It’s time to think smart when it comes to making the most out of the food we buy and using up our leftovers. I was pretty shocked to read that the average family in Britain wastes nearly £60 a month (the equivalent of 6 meals a week or 24 meals a month) in unused food. As we approach Christmas, two for one deals and special offers go into overdrive, which means that if we’re not careful, we’ll end up buying too much and then throwing some of it away. The one thing we are very good at doing is coming up with ways to use up our turkey leftovers and I’ve been challenged to do just that by the Lean on Turkey campaign. Although we shouldn’t just be thinking of leftovers at Christmas or Thanksgiving, using up all the little bits we have in the fridge and making the most of a roast should be the way forward all year round. I’m tapping into my Eastern European roots a little with this recipe for a turkey stroganoff, which uses up leftover turkey (or any poultry, really) along with some red onions, mushrooms, mustard, soured cream and a few sprigs of dill. It’s perfect for a Boxing Day buffet or for a quick family supper, whenever you have some leftovers to use up. Stroganoff can be made with a tablespoon or mustard or tomato puree and an optional sprinkle of paprika. Always use ‘smetana’ or soured cream.
Costings (to come in at under £10 for 4)
- Leftover Turkey (nominal as it should be leftover) – £2
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (store cupboard)
- 1 red onion – 40p
- Mushrooms 200g – £1.69
- 1 tablespoon mustard – 5p
- Soured cream 300ml – 99p
- Fresh dill – 25p
- Noodles/Rice – £1.50
Total – £6.88 to feed 4 (Ocado)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 300g mushrooms
- 500g leftover turkey
- 300ml soured cream
- A splash of whole milk
- Fresh dill to garnish
- Noddles, pasta or rice to serve
- Cook the noodles, pasta or rice according to the packet instructions.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large frying pan. Cook the onions over a medium heat for five minutes, until soft. Stir in the wholegrain mustard and the mushrooms and season with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt. Cook for a further five minutes.
- Add the leftover turkey to the pan and mix together well. Pour in the soured cream, adding a splash of milk if the sauce is a little thick. Cook for another five minutes, or until the turkey is piping hot.
- Serve on a bed of noodles, pasta or rice and garnish with fresh dill. Optional: drizzle over a little extra olive oil.
Previous #LeanonTurkey recipes
Challenge 5 – Turkey and Leek Meatballs with Tomato Tagliatelle
Challenge 6 – Coronation Turkey Picnic Rolls
This is a recipe commission in association with Lean on Turkey. Ingredients + development time paid for.
Creating a dish from leftovers can sometimes be such a rewarding experience. When you think you have nothing it can turn out to be equally as good as the original meal (only different). Your strog. is such a good example of this. Yum yum.
Thanks Denise, yes, using everything up means much less waste. I actually love leftover meals, as my mum would also use every last thing up, usually in a soup or a stew. This stroganoff was a lovely mid-week treat and I look forward to making it again post-Christmas.
I love stroganoff but have only made the beef version before – this turkey one looks delicious and is a great idea for left over turkey.
Thanks Anna, hope you can try it with some leftovers this year