Thanksgiving leftovers: Cranberry turkey casserole
Leftovers, leftovers, leftovers. One of the most important Thanksgiving traditions. And I love them. I purposely make a bigger turkey than we will ever eat so I have lots of extra for sandwiches and soups and all manner of things.
Truthfully, I make extra everything, and though I share a great deal of it with family, I always make sure plenty stays in my fridge. I’m not one to venture forth from the house on Thanksgiving weekend – I just like to spend it with a good book, a few movies and lot of leftovers. When you move into the week after the holiday and life has gotten back to normal, it is nice to have a good weeknight casserole that uses up some of that turkey, Or this is a great casserole for a post-feast meal with friends and relatives that stayed the weekend. It’s easy to put together but extends the holiday flavor.
Planning leftovers is part of my pre-Thanksgiving shopping list I love them so much. Grab an extra bag of cranberries and packet of sage with your shopping to make this, and you can make the breadcrumbs from leftover rolls or sandwich bread.
Cranberry turkey casserole
Serves 6
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup diced onion
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh sage
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (I prefer Bell’s)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups soft breadcrumbs
3 cups chopped cooked turkey
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the butter in the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish and put the dish in the oven for a few minutes until the butter melts. Remove the dish from the oven and swirl to cover the bottom with butter.
2. Spread the cranberries and diced onion over the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle over the sugar and the chopped sage.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Stir in the salt, poultry seasoning and pepper, then fold in the bread crumbs and the chopped turkey. Spread this over the cranberries in the dish.
4. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes
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