Looking for alternatives to the classic turkey curry for your Christmas dinner leftovers? This creamy Leftover Turkey Risotto is a fantastic way to turn leftover turkey into another filling and tasty family meal.
I love risotto. It’s always been one of my favourites, and the kids have started to enjoy them more as they’ve gotten older, which is great.
When it comes to making risotto, I like to keep things simple, especially if I’m making a Leftovers Risotto.
I think recipes can be overly complicated, which is the last thing that you want when you are trying to use up some leftover meat.
If you’ve got leftover turkey to use and don’t fancy the traditional turkey curry or turkey sandwiches, or you’ve got enough turkey to last for four years and you are looking to try some different things before you are sick of the sight of it, then this Christmas Leftover Turkey Risotto is perfect.
Other great options for leftover turkey include Turkey Stroganoff, Turkey Pasta Bake and Turkey Fried Rice.
Ingredients for Turkey Risotto
Bulking Out Leftover Turkey Risotto
Chances are, you’ve got tons of turkey.
Most of us spend days trying to get rid of it. But, if you’ve had a big family Christmas, or you just want to add some extra flavours, you can bulk out your Risotto with Leftover Turkey with other things.
Leftover Turkey and Ham Risotto would be lovely. Just throw in some roughly chopped ham.
Adding extra vegetables is always a great option too.
Adding Extra Veg to Leftover Turkey Risotto
I love a simple Turkey and Leek Risotto, but Turkey and Mushroom Risotto is also fab, and mushrooms and leeks are great together, so you could absolutely add both.
Just fry sliced mushrooms with the leeks and onions.
I also love to add frozen peas and corn to risotto. It’s a really simple and cheap way to add extra veg and some new flavours to a meal.
Just throw in a bowl of peas and/or corn towards the end. When there’s about 10 minutes left of adding stock.
Turkey and Pea Risotto especially would be lovely.
Adding Leftover Veg to Risotto
If you’ve got loads of turkey, chances are you might also have some leftover vegetables.
Things like carrots and broccoli can just be cut up small and stirred through towards the end of cooking like you would if you were adding frozen peas.
Can You Freeze Turkey Risotto?
Disclaimer: While I aim to be as accurate as possible, any advice in this post, including but not limited to, cooking times, quantities, nutritional information and storage and freezing guidance is based on my own experience. Please use your own skills, knowledge and judgement, and get up to date food safety information.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend freezing turkey risotto because you’ve already heated the turkey up twice, and every time you reheat, the risks grow.
You can, however, freeze the original leftover turkey and thaw it to make this risotto recipe at a later date so that it’s still only ever reheated twice.
Can You Make This Risotto with Uncooked Turkey?
Risotto with Turkey is always lovely, and turkey is wonderfully lean and healthy, so this would be a fantastic family midweek meal at any time of the year.
I often make it with diced turkey breasts or turkey steaks.
Just brown the meat in a pan with a little oil, remove and then follow this recipe as it is.
Can You Use Leftover Chicken for Risotto?
This Recipe for Risotto with Leftover Turkey can easily be used for leftover chicken too. Just follow it as it is.
What to Serve with Leftover Turkey Risotto?
Leftover Roast Turkey Risotto is a full meal on its own. You don’t need to serve with anything at all.
You could add some garlic bread or a side salad if you wanted.
Top Tips for Making Turkey Risotto
People are overwhelmed by the idea of making risotto. You have to stir constantly. It shouldn’t be mushy. The rice shouldn’t be crunchy. It shouldn’t be dry, but not too wet either. You don’t need cream. You should always use butter. There are so many rules.
But you know what? This is your Easy Turkey Risotto Recipe.
Don’t be a risotto snob, do it your way.
If your kids are more likely to enjoy a mushier or wetter risotto, go for it, and add more stock.
If you don’t like wine, miss it.
Generally, my top risotto tips are:
- Keep the stock warm. You don’t want to be reheating every ladle that you add. This will increase the time it takes to cook the rice. I keep mine in a large pan over a very low heat on the hob.
- You don’t need to stir constantly. Once it’s simmering, the rice agitates itself, creating a creamy Turkey Risotto. Stir often to help it along and avoid it sticking to the bottom, but you don’t need to stir that much so that your arm drops off.
- I like my rice to be al dente so that you can feel the grains but soft enough to enjoy. This takes about 20 minutes and usually just under a litre of stock. Add more if you prefer softer rice and less if you like firmer.
- I like my risotto to be a bit saucy but thick. So when you run your spatula down the middle, it leaves a groove that takes a while to fill.
You can read more of my risotto tips on my sausage risotto post here.
What to Do with Risotto Leftovers?
Because you are using leftover turkey, which has already been heated up twice, I don’t recommend saving any leftovers.
Leftover Turkey Risotto
Ingredients
- 500 g Leftover Turkey (Chopped into rough chunks)
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Onion (Finely Diced)
- 1 Leek (Sliced)
- 250 g Arborio Rice
- 200 ml White Wine
- 1 Teaspoon Thyme
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 1 Litre Chicken Stock
- 50 g Parmesan (Grated + Extra to serve)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan on the hob.
- Add the leek and onion and fry for 5 minutes until soft – stirring often.
- Add the rice and stir well until covered in butter (add a little more if you feel you need to).
- Reduce the heat, pour in the wine, and simmer until absorbed, stirring often.
- Stir through the turkey and thyme.
- Add a ladle of stock, and stir, simmer until absorbed, stirring often.
- Repeat for 20 minutes and taste carefully.
- Continue adding stock if the rice isn’t yet cooked to your liking, checking after every ladle.
- Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir through the parmesan.
Notes
- If you are making with fresh turkey, brown in the pan in a little oil first, before removing to one side, and following this recipe.
- I use a dry white wine.
- Use turkey stock if you have it, don’t worry if not.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
