Every year when the Thanksgiving feast is over, I’m left with a pile of uneaten turkey sitting in my refrigerator. When I’m left with so much food waiting to be devoured, I always fall back on eight simple turkey leftover recipes that can easily be prepared on the weekend after Thanksgiving -- or frozen for a later date. In fact, these dishes are as much of a tradition in my house as the holiday dinner itself!

TO EAT THIS WEEKEND:

Turkey Wraps

• Shred leftover turkey onto tortillas
• Add sweet hoisin sauce and coleslaw and roll it up for a simple, yummy meal

BBQ Turkey Sandwich

• Add desired dose BBQ sauce to shredded turkey
• Heat the turkey in a slow cooker on warm for four to five hours
• Serve on hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls

Turkey Tacos

• Shred leftover turkey and place in a frying pan with taco seasoning (follow package instructions)
• Fill tacos with seasoned meat
• Serve with corn or flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, grated cheese and diced tomatoes

Turkey Pasta Salad

• Cook spiral-shaped pasta and cool
• Toss shredded turkey with pasta and salad dressing
• Add in toasted almonds or walnuts, diced celery, apples or other veggies

Turkey and Cheese Quesadilla

• Place shredded leftover turkey in frying pan with taco seasoning (follow package instructions)
• Place a flour tortilla in another frying pan and scoop on turkey mixture and shredded cheese
• Place a second flour tortilla on top and heat over medium heat, flipping every minute or so until cheese is melted and tortilla shell is lightly crisped

TO FREEZE FOR LATER:

Turkey Pot Pie

• Combine shredded leftover turkey with 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup and 1 can of peas and chopped carrots
• Season with salt, pepper and your favorite dried herbs
• Pour into a prepared 10-inch pie shell, cover with a second pie crust, score and let cool
• Wrap tightly with tin foil and plastic wrap, and freeze
• When ready to eat, remove from freezer and put in cold oven. Set oven to 365 F and bake for one hour

Turkey Soup

• Place the turkey bones into your slow cooker along with chopped carrots, onions and celery
• Add water until all of the turkey is submerged, then cook on low for three to four hours
• Remove bones. Add leftover turkey meat along with more carrots, celery and canned corn
• Salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook on low for another two to three hours, let cool, then freeze in plastic containers
• When you’re ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator, reheat on stove and serve over cooked egg noodles

Turkey, Broccoli and Cheese Bake

• In a large bowl, mix 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup of leftover turkey, cooked broccoli (chopped), 2 eggs, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pour the mixture into a buttered casserole dish
• Let cool and cover tightly with tin foil and plastic wrap to freeze
• When you’re ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator, top with Ritz cracker crumbs and bake at 375 F for 30 minutes

What kind of dishes do you like to create with turkey leftovers after the big Thanksgiving feast? Leave us a comment.