BONUS: Uses leftover turkey!
Serves 8-10
Thanksgiving showcases many iconic dishes of the American kitchen. Typically, leftovers are reworked into a potpie that makes use of the remaining turkey and vegetables, soup using the turkey carcass, and sandwiches featuring stuffing and cranberry sauce. All of these are delicious, but after a day or two, palates become a bit tired of those same old flavors. No need to worry. There are delicious ways to get creative with leftovers.
Combining leftovers with other fresh ingredients, unexpected herbs and spices, and contemporary techniques truly reinvents them into new, appetizing dishes. When you shop for the holiday meal, also have a second list with ingredients to help transform the leftovers into dishes that are delicious and taste bud tempting.
The added benefit of transforming leftovers into delightful, new main courses, desserts and snacks is that we often have guests for a few days after the holiday. These recipes make plenty of servings to go around, and they freeze well.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups chopped roast turkey
1 10-ounce can diced tomato and chilies (Ro-tel), not drained
3 cups tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic granules
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Cheese Layer
2 cups ricotta
1½ cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
¼ cup shredded mozzarella
1 large egg, beaten
4 large flour tortillas, or 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
2 cups shredded Colby-Jack, or mozzarella
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13- by 9-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion, then sauté until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in turkey, tomato and chilies plus liquid, tomato sauce, chili powder, garlic granules, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare cheese mixture by stirring together ricotta, Colby-Jack, mozzarella and egg in a large bowl.
4. To assemble, spread a couple of spoonfuls of turkey mixture in the bottom of prepared dish. Top half of the tortilla strips over turkey, spreading them out to cover the dish. Top with the turkey mixture, then spread all of the cheese mixture over it. Cover the cheese mixture with the remaining tortilla strips. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over top of strips.
5. Cover with a piece of parchment paper (prevents cheese from sticking), and a large piece of foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 7-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly around the edges.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated in a covered container.
Recipes provided by Janine Washle of CloverFields Farm & Kitchen and prepared at Sullivan University by Grace Alexander and Brandon Schieferle.