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Turkey Croquettes

These crispy Turkey Croquettes reinvent leftovers in a most delicious way. Serve them with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of cranberry sauce for a scrumptious post holiday meal.

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Easy Leftover Turkey Croquettes Recipe

If you’re fortunate enough to have holiday leftovers, it’s the ideal opportunity to transform them into something really delicious. Enter croquettes. Croquettes rolls off the tongue a little more smoothly than leftover turkey mashed potato cakes, doesn’t it? That being said, this downhome transformation is bound to hit the spot.

ingredients-to-make-turkey-croquettes

How to Make the Best Turkey Croquettes Recipe

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade leftover Turkey Croquettes: Chopped cooked turkey, mashed potatoes (cold), shredded cheddar cheese, butter, all purpose flour, fresh sage, fresh thyme, green onions, large eggs, garlic salt, lemon pepper, Creole or Cajun seasoning, grated Parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs for the coating. You’ll also need vegetable oil or butter for frying plus sour cream and cranberry sauce for serving.
  • Kitchen gadgets you’ll need: Medium size bowl, measuring cups and spoons, cheese grater, a large skillet, plates or shallow bowls for the coating, a sharp knife and chopping board, a medium size scoop, a turning spatula and a rubber spatula or spoon for mixing everything together.
  • The turkey needs to be fairly finely chopped to combine with the remaining ingredients.
  • Since you know the seasonings used for making your roasted turkey and mashed potatoes, you may need to adjust the amounts of seasonings called for in this croquettes recipe. For example, you may need to pull back on the salt or add less Cajun seasoning.
  • If you don’t have garlic salt, use table salt to your taste and add granulated garlic instead.
  • These turkey croquettes work best and hold together better when using cold mashed potatoes.
  • I prefer the crunch of panko breadcrumbs for this recipe. You could adapt using fresh or Italian seasoned bread crumbs, if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Sharp white cheddar cheese not only helps bind the filling along with the eggs, but expands the flavor profile. I’ve used Gruyere, Swiss and other robust flavors of cheese with spectacular results. If you have good old cheddar or Colby cheese on hand rest assured, it will work fine.
  • You can make and shape these turkey croquettes and freeze them for a future meal. Gently cook from frozen, adding time as needed to heat all the way through.
  • Store leftover Turkey Croquettes chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet or in the microwave in single serving portions.
leftover-turkey-croquettes-recipe

More Turkey Recipes to Make

Leftover turkey can be stretched into another complete meal for the family, as well it should be for this frugal cook. A few other leftover turkey recipes you may like to add to the menu:

easy-turkey-croquettes

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Turkey Croquettes

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: leftover-turkey-recipes, turkey-crouquettes-recipe
Servings: 14 servings (may vary)
Calories: 180kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups finely chopped leftover turkey
  • 2 cups cold mashed potatoes (mashed with butter and milk)
  • 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt adjust to taste
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • vegetable or olive oil for frying
  • cranberry sauce and sour cream for serving

Instructions

  • Add turkey, mashed potatoes and cheese to a medium-size mixing bowl.
  • Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté green onion, sage and thyme for 1-2 minutes just until softened.
  • Remove from heat and add to mixing bowl with flour, garlic salt, Cajun seasoning lemon pepper and eggs. Mix until fully combined and the ingredients are evenly distributed.
  • In a shallow bowl, whisk together panko and Parmesan cheese.
  • Use a standard size ice cream scoop to divide the mixture. Drop into crumbs and roll pressing crumbs onto each croquette.
  • Drizzle a non stick skillet or griddle with vegetable oil. Cook croquettes over medium-high heat in batches for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden. Add additional oil to the pan between batches. (Wipe out skillet between batches, when needed.) Remove to a platter and keep warm.
  • Serve immediately topped with sour cream and cranberry sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 439mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

 

4 Comments

  1. Turkey Croquettes turned out amazing! I had an extra cooked turkey breast, which yielded 6 cups of chopped turkey pieces. I doubled the recipe and the results were flavorful and satisfying. This recipe is a great use of leftovers!

  2. Each time I open my email and see your pretty face I know something will be delicious
    and good to eat. Thank you stay well.

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