Need an easy peasy recipe for using up your leftover roast turkey? Then you need to try my Creamy Leftover Turkey Pasta. No leftover turkey? No worries, this simple alfredo pasta recipe can be made with leftover chicken or see below for how to ‘create’ some turkey leftovers!
So when Christmas is over and you have a fridge heaving with roast turkey leftovers…and no real desire to cook properly, because you did a lot of that yesterday…what do you make?
Creamy Leftover Turkey Pasta, of course!
This recipe is so quick and easy, it’s pretty much ready in the time it takes to cook pasta to cook and involves very little effort… perfect for a lazy day – and such a delicious way to use up your roast turkey leftovers!
The other great thing about this recipe is you don’t need to have a whole lot of leftovers to make it… a little leftover turkey goes a loooong way in this recipe! I added just 300g (10oz) leftover roast turkey and it was perfect, though you could certainly add more if you have lots of turkey to use up… (And if you have even less turkey, just bulk out this recipe with extra veg!)
I have used mushrooms to bulk out this recipe and add extra flavour – they go really well with turkey. But if you prefer you could use (bell) peppers, sweetcorn, carrots, peas or broccoli – or a mixture! Alternatively, if you have some leftover Christmas vegetables, you could throw those in instead…. and you could also add in some leftover ham or stuffing if you have some lurking in the fridge.
Of course you don’t have to save this Creamy Leftover Turkey Pasta recipe for Boxing Day… you can make it any time of the year! If you don’t have any roast turkey leftovers, either use leftover roast chicken, or quickly fry up some diced (or ground) turkey or chicken, then continue with the recipe as written.
If you don’t have a sore head from the day before, or if you are making this at a different time of year, and want a wine match, the perfect wine for this recipe, in my opinion, is a nice buttery oaked chardonnay – I would go from one from either Burgundy or California, though you can also get some great ones from Australia and Chile!
More leftover turkey recipes…
For more great ways to use up leftover roast turkey check out my roundup of 10 Easy Ideas for your Turkey leftovers.
Creamy Leftover Turkey Pasta
Ingredients
- 300 g pasta I use fusilli, but penne, spaghetti and linguine all work well too
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 150 g mushrooms (or other vegetables), sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 300 g leftover turkey or chicken shredded (see note)
- 300 ml double (heavy) cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped (or another herb – fresh sage or basil also work well)
- Grated parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to your preferences or the packet instructions.
- Meanwhile, put the olive oil and onions in a pan and cover with a lid. Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until the onions have softened but not coloured.
- Turn the heat up and add the mushrooms, fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms and onions have browned nicely.
- Lower the heat again and add the garlic and the turkey and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the cream, salt and pepper, and cook for a further 5 minutes until the turkey is piping hot all the way through and the sauce has reduced slightly.
- Meanwhile drain the pasta, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water.
- Tip the pasta and cooking water into the sauce and stir to combine. Sprinkle over half the parsley and stir again.
- Serve garnished with extra parsley and lots of parmesan cheese!
Notes
- If you don’t have any roast turkey leftovers, you can use leftover roast chicken.
Alternatively you can quickly fry up 300g diced (or ground) turkey or chicken and continue with the recipe. - Not suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Get More Easy Peasy Christmas Recipes here…
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Cat says
I really don’t like cold turkey so Boxing Day was always a bit of a rubbish day for me because we would always have cold turkey and chips. This recipe is a fantastic way of using up the leftover turkey but in a delicious way x
Eb Gargano says
This is SO much nicer than cold turkey and chips! You have to try it 😀 Eb x
Donna says
We always have lunch at my in-laws, and I kinda really miss leftover turkey! This looks yummy. #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Aw, you should buy some turkey breast fillets and make this anyway! (Or else ask your in-laws for a doggy bag!!) 😀 Eb x
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
Yes, yes, YES! Can we get a little respect for the cooking we already did—let alone having to be inventive with the turkey leftovers?! A creamy pasta dish like this is fantastic in its own right—but as an ideal, easy vehicle for using up leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken? SCORE!!
Eb Gargano says
Haha – thanks Michelle…it’s a good point. It makes me so sad and a little bit sick to think of all those turkey leftovers that go in the bin every year…and the saddest part is, making tasty meals out of leftovers is just about as easy peasy as it gets! Oooh and I like your idea of using rotisserie chicken in this – YUM!! Eb x
Concheet says
Made this today with chicken. Excellent! Fussy husband liked it a lot. It was easy and tasty too. Thank you.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review and 5* rating 😀