It’s that time! Everyone’s bellies are bulging, someone is most likely asleep on the couch or armchair and the fridge has been packed full of leftovers. Sure, turkey sandwiches and a plate full of sides are yummy for a day or two, but what do you do with your stash after you are sandwiched out?!? Have no fear! This post is all about creative ways to turn your leftovers into tasty meals! Not only will this help to clear out your fridge but it will also prevent wasting delicious food, save you money by making meals out of ingredients you already have and lastly, your valuable time will not be used up since half the cooking is already done!
Recipe #1: Turkey Pot Pie
This is the perfect way to use up several leftovers you may have from Thanksgiving. First off, you can use up any turkey bits, whether dark or light meat they will taste great in this turkey pot pie! Secondly, if you made homemade pie crust and have some extra around or frozen in the fridge you can take advantage of not having to make more and lastly those dreaded bowls of mixed veggies laying around will finally go somewhere besides the garbage can (or in our case our compost bin)Â ;)
Turkey Pot Pie
you will need:
- 1/2 cups of mixed veggies (these can be leftover green beans, peas, corn, carrots…the more the variety, the better!)
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine (c’mon! I know you had tons of this stuff out for rolls and buttering corn)
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/3 cup chopped onion (you can leave this out if you don’t have it on hand after the holiday)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth (or broth made from your turkey drippings)
- 2/3 cups milk
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups of cut up cooked turkey
- pie crust for bottom and top of pie (store bought is on sale and works great too!)
Directions:
- Heat oven to 425
- In large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. stir in flour, salt and pepper. whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. remove from heat
- stir in broth and milk. heat until boiling. stirring constantly. boil and stir for 1 minute
- stir in turkey and veggies
- put the crust into the pie dish, pour in your sauce, turkey, veggie mixture and then cover with the other pie crust.
- turn edges of pastry under and flute
- bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown
Recipe #2: Sheperds Pie
This is a great way to use up those mashed potatoes as well as veggies. It also incorporates a lot of ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen such as cheese, ground beef and ketchup!
Sheperds Pie
You will need:
- 2-3 cups of mashed potatoes
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar is my cheese of choice)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4-5 carrots chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 3/4 cups beef broth
- another 1/4 cup shredded cheese
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling. boil carrots until tender
- preheat oven to 375
- Heat up oil in a frying pan. cook onions until clear. add ground beef and cook until brown. drain off excess fat, stir in flour and cook 1 minute
- Add ketchup and beef broth. bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes
- spread this mixture in an even layer at the bottom of a casserole dish. next spread 1/4 cup of cheese over beef mixture then spread a layer of the tender cooked carrots.
- Finish it off by spreading the prepared leftover mashed potatoes on top. Cover with the remaining cheese.
- bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Recipe #3: Pumpkin pie ice cream
So, maybe turning a dessert into yet another dessert is unhealthy…but if you get sick of munching on pie you can switch it up by making this super simple pumpkin pie ice cream! It will also help you use up any half n half you were cooking your holiday meal with.
Pumpkin Pie Ice cream
You will need:
- 1 piece of pumpkin pie
- a 1 quart ziploc bag
- 1 cup of half n half or milk
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Directions:
- chop up the pie piece into rough pieces.
- put the half n half, vanilla and sugar into the ziploc bag, zip and mix it together with your hand by smooshing the bag
- add in the pumpkin pie pieces, gently mooshing it while zipped until its mixed but not blended.
- freeze until it is ice cream consistency
I hope these few ideas will help you to have a cheaper and more relaxes post holiday weekend!