hearty casserole then you should also try this Broccoli and Rice Chicken, this Corn Casserole, or even this amazing Breakfast Casserole!
What is Leftover Turkey Casserole?
If you are looking for the perfect (delicious and easy!) recipe to use up all of that leftover turkey then you’ve come to the right place! I couldn’t be more excited about this leftover turkey casserole. Once you make it, you will almost be more excited about this than you are about Thanksgiving dinner! In fact, I love this so much that I cook a larger turkey so that I have enough leftovers to make this!
This leftover turkey casserole is made with turkey, veggies, gravy, and cornbread. It’s everything that you love about Thanksgiving dinner, all in one dish! And not only does it taste heavenly but it’s SO easy to make! It only takes a few minutes to put it together. It’s become a tradition at our house to make this just after Thanksgiving. It’s been a great way to keep that Thanksgiving spirit around a little longer! Try it… I bet that it will become a tradition for you too!
Ingredients for Leftover Turkey Casserole
One thing that I love about this recipe is that it doesn’t taste like leftovers! Plus, you probably have most of the ingredients on hand and ready to go! See the recipe card below for a list of exact measurements.
- Butter: I make sure to use unsalted butter for this recipe. That way I don’t have to change the amount of salt.
- Flour: I used all purpose flour for this recipe and it works great!
- Kosher salt: This will help to enhance the flavors of all of the other ingredients.
- Black pepper: The black pepper is used as the main seasoning.
- Turkey stock: If you want to then you can use the drippings that you have leftover from your Thanksgiving dinner instead!
- Heavy cream: I use this instead of milkbecause of the texture that it adds to the sauce.
- Sharp cheddar: If you dont have any sharp cheddar then you could use provolone or mozzarella instead!
- Turkey meat: You can use light or dark meat for dish. Cut it up into cubes and you are good to go!
- Cornbread cubes: If you don’t love cornbread then you can use regular stuffing cubes instead.
- Frozen veggies: I used frozen peas, chopped carrots, frozen green beans, and frozen corn!
Let’s Make a Casserole!
This only takes 5 minutes to throw together! It’s super easy and I love that my kids ask for it! That’s what I call a win-win!
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt butter, add in dry ingredients and whisk: Add the butter to a large saucepan on medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the flour, salt, and pepper. Whisk well until fully combined and let cook for 1 minute.
- Add stock: Add in the stock and whisk until fully combined.
- Mix in cream and cheese: Mix in the heavy cream slowly in small increments and whisk until fully combined. Add in the cheddar and whisk until melted.
- Put in baking pan: Turn off the heat and take out a baking pan. Add the turkey and cornbread to the pan.
- Top with ingredients and add cheese sauce: Top with the remaining ingredients. Pour the cheese sauce over the baking pan.
- Bake: Bake, covered for 20 minutes, then 10 minutes uncovered.
Change It Up With These Mix-Ins!
This leftover turkey casserole is seriously so good. Here are a few ideas on different mix-in ingredients that you can use to change it up!
- Stuffing cubes: I used cornbread because that’s our traditional bread option. But, you can use regular stuffing instead!
- Leftover veggies: If you have any roasted leftover vegetables from your Thanksgiving dinner then use those. Or both! Mixing and matchin makes this dish taste so good!
- Gravy: If you want a darker gravy, let your roux cook a little bit longer to brown. I also added super sharp cheddar to the gravy.
- Add something sweet: If you want to add in something a bit sweet then dot the top with your favorite cranberry sauce! That adds a great color and makes it look and taste so good!
- Use rice instead: If you’re not a fan of stuffing then you can skip the breading altogether! Instead, you could use brown rice or wild rice!
- Meat: You can use dark meat or light meat in this casserole! In fact, if you want to make this at other times of the year then use a rotisserie chicken. In place of the turkey drippings then you can just use chicken broth (or stock) instead!
- Cheese: I used sharp cheddar cheese but provalone, swiss or mozzarella would work great too!
How to Store Leftovers
I know, I know… storing leftovers of leftovers is crazy! Crazy good! Here’s how you can store this leftover turkey casserole to eat later! It makes a great lunch the next day!
- Refrigerator: Once your casserole has cooled then place it in an airtight container. Put it in your fridge and it will last for 3-4 days!
- Reheat: You can eaily just reheat your casserole in the microwave! Cook it on high for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper to create a roux. Slowly whisk in the turkey stock and then the heavy cream and whisk until it starts to thicken. Add in the cheddar and continue to whisk until melted. In a large bowl add the turkey, 1 cup of cornbread, peas, carrots, green beans, and corn. Add in the cheese sauce and mix until incorporated.
Spread evenly into a 9×13 inch pan. Top with remaining cornbread. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden for 10 more minutes.
Updated on November 26, 2021
Originally Posted on November 19, 2017
Calories: 510kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 50gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 185mgSodium: 841mgPotassium: 692mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 3655IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 183mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.