Including easy diced turkey recipes and a meal plan
Table of Contents
When it comes to turkey, however, small your bird, there always seems to be leftovers.
While there’s still a place for the humble turkey sandwich; you really can do a lot with this versatile lean meat.
If you are scared of using leftover meat, then please don’t be! Make sure your turkey is completely cool before you refrigerate, and freeze within the first 90 minutes if possible.
Leaving the turkey on the kitchen side all day may make it unsafe to eat, so before you sit down, decide what you’re doing to do with it.
Leftover turkey should be eaten within two days but can be frozen for up to three months. Freeze it in portions, but sealing it in a reuseable freezer bag or container and labeling it up.
If you’re putting your turkey in the fridge, then place it in the middle shelf, saving your bottom half for any raw meat or fish.
Leftover turkey recipes
If you are looking for leftover turkey recipes or slow cooker recipes that you can use chicken or turkey in then make sure you have a look at:
15 Leftover Turkey Recipes That Can Be Made From Your Christmas Dinner – These are leftover turkey recipes that are great for Christmas leftovers or Boxing day meals.
31 Aldi Slow Cooker Recipes For The Whole Family – This gives you a month of slow cooker recipes and a weekly meal plan that can help you cook homemade food for less. Perfect for beginner cooks.
7 Gammon Slow Cooker Recipes That Are Budget Friendly – These are great for over the Christmas period when you need to use up all your meat.
Free Meal Plan and Shopping List Ideas
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Everything is included from budget planners to meal plans and pre-made shopping lists plus a link to our Money Saving Mums Facebook group!
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Easy dinner ideas
If you are new to cooking or are looking for new meals to eat for the whole family then have a look at Spicentice*.
They send out packets of spices with easy to follow instructions so you can make a meal from scratch.
They are great to use if you are new to cooking from scratch or if you are looking to get your family eating new budget-friendly meals and have no clue where to start.
We tried them at the start of this year and loved them. We got stuck in a food rut and they helped by giving us ideas while keeping our food budget really low.
We made the below meals using Spicentice. Try them for yourself here:
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie For Just 82p Per Portion
Spaghetti Meatball Recipe For 73p a Head
Easy Chicken Fajita Recipe: A Family Meal for 94p a Person
Chinese Chicken Curry For Just £1.54 For 4
Really Easy Homemade Beef Burgers For Under £1 a Head
The Best Southern Fried Chicken Recipe For Under £1 a Head
11 Diced Turkey Recipes
These diced turkey recipes are also great in the slow cooker too. You can use turkey breast if you don’t have any leftover turkey from another meal.
You can use frozen vegetables or even use chicken if you have that in the freezer. We use chicken stock that can be brought cheaply from any supermarket.
Turkey Stir Fry
This turkey fried rice with egg recipe is really simple and quick to cook, and is perfect for all your leftover Christmas turkey or as a quick dinner with any meat leftovers you have. You can even serve it with chicken or beef if that’s what you have as leftovers. Read how to make our Turkey Stir Fry recipe for under £1 a head here.
Handful Turkey £1.87
2 Egg 14p
250g Rice 31p
60g Frozen Peas 5p
2 tsp Soy Sauce 4p
100g frozen onion 15P
100g frozen peppers 13p
Total: £2.69 = 67p a head for 4 people
(Prices current at time of publishing)
Turkey ragu
This ragu is a really easy recipe that is great on evenings that you are struggling. You can cook the sauce in a slow cooker too if you prefer.
150g turkey breasts, diced £1.20
3 tbsp olive oil 10p
1 onion 10p
2 garlic cloves 10p
¼ tsp chilli flakes 5p
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes 70p
1 tbsp brown sugar 10p
150ml whole milk 30p
1 lemon juice 5p
3g rigatoni pasta 70p
Total: £3.40 = 85p per person for four people
Crispy chilli turkey noodles
These turkey noodles are a great quick dinner. You can use mince turkey or diced turkey depending on what you have. If you like your food spicy then make sure you have a look at Spicentice for small pouches of spice goodness.
500g turkey mince or square diced £2.70
10g dried ginger 5p
1 large garlic clove 10p
3 tbsp honey 20p
3 tbsp soy sauce 10p
350g dried udon noodles £1
2 tbsp lemon juice 10p
2 large carrots 8p
4 spring onions, shredded 39p
Total: £4.72 = £1.18 per person for four people
Turkey Egg Fried Rice
This is really easy to make and quick to cook, this turkey egg fried rice stir fry is cheap and cheerful. Bung anything in and you have dinner for the family for just 67p a head.
