It’s talked about a lot.
It’s the butt of many jokes.
All that leftover turkey finding its way into all kinds of unlikely recipes.
Like turkey tacos….
But I have to admit that I really like leftover turkey. And I have several recipes that use cooked turkey in it’s various forms.
And one of our favorite uses for those glorious gobs of gobbler goodness is turkey turnovers.
In fact, we might almost enjoy the turnovers more that the roasted turkey.
Almost…
And while this particular recipe doesn’t use up a whole bunch of the leftovers, it’s a great recipe for all those little bits that are left on the bones after you slice off all of the white meat.
The recipe calls for 1 cup of finely chopped turkey, but I almost always make a double batch.
These turkey turnovers are really good cold. Like, right out of the fridge.
So they’re great for a quick I’m-in-the-middle-of-something-but-I-want-to-eat-lunch-NOW kind of snacky thing.
And they also freeze really well. So it’s not a big deal to make up a whole bunch and have them ready and waiting to pop in the oven on busy nights straight from the freezer.
And those nights tend to happen more between Thanksgiving and Christmas than any other time of the year.
At least that’s what it feels like! 🙂
Prepping Ahead
I usually just go ahead and chop up the turkey while I’m slicing whatever is left after dinner.
That way the bones are ready to go in the stockpot the next day to make turkey broth and I have slices for sandwiches and 1 cup packages of the chopped stuff ready for the freezer.
I always package my meats for freezing in my FoodSaver
. It has saved me so much money by keeping meats from getting freezer burned and nasty!
I honestly don’t know what I would do without it. And I don’t say that lightly! I try to keep my appliances to a minimum.
I’ve found 2 year old packages of turkey slices that got buried in the back and when I opened them, they tasted just like it was fresh.
I also usually have pastry dough in the freezer. So it’s just a matter of grabbing a ball of pastry, a package of chopped turkey and a jar of turkey broth out of the pantry.
I have my really simple turkey broth recipe right here on the blog in case you need a little direction for that.
OK. Enough chit chat. Let’s get to it!
Turkey Turnovers
- 2 Tbsp chopped onion
- 3 Tbsp butter or homemade ghee
- ¼ c flour
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ⅔ c turkey broth
- ⅔ c milk
- 1 c finely chopped turkey
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Pastry for 1 crust 9” pie
- 1 med egg, blended with 1 Tbsp of water for egg wash
We’re going to start by heating up the butter or ghee over medium heat.
When that is hot, add the onions and saute until they are tender.
Using a whisk, blend in the flour and celery salt. Gradually add the turkey stock and milk.
Whisk this constantly until the sauce is thick.
makin it smooth
Put the turkey in a small bowl and add ½ c of the sauce and mix well.
Roll out the pastry into a rectangle. Now cut it into 8 pieces.
Divide the turkey mixture evenly between the pastry pieces. Using a pastry brush, put a line of the egg wash around all of the edges of the pastry pieces.
makin the turnovers
Fold the pastry over and crimp the edges with a fork to seal the turkey inside.
Poke a few holes in the top of each turnover to let the steam escape.
Now use the rest of the egg wash on the tops of the turnovers.
folded, crimped, poked, and egg washed
Transfer the turkey turnovers to a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
don’t those look amazing? When you are ready to serve the turnovers, reheat the rest of the sauce and add more milk to bring it to the proper thickness for gravy.
I serve these guys with mashed potatoes covered in the gravy and steamed broccoli. Add a dollop of gravy on top of the turnovers, and you’ve got a pretty awesome leftover dinner right there.
Freezing Turkey Turnovers
If you want to freeze them before baking, put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet before you egg wash them. Then place the whole cookie sheet in the freezer.
Once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer baggie.
I go ahead and thin out the rest of the gravy and freezer that in a canning jar. It works just as well if you want to use a freezer baggie for that as well.
The gravy can be thawed and reheated while the turnovers cook.
To be honest, I’m not sure how long they will stay good in the freezer. I think the longest I’ve ever had them in there was 3 months.
When baking the turnovers straight from the freezer, bake for 30 to 35 minutes in a preheat 425°F oven.
What are your favorite ways to use leftover turkey?
Blessings!
More recipes you need to try:
Turkey Turnovers {From Leftover Turkey}
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp chopped onion
- 3 Tbsp butter or ghee
- ¼ c flour
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ⅔ c turkey broth
- ⅔ c milk
- 1 c finely chopped turkey
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Pastry for 1 crust 9” pie
- 1 med egg blended with 1 Tbsp of water for egg wash
Instructions
- Start by heating up the butter or ghee over medium heat.
- Add onions and saute until they are tender.
- With a whisk, blend in the flour and celery salt. Gradually add the turkey stock and milk.
- Whisk constantly until the sauce is thick.
- Put the turkey in a small bowl and add ½ c of the sauce and mix well.
- Roll out the pastry into a rectangle and cut into 8 pieces.
- Divide the turkey mixture evenly between the pastry pieces. Using a pastry brush, put a line of the egg wash around all of the edges of the pastry pieces.
- Fold the pastry over and crimp the edges with a fork to seal the turkey inside.
- Poke a few holes in the top of each turnover to let the steam escape.
- Now use the rest of the egg wash on the tops of the turnovers.
- Transfer the turkey turnovers to a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
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