by Texas Homesteader ~
After the feast is over, what do you do with all that leftover turkey & dressing? RancherMan loves when I make Turkey & Dressing Patties from them. It’s like Potato Cakes, but with turkey & dressing instead. Come see.
Aaaah the holidays. A special time of the year when friends and family gather to bask in the warmth of their 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??
Well when you’re tired of eating the same leftovers over & over again, the freezer can be your friend. Or my favorite: planned leftovers. That’s 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! Crispy 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 Leftovers for Turkey/Dressing Patties
(although my family has always called it dressing, some folks call it stuffing instead)
It’s pretty common for us to have leftover Roasted Turkey of course. And I’m making my own homemade Old Fashioned Southern Cornbread Dressing these days too. But whether you call it stuffing or dressing, it’s a treat for RancherMan & me. So it usually gets gobbled up quickly & doesn’t last enough to be leftovers in our household!
No worries, I’ve got a box of dressing mix in the pantry I’ll be using for this delightful leftovers meal. So if you don’t have leftover dressing, buy an inexpensive box of the commercial stuff. I promise it works great in this recipe.
Since I don’t have leftover dressing, first of course I need to whip up the stuffing mix. It’s pretty easy since it’s basically adding the mix to hot broth. Then I take some of the leftover turkey & the dressing I’d made, mince an onion & bell pepper and mix it all together.
I’ll add some bread crumbs and an egg for binding it all together. Then I roll it into about 2″ balls. The last step for me is to roll each ball in additional bread crumbs (because I love the crunchy outside that gives) Then I place them 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 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.
I cook the patties on each side until they’re golden brown and then bring them out to drain.
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.
Leftover Turkey & Dressing Patties
Leftover turkey & dressing made into a whole new (delicious) meal! What a great way to delight your family while eliminating food waste. It's delicious! #TexasHomesteader
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Leftover stuffing (can use 1 box stuffing mix, prepared)
- 2 cups Cooked, chopped turkey
- 1/2 cup Diced onion
- 1/4 cup Diced bell pepper
- 1/4 cup Bread crumbs
- 1 large Egg
- optional: Additional bread crumbs to coat
Instructions
Instructions:
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Add all ingredients together and mix to combine thoroughly. (If you don't have leftover stuffing, just make a box of stuffing mix according to the directions & use 3 cups of that prepared dressing instead)
-
In a skillet heat enough oil to cover bottom of skillet.
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Roll turkey mixture into approximately 2" balls.
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Roll in additional bread crumbs to coat if desired.
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Place in hot oil and press with the back of a spatula to flatten slightly.
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Cook until brown and flip to cook other side. Drain cooked patties on paper and serve hot.
~TxH~
Other Planned Leftover Posts
- Fast Food: Remaking Leftover Steak & Veggies
- Planned Leftovers: Easy Slow-Cooker Pork Roast
- How To Quickly Shred Leftover Roast
- Leftover Mashed Potatoes Into Potato Cakes
- Leftover Biscuit Dough? Make Cinnamon Rolls!
- Hearty Stew – Quickest Planned Leftover Meal Of All
- Pulled Pork Enchiladas From Leftover Roast
- Planned Leftovers: Carnitas Tacos From Pork Roast
- Leftover Meatloaf Made Into Quesadillas
- Leftover Chicken & Zucchini Noodles with Herb Bombs
- Chicken Tortilla Soup From Leftovers
- Chicken & Dumplings Using Leftover Chicken
- Using It ALL – The Art Of Eliminating Leftover Food
- Leftover Great Northern Beans Into HUMMUS
- Leftover Turkey & Dressing Into Patties
- Grilled Chicken & Veggies To Heat-n-Eat Fajitas
- Remaking Leftover Chili/Cheese Fries Into Frittata
Want to see other Meal Ideas?
- Poor Man’s Stuffed Steak (hamburger)
- Award-Winning Cowboy Chili
- Slow-Cooker Spicy Sticky Chicken
- Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Lasagne Cooked In Its Shell
- Savory Meatloaf
- Lazy Cook’s Chile Relleno
- Hot & Hearty Cabbage Stew
- Homemade Chicken & Dumplings
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole
- Meat-Stuffed Ravioli
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Homemade Pasta – Only 3 Ingredients!
- Southwest Chicken w/Seasoned Brown Rice
See All Our Recipes
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Be very careful draining fried food on newspapers as your food can absorb the ink, plus my Dad and I both are allergic to the ink in newspapers.
I don’t ever fry anything in oil – but use an air fryer. People, and there are many of us, that have IBS cannot eat anything fried or spicy. Most guests do not come out and tell you about their condition, but can suffer later that evening, and can even end up in the hospital.
Just something to keep in mind when having dinner guests for the holidays.
I used to be more concerned about drying fried foods on newspapers, but I’ve read that these days 90% of newspaper is printed using soy ink. Still, sometimes I just put the patties on the top of my 2-burner cast-iron griddle instead (with no paper under it). Depends on how greasy I feel it is coming out of the skillet. These turkey & dressing patties sure make good use out of Thanksgiving leftovers – RancherMan loves ’em and asks for them every year. LOL. Happy Holidays to you & yours! ~TxH~