Don't Get Bored With Leftovers

This Easter was definitely celebrated much differently. With COVID-19 having taken over our lives these last few weeks we had to celebrate with our families from a distance. At our house we decided to still go ahead and have a traditional turkey dinner, even though there were only 4 of us to partake. The smallest turkey I could find was 15lbs so we had plenty of leftovers. 

I am not a fan of wasting food, a product of my raising. But making other things from leftover turkey was not something I was raised with. When we had leftovers we would eat the same meal basically until it was gone. There was no such thing as pot pies, or casseroles. I really don't think Portuguese people had those types of dishes in their repertoire, at least not when I was growing up. It is definitely not traditional. 

The last couple of years I have come up with a few quick and easy meals to make out of leftover turkey. 

Last Thanksgiving I made a really nice soup out of the leftover turkey - Creamed Cauliflower and Turkey Soup. For myWW friends this soup is only 0SP under the Blue and Purple plans and 3SP under the Green plan. Great soup for a light lunch. 

I'm a big fan of my crockpot. I know a lot of people have jumped on the instant pot wagon but I'm not there yet. I made a super juicy turkey breast in the crockpot with diced tomatoes, onion, garlic and some spices. It was delicious but there were some leftovers. Not enough for another meal for a family of 4 so I had to get creative. Using the leftovers from this meal and making dumplings out of the myWW 2 ingredient dough (plus a few extra seasonings) I made this Leftover Turkey and Dumplings .

Tonight I was planning on making this dish again with the leftover turkey breast from our Easter dinner but my daughter asked me to come up with something else. She is not really one for "mixing" her food. So I breaded the sliced turkey breast and baked it in the oven just long enough to crisp up the coating. But I was worried about whether it would dry it out. It didn't end up happening but I made a really nice and super easy sauce to put on top of the turkey. I am all about quick and easy meals. I make homemade meals for dinner almost every night. During the week I need meals that I can get on the table in less than an hour. This Cheater Turkey Scallopini with White Wine and Mushroom sauce definitely falls in that category. You could also make this with fresh turkey breast but obviously the cooking time would be longer. 

So, no need to get bored with leftovers. Maybe it's just time to try something new.