Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (2024)

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By Sarah Rossi

on Dec 27, 2022, Updated Mar 29, 2023

4.73 from 43 votes

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After the Christmas chaos and commotion has died down and we’re left with surplus roast turkey, there’s only one thing I will do with it every year...

My Easy Leftover Turkey Curry is just about all that I can manage to summon the energy for because it’s quick and easy, but the bonus is that cold turkey makes a really special curry too!

Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (2)

Well we’ve eaten all the cheese we can lay our hands on, we’ve gorged on anything in pastry and chocolate, and in the days after Christmas I don’t want to look at another pig in a blanket or mince pie.

It’s time to change it up and get those different flavours and spices we’ve forgotten about for the last few weeks. And the best thing about this recipe is, it’s an economical and easy way to use leftovers and make sure that big expensive bird we’ve worked so hard on doesn’t go to any waste!

Why you’ll love this recipe

⭐️ Perfect for Christmas Dinner leftovers

⭐️ Other easy store cupboard ingredients

⭐️ An added dose of vegetables after festive excess!

Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (3)

About this Leftover Turkey Curry

Apart from bubble and squeak, one of my absolute favourite Christmas dishes is this Easy Leftover Turkey Curry. It’s easy, quick, healthy (no cream!) and packed with veg for a dose of goodness after aaalll the calories.

I love the simplicity of being able to throw together a big pot of this at any point when I feel like I want to get off the sofa at Twixmas. It’s also such a forgiving one-pot recipe as you can also adjust the ingredients to fit the amount of turkey you have left.

What you’ll need

  • Onions – Use frozen to save time if you have it
  • Garlic – The pre-made kind or frozen is fine
  • Ginger – Same as above
  • Curry paste – Whichever is your preference
  • Butternut squash – Again, I use frozen pre-chopped for convenience
  • Tinned tomatoes
  • Vegetable stock
  • Red lentils
  • Leftover turkey
  • Mango chutney
  • Baby spinach
  • Sea salt

How to make it

Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (4)

1. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and curry paste to a pan with oil and cook gently for about 10 minutes. Add the butternut squash, passata, about half of the stock and lentils.

Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (5)

2. Add the turkey and mango chutney. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the spinach and pop the pan lid on for 5 minutes until wilted.

Hint: Stir occasionally and add more of the stock as and when needed.

Substitutions

  • Vegetables – You can swap the butternut squash with other vegetables if you like, or use them all.

Leftovers

In the fridge Technically, you shouldn’t reheat food more than once, according to the Food Standards Agency. So if your turkey was roasted on Christmas Day and then reheated to make this curry, really you should be eating it straight away. That said, I have done this before and it was fine, ensuring the food was piping hot.

In the freezer If you want to make this to freeze, omit the turkey at step 4, then add it to the sauce when it is cold, and then freeze. This way it hasn’t been reheated and is safe to do so after defrosting.

Top tips

If you don’t have curry paste

If you’re making this from what you have lying around in the store cupboard and are determined not to go out to the shops for a while, you can easily make your own sauce instead. Make it up using onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, curry powder and passata.

Serving suggestion

Serve it up with rice, poppadoms and more mango chutney, and you could garnish with coriander if you’re that way inclined.

FAQ

Can I make turkey curry in the slow cooker?

Yes! Just add everything into the slow cooker apart from the cooked turkey, spinach and mango chutney.

Put the lid on and cook for 5-6 hours on HIGH or 8-9 on LOW. Then add the turkey and cook on HIGH for 15-30 minutes until heated through.

Add the spinach and mango chutney before serving. The method can also be found in the recipe below.

Can you recommend a good pan for this dish?

I have tried-and-tested a number of one-pan pans, and I hope this review will help you! It’s so important to get a good one that works for you because they get used a lot.

I have more leftover turkey than this recipe shows. What should I do?

I would tailor this recipe around the weight of the turkey you have as the sauce ingredients are simple and inexpensive, so it seems silly to have leave any meat to waste.

Use this recipe as a guide using 500g of turkey, and work out your measurements accordingly. For example, 250g of turkey means halve the ingredients, 1lb and double it instead.

Don’t forget to use the plain old taste test too. You can be a little relaxed with this dish.

Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.

Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).

Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (6)

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4.73 from 43 votes

Easy Leftover Turkey Curry

By Sarah Rossi

This Leftover Turkey Curry recipe is the perfect post-Christmas dish. It's easy, quick, deliciously tasty. This wholesome turkey curry has added lentils, butternut squash and spinach for a dose of extra goodness.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp Olive oil
  • 250 g Chopped onions, See notes
  • 1 tbsp Chopped garlic, See notes
  • 1 tbsp Grated ginger, See notes
  • 150 g Curry paste, Whichever type you like
  • 500 g Butternut squash, See notes
  • 400 g Tinned tomatoes
  • 500 ml Vegetable stock
  • 100 g Red lentils
  • Generous pinch of sea salt
  • 500 g Leftover turkey
  • 4 tbsp Mango chutney
  • 200 g Baby spinach

To serve:

  • Rice, poppadoms, more mango chutney
  • Coriander, to garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pan over a low heat.

  • Add the onions, garlic, ginger and curry paste and cook gently for about 10 minutes until soft.

  • Add the butternut squash, passata and about half of the stock. Add the lentils, stir well and pop a lid on. Leave to cook down for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more of the stock as and when needed.

  • When the lentils and butternut squash are soft and cooked through, add in the turkey and mango chutney. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes, again, adding a splash more stock when needed.

  • Turn off the heat, add the spinach and pop the pan lid on for 5 minutes until wilted.

  • Serve with rice, poppadoms and more mango chutney.

To SLOW COOK:

  • Add everything into the slow cooker apart from the cooked turkey, spinach and mango chutney.

  • Put the lid on and cook for 5-6 hours on HIGH or 8-9 on LOW.

  • Add the turkey and cook on HIGH for 15-30 minutes until heated through.

  • Add the spinach and mango chutney before serving. (The heat of the curry will wilt the spinach).

Notes

Onions: I cheated and used frozen for speed, if using fresh this will be about 2 medium onions

Garlic: I used frozen. This would be about 3 gloves

Ginger: Again, I used frozen, this would be about a 1 inch piece of fresh.

Butternut squash: Cubed (again, I used frozen!)

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 24gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 137mgPotassium: 1095mgFiber: 8gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 9475IUVitamin C: 33.7mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Family Food, Indian

Like this? Leave a comment and rating below!Mention @myusername or tag #myhashtag!

Categorized as:
Batch Cook, Chicken, Christmas Recipes, Curry, Freezer Friendly, Main Courses, Recipes

Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (7)

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Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (12)

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Hi, I'm Sarah. I help busy people decide 'What's for Dinner?' Find hundreds of recipes here, and also in my bestselling recipe book. Hope my recipes make your life easier ❤️

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10 Comments

  1. Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (13)
    Made this tonight! Another great easy recipe Sarah – Thank you. Total winner with leftovers for work tomorrow. Fab! Xx

    Reply

  2. Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (14)
    Y go to curry at the weekend. Sometimes use fresh chicken and whatever veg are in the fridge xx

    Reply

  3. Seriously never had a bad recipe from you – today, no exception. I added in some cauliflower and a splash of cream (it is Christmas) – fantastic curry!

    Reply

  4. Absolutely amazing as always thank you for the recipe ! Full of goodness and so yummy 😋

    Reply

  5. Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (15)
    Introduced to your Instagram by my lovely daughter in law, Sarah. Fantastic recipe and so easy to follow. Delicious and will definitely do it again. Thanks xx

    Reply

  6. Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (16)
    Winner winner turkey leftovers 😉

    Reply

  7. Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (17)
    I’ve made it this morning for little Ralph and he loves it! Fantastic recipe 😋😋

    Reply

  8. I have nightmares about turkey curry and turkey stew. We lived off the stuff after Xmas each year as children for literally months. It was always yellow, always with less meat than the last meal and always with added potatoes or vegetables to bulk it out. BUT, this could get rid of those nightmares. It looks lush and a great use of leftovers x

    Reply

  9. Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (18)
    Sarah this looks delicious! Love that it has so much goodness in it too, perfect after all my Christmas indulgence!

    Reply

  10. Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (19)
    I’ve had this Le Crueset dish for about 2 years and it’s still in its box so perfect reason so unpack it!