Handful Turkey £1.872
Egg 14p
250g Rice 31p
60g Frozen peas 5p
2 tsp Soy sauce 4p
100g Frozen onion 15P
100g Frozen peppers 13p
Total: £2.69 = 67p a head for 4 people
Turkey Carcass Soup
This turkey carcass soup does take around 2 hours to cook, but it can be left to its own devices in a pan or slow cooked overnight to get all the turkey off.
Turkey carcass
250g Potatoes 31p
125g Carrots 31p
100g Frozen onion 15p
100g Cabbage 31p
400g Tin tomatoes 34p
1 tsp Worchester sauce 2p
Herbs 4p
Total: £1.48 = 37p a head for 4 people
Baked Turkey Pesto Alfredo
This baked turkey pesto alfredo is a really simple dish that my kids love! Perfect for defrosted turkey and dice it as small as you want.
25g Butter 14p
25g Plain flour 9p
600ml Milk 26p
350g Pasta 24p
Handful turkey £1.87
100g Cheese 95p
400g Tin tomatoes 34p
3 tbs Pesto 5p
Total: £3.94 = 98p per head for 4
Leftover Turkey Stew
I love this turkey casserole recipe. My kids like the turkey diced really small and then whizzed with my hand blender, but the recipes says just chucks is fine.
200g Frozen Onions 30p
1 Apple 32p
Herbs 5p
25g Plain flour 9p
300ml Stock 10p
2 tbsp Honey 5p
Handful of turkey £1.87
50g Whole red cabbage 15p
100g Whole roasting potatoes 15p
62g Whole carrots 15p
Total: £3.63 = 90p a head for 4 people
Easy Creamy Turkey and Pepper Pasta
This creamy turkey pasta is a delicious budget-friendly recipe that is low fat and makes a great dinner recipe for the whole family. You can use chicken or turkey or whatever meat you have. Read how to make our creamy pasta dish here.
100g Lightest Philadelphia 80p
125g Wholemeal pasta 14p
125g Frozen peppers 25p
125g Cherry tomatoes 25p
10g Garlic 2p
400g Frozen chicken breasts £2.54
Total: £4 that’s £1 a head.
Turkey Korma
We all have our favourite curry recipe, but I like this one as it’s easy to make.
There’s loads of recipes out there. I like this turkey korma because the kids will actually eat it, but I amend when goes in depending on what I have in the cupboards.
Turkey £1.87
25g Natural yogurt 4p
100g Frozen onion 15p
2 Garlic cloves 2p
Herbs 5p
25g Plain flour 9p
50ml Double cream 16p
10g Caster sugar 6p
20g Ginger 10p
Total: £2.54 = 63p a head for 4 people
Turkey Meatballs
These turkey meatballs come in at 1p over, but they are so lush. They go with anything. My kids eat them by themselves!
Handful turkey £1.87
50g Frozen onion 7p
227g Pork sausage meat £1.75
Bread crumbs 20p
Egg 7p
Tsp Worcestershire sauce 5p
2 tsp flour 4p
Total: £4.05 = £1.01 per head for 4
Related Posts:
- The Ultimate £1 Per Head Budget Meal Planning List
- A Fabulous Traditional Christmas Dinner For Under £4 a Head
- 21 Cheap Meals for a Week for a Family
Turkey Smothered Sweet Potatoes
Really simple to make. My kids cover theirs in cheese like this turkey smothered sweet potato recipe but I don’t, as I think they’re sweet enough.
4x Sweet potato 44p
Handful turkey £1.87
50g Frozen onion 7p
5 tsp Tomato sauce 5p
Can of kidney beans 30p
Total: £2.73 = 68p a person for 4
Laura x
If you enjoyed this post and would like some more family friendly budget recipes or meal plan ideas, then head over to the budget food section here on Savings 4 Savvy Mums where you’ll find over 30 cheap posts dedicated to helping you cook and shop wiser for less. There’s enough tips to help you save over £300 a month! You could also pop over and follow my family food Pinterest boards for lots more ideas on how to eat well and spend less; Family Meal Plans on a Budget, Budget Family Meals & Budget Slimming World Recipes for Families.
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Sue Newman
Thursday 22nd of November 2018
I would like to have a little help to lose weight don't know how to start Thanks