Giada De Laurentiis' Turkey Bites Are The Easy Way To Use Up Leftovers

Creatively using leftovers to produce an entirely new dish makes having them something to look forward to instead of a ho-hum meal that never tastes as good as when it was first made. If you've made a whole bird, leftovers often mean turkey – the meat that surprisingly has the most protein — and Giada De Laurentiis has a go-to way to combine two leftovers, turkey and stuffing, to make a flavorful fried croquette.

The celebrity chef makes her crispy turkey bites by mixing diced turkey, stuffing, grated parmesan cheese, and chopped fresh rosemary, and binding it together with an egg. She forms small balls and pushes a cube of smoked mozzarella into the center of each, closing the mixture around it, and breads them with flour, egg, and panko. The Japanese breadcrumbs create a lighter, crispier crust because the flaky and airy crumbs don't absorb as much oil or compress together. They are then fried for just a couple of minutes, melting the mozzarella inside the already-cooked ingredients and turning the crust golden.

Giada's repurposing of turkey leftovers this way – one of her many helpful cooking tips — gives a nod to Italian arancini rice balls. Arancini are traditionally made of leftover risotto that's formed into balls, stuffed with a filling, and then breaded and fried. Typical fillings include cubes of mozzarella like the turkey bites, ragù meat sauce, and cheese and peas.

The turkey bites are savory and delicious on their own, but you can take them to another level with a dipping sauce. This could be another opportunity to give new life to holiday leftovers by dunking them in extra turkey gravy or homemade cranberry sauce. If the cranberry sauce is a little too thick for dipping, warm it up and thin it out with a small amount of orange juice (or even some gin or tequila) for extra flavor. You could also use a tomato-based sauce like ragù or marinara to change the flavor profile entirely.

Tailor the turkey bites by substituting or adding ingredients. Use another leftover protein instead like chicken or ham, or add more flavor with herbs or spices like thyme, sage, smoked paprika, or cayenne for heat. Take a page from arancini and fill your balls with cheese and peas, or try a little sauteed mushrooms or onions with cheese in the center.

You could swap out the panko, which doesn't usually have any additional flavoring, for seasoned breadcrumbs. You can make your own at home, buy your favorite brand, or add some seasoning to the panko like parmesan cheese, garlic powder, or parsley. Switching out the breading is a quick and easy way to update these to fit any meal.