Delicious leftover turkey ideas for weekday meals

(NC) If you value not wasting food and prefer your leftovers to become an entirely different meal, this tasty recipe is the perfect way to repurpose your Thanksgiving extras.

“Cooked turkey, stuffing and cranberries are baked into a stuffing-like base in these ‘buddies’ — a name I give to any savoury, portable item that is baked in a muffin tin,” explains chef Anna Olson. “This recipe has all the familiar tastes and textures of a holiday dinner and makes creative use of your leftovers.”

Turkey and Stuffing Lunchbox “Buddies”

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Makes: 12

Ingredients:

• 4 cups diced 2-day-old multigrain bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 medium celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¾ tsp fine salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups cooked turkey, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 ½ cups grated Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a muffin tin with extra-large paper liners. If your bread feels soft (still fresh), spread cubes onto a baking tray and place in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes to dry them out. Cool bread before using.
2. Pulse onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped, but not liquefied. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add oil. Add vegetables and cook until softened and any liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. The gas cooktop on the LG ProBake Convection range is great for this, as the quick heat and fine-tuned temperature controls ensure that the onions won’t overbrown or stick, creating the flavour base for the “stuffing”. Stir in poultry seasoning and cranberries and stir 1 minute more. Set aside to cool.
3. Whisk eggs with mustard, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl; then whisk in stock. Add bread cubes and toss well to coat. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in turkey, cheese and veggies, tossing well.
4. Spoon this mixture into a muffin tin and bake for about 45 minutes, until the top of a “buddy” springs back when pressed. The LG ProBake Convection range ensures that these “buddies” bake quickly and brown nicely on top, while cooking easily all the way through.
5. Let the “buddies” cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before removing. Once cooled, they can be refrigerated or frozen, and reheated or enjoyed at room temperature.