Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Curry
The word "leftovers" has become ubiquitous with the word "Thanksgiving." Thursday night is but the pregame for the rest of the weekend's eating festivities in my household. Two turkeys are cooked, knowing that we'll only make our way through one at Thanksgiving dinner and that the second bird will be reserved for turkey-cranberry-stuffing sandwiches the next day.
Though the classic turkey sandwich leftover meal is tried and true, this Thanksgiving might be a good time to push your houseguests a step outside of their comfort zone by cooking up a big batch of Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Curry.
This dish comes together in about 30 minutes, is spicy, warming, and best of all, uses up those Thanksgiving leftovers in a totally new way. Feel free to use creative license when cooking this dish — the more leftovers utilized, the better. Have leftover green beans, Brussels sprouts or snap peas? Toss them in at the very end just to warm them through. Spinach, collards or chard are perfect alternatives to kale, and sweet potatoes or any other winter squash would be great in place of the butternut.
Make a big pot of brown rice, or better yet, serve this over leftover rice pilaf, quinoa or whatever grain you served at Thanksgiving. If you don't have any grains in the house, serve with leftover bread to sop up all the curry sauce.
Keep the party going into the weekend by serving this dish up with a glass of Prophecy Pinot Noir. The fruit-forward wine is the perfect balance for the subtle curry heat in this dish.
Start a new Thanksgiving tradition this year by serving your guests leftover curry!
Brought to you by our friends at Prophecy Wines.
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 small butternut squash
- 2 cups kale
- 2 cups leftover turkey
- 1 lime
- 4 tablespoons basil
- Heat coconut oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, onion and curry paste and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The paste will stick to the bottom of the pot — that's OK.
- Add tomatoes, coconut milk and fish sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Cut the heat down to medium, add butternut squash and stir to cover with liquid. Cover pot and cook for 12 minutes or until squash is nearly cooked through. Add kale and turkey and cook for 2-3 minutes until turkey is warmed through and kale is wilted.
- Spoon into four bowls, garnish with fresh basil and serve with a lime wedge.