    Reply

Turkey Curry - Easy recipe for your Christmas leftovers! (2024)

FAQs

How long does leftover turkey curry last? ›

Recipe Tips

If you want to freeze your turkey curry for another day, cool the sauce down before adding the turkey. Mix the cold leftover turkey with the cold sauce and freeze. Add the spinach on reheating. The curry will freeze for up to three months.

Is it safe to reheat turkey curry? ›

Just remember that meat previously cooked and frozen should only be reheated once.

How long is leftover turkey good for? ›

USDA recommends using cooked turkey within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. Turkey can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Although safe indefinitely, frozen leftovers can lose moisture and flavor when stored for longer times in the freezer.

How long after Christmas can you eat turkey? ›

Your guide to post-holiday food safety. Health officials recommend eating or freezing turkey and other leftovers within three to four days.

What is the best Indian curry sauce in a jar? ›

  • Patak's Tikka Masala Curry Sauce. Patak's. ...
  • Gymkhana Vindaloo Cooking Sauce. Gymkhana. ...
  • Sharwood's Butter Chicken Mild Curry Sauce. Sharwood's. ...
  • Kohinoor Punjabi Karahi Cooking Sauce. Kohinoor. ...
  • Golden Coconut Curry Simmer Sauce. ...
  • Kalonji Curry Sauce. ...
  • Isle of Wight Tomatoes Makhani Tomato Curry Sauce 400g. ...
  • Karma Sauce - Curry Kats'up.
Mar 6, 2024

How do you reheat leftover turkey and keep it moist? ›

Place the turkey pieces in a baking dish and drizzle with a few tablespoons of stock and/or butter. Cover the dish with foil and heat in the oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave the sliced turkey (cover with a damp paper towel) in a microwave-safe dish at 50% power in 1-minute intervals.

Can you cook turkey on Christmas Eve? ›

With the phrase “you should cook your turkey on Christmas Eve” often suggested, we're here to tell you that you should cook your whole turkey (or crown) on the day itself – where possible of course! The extra ingredients are so simple, you're sure to have them already in your kitchen cupboards.

Can you eat leftover turkey on the 5th day? ›

Eat turkey within three to four days of cooking. If you use the turkey in a new dish like a soup or casserole, only consume within those initial four days. Another option is freezing the cooked turkey. Turkey can last up to four more months if frozen.

Is a 3 year old frozen turkey still good? ›

Frozen Turkey

Turkeys can be kept in the freezer indefinitely. However, cook turkeys within 1 year for the best quality.

How long are Christmas leftovers good for? ›

The food can sit on the table within a two-hour window, and if it's stored in the fridge in that time frame, it can be eaten as leftovers. While it depends on the food, it's usually safe to eat within the next two to three days, and it's essential food that was hot is reheated well.

Does milk make curry thicker? ›

For a rich and creamy curry, coconut milk or cream can be a fantastic thickening agent. They not only add creaminess but also a delightful tropical flavour. Simply pour in some coconut milk or cream and let it simmer until your sauce reaches the desired consistency.

When to add cream to curry? ›

Add lemon juice and salt to taste. Add in the chicken and continue to simmer the curry in the skillet on medium-low to medium until the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken has cooked through, add in the heavy whipping cream and stir.

Why does my curry taste watery? ›

It depends on the type of curry you are making. Curry becomes runny if it has more water content, so cook it for few more minutes to let the water evaporate and curry turns thick(this also turns flavors stronger). Also make sure not to overcook the curry. If it is more runny usually I add 1 tablespoon of besan flour.

Can a curry last 5 days in the fridge? ›

Cooked meat, poultry, and fish curries can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. However, it is important to heat and cool the meat dishes properly before refrigerating them and make sure you store them in airtight containers.

Can you eat chicken curry after 7 days? ›

4 days. Suppose you've prepared a meal with lots of ingredients, like chicken curry. In that case, you can keep it for as long as it's shortest fridge-life ingredient is safe. In the case of cooked chicken, this will be two days.

Is curry OK to eat after 3 days? ›

For the best quality and taste, it's recommended to eat the leftovers in 1-2 days. The type of curry might effect how long it will last in the refrigerator. Chicken curry is good up to 4 days, fish curry 2 days, while coconut curry will last about 2 days due to the short shelf life of coconut milk.

How long does turkