Twenty Tasty Recipes Using Leftover Turkey (or chicken) and Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Last Thanksgiving I went crazy over this Coconut-Lime Turkey (or Chicken) and Rice Soup.

By the time you read this it will be Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., one of my favorite days of the year.  I love the idea of a holiday dedicated to feeling gratitude, something I try to focus on every day.  And without turning this into a long list of all the things I'm thankful for, let me just acknowledge how much I feel blessed to have a life filled with family, friends, interesting work, and all the cooking tools any food obsessed person could ever want!  Today and every day I also give thanks for the people who read this blog and leave nice comments or send e-mails that enrich my life.  I hope everyone who sees this has a Thanksgiving that's as filled with love as I know my own will be.

For most people Thanksgiving means turkey, and turkey means leftover turkey.  For a few years now I've been assembling a collection of interesting ideas for using leftover turkey, and I have some favorite recipes with chicken that could be made with leftover turkey as well.  I'm going to take a few days off from the blog to hang out with my family, but I'm leaving you with this list of twenty tasty suggestions for using your leftover turkey.  Let's start with the Coconut-Lime Turkey (or Chicken) and Rice Soup shown above, which is one of the most interesting recipes for turkey soup I've ever tried.

If you're a fan of sweet potatoes, you'll like this Leftover Turkey and Sweet Potato Soup with Black Beans and Lime.

A slightly different take on sweet potatoes is this Turkey and Cannellini Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Rosemary.

This Turkey (or chicken) Lasagna with Sage and Three Cheeses has been a hit with everyone who's tried it.

Cabbage adds a healthy and slightly unusual twist in this Turkey and Wild Rice Soup with Cabbage, Parsley, and Sage.

Amy's Amazing White Chicken Chili is made with chicken breasts, but you could use white turkey meat to make this amazing chili as well.

I would gobble up leftover turkey if it was used in this recipe of Spicy Whole Wheat Sesame Noodles with Chicken, Green Onions, and Cilantro.

And for sure you could use leftover white turkey meat in this Shredded Chicken Salad with Green Olives, Celery, and Green Onion.

A classic that I'd never get tired of this time of year is Turkey Barley Soup.

For cilantro fans like me, this Leftover Turkey (or ground turkey) and Pinto Bean White Chili with Lime and Cilantro will be a hit.

Chicken, Black Bean, and Cilantro Soup is one of my all-time favorites that could definitely be made with white turkey meat.

For mushroom lovers, how about Leftover Turkey Soup with Double Mushrooms, which has dried and fresh mushrooms.

People from Utah might especially like this Leftover Chicken Chopped Salad with Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Dressing, which of course can be made with leftover turkey!

And you could also use turkey in this West African Chicken and Peanut Stew with Chiles, Ginger, and Green Onions.

For a quick lunch, make a turkey version of this Leftover Chicken Chopped Salad with Red Pepper, Olives, and Feta.

I love this Brown Rice Salad with Leftover Turkey, Red Cabbage, and Pecans, and it's loaded with healthful ingredients if you overindulge on the holiday.

An after-Thanksgiving classic is this Leftover Turkey (or Chicken) Casserole with Brown Rice, Mushrooms, Sour Cream, Cheese, and Thyme.

Another casserole option that would work perfectly with leftover turkey is Better-than-Mom's Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce. 

For a quick lunch made from turkey leftovers, try these Turkey and Guacamole Quesadillas.

And last but not least, one thing I'll for sure be making on Friday is these Easy Leftover Turkey Pita Sandwiches with Fresh Cranberry Salsa.


That's a lot of options for using leftover turkey, but there's no such thing as too many leftover turkey recipes is there?  If you've got another good idea for using leftover turkey, let us know about it in the comments!