by Texas Homesteader ~ 

After the holiday feast is over, what do you do with all that leftover turkey & dressing? RancherMan loves when I make Turkey & Dressing Patties from the leftovers. Crispy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. Come see this simple recipe. 

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What To Do With Leftover Holiday Food?

Aaaah the holidays. A special time of the year when friends and family gather to bask in the warmth of relationships and enjoy some really good food.

So much food in fact that oftentimes the day afterward can leave you scratching your head.

Wow, there’s so much food leftover! What do I do with it all??

Of course part of the joy of the holiday is enjoying those leftovers. We like to fix a plate of our faves, heat it up and enjoy them that way for a while.

When you’re tired of eating the same leftovers over & over again, the freezer can be your friend. 

Or my favorite: planned leftovers. (where you make a whole new meal from those delicious leftovers.)

Take that turkey & dressing for instance. I repurpose them into turkey & dressing patties and RancherMan couldn’t be happier! Turkey/dressing patties topped with gravy is our favorite post-Thanksgiving meal.

They’re similar to Potato Cakes but with chopped leftover turkey, leftover dressing and a handful of sautéed onions. Mix it all together with an egg, form into a patty, coat with breadcrumbs, lightly fry them into crispy perfection and BOOM!

RancherMan always raves and asks for seconds. (and thirds…LOL) Chalk one up for eliminating food waste deliciously!

Gathering Holiday Leftovers for Turkey/Dressing Patties

(Although my family has always called it dressing, some folks call it stuffing instead)

It’s pretty common have leftovers from the two most popular Thanksgiving holiday foods:

• • • Carved Roasted Turkey

    • Old fashioned Cornbread Dressing

If you don’t have leftover dressing just use 3 cups prepared dressing from an inexpensive box of the commercial stuff. I promise it still works great in this recipe.

Making Leftover Turkey and Dressing Patties

To make my turkey & dressing patties I use these ingredients:

• • 2 Cups Chopped Cooked Turkey

  • 3 Cups Leftover Dressing

  • 1/2 Cup Minced Onion

  • 1/3 Cup Minced Bell Pepper

  • 1/4 cup Bread Crumbs

  • 1 Large Egg

I chop some of the leftover turkey, mince an onion & bell pepper, add a large egg & bread crumbs and mix it all all with leftover dressing.

Then I roll the mixture into about 2″ chunks.

The last step is to roll each chunk in additional bread crumbs (because I love the extra crunchy coating it gives but it’s optional)

Then I place each one in a skillet of hot grease and press lightly with my spatula to slightly flatten them.

Frying The Turkey/Dressing Patties

I typically prefer to use bacon grease for these because it’s plentiful, it’s free and it adds a nice flavor. But feel free to use whatever grease you prefer when frying these turkey & dressing patties.

I cook the patties on each side until they’re golden brown and then bring them out to drain.

How To Drain Fried Patties Without Using Paper Towels

In my Paperless Kitchen I haven’t purchased paper towels in more than a decade. So my method of draining fried foods is to lay them on a plate topped with black & white newspaper. The newspaper soaks up the excess grease and I’m ready to serve.

RancherMan loves these Turkey & Dressing Patties. If you give them a try, I’m guessing you’ll love them too.

Did you make these Turkey & Dressing Patties? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!

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