It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and I’m already thinking about what to do with the leftovers, which my family and I enjoy almost as much as the holiday feast.
The only problem is, I almost never cook Thanksgiving dinner. We visit relatives, so we don’t get custody of the leftovers such as turkey, sweet potatoes, winter squash, cranberry sauce and the like. To compensate, every year I prepare a pre-Thanksgiving meal just for us, making sure there are plenty of our favorite trimmings and turkey to enjoy afterward.
Here I’ve repurposed the leftovers into a flaky, savory phyllo pie and a fruity side dish.
For the Turkey Phyllo Pie, it’s fine to substitute the greens with chopped leftover vegetables, such as string beans or broccoli. Mashed carrots, acorn squash or pumpkin make good stand-ins for the butternut squash or sweet potatoes. If you have more or less than 2 cups of cranberry sauce left over, adjust the other quantities accordingly for Spiced Chunky Apples with Cranberries.
Turkey Phyllo Pie
Serves 4-6
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbs. plus about 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 cups thinly sliced onion
- 2 cups shredded, cooked turkey
- 2 Tbs. plus 1 Tbs. chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp. plus 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbs. lemon juice
- 6 phyllo dough sheets (see note)
- 1 cup cooked kale or other greens, squeezed dry
- 2 cups mashed, cooked butternut squash or sweet potato
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Have all ingredients at room temperature.
Make the spice mix by combining cinnamon, paprika, cumin, pepper and salt.
Heat 2 Tbs. oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until very soft and browned. Stir in half the spice mixture. Stir in turkey.
Remove from heat, and stir in 2 Tbs. parsley and 1/2 tsp. sugar.
Mix chickpeas with half the remaining spice mix, 1 Tbs. parsley and 1 Tbs. lemon juice. Lightly mash.
Grease a 2-inch-deep, 9- or 10-inch pie plate with oil. Lay phyllo sheet across middle, pressing it up the sides of the pan and letting the edges hang over. Brush top of phyllo with oil. Lay second phyllo sheet perpendicular to the first, press in and let extra hang over. Brush with oil. Lay third sheet diagonally across, press in, let extra hang over and oil. Lay fourth sheet on the opposite diagonal, press in, let extra hang over and oil.
Layer chickpeas on bottom, then greens, then half turkey-onion mixture, then squash. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and spice mix. Spread rest of turkey on top.
Fold top layer of the overhanging phyllo over filling. Brush with oil and repeat with remaining overhang. Take fifth phyllo sheet and center on top, brush with oil, and tuck extra into sides of pie plate. Repeat with last sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown.
Note: Follow directions on package for phyllo defrosting, handling and storage.
Spiced Chunky Apples with Cranberries
Makes 4 cups
- 6 cups 1/2-inch cubes Granny Smith apples (peeling optional)
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- 2 cups whole berry cranberry sauce (15-oz. can)
In a large pot, stir together apples, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger, water and lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are softened but still firm in the center. Stir in cranberry sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft but not mushy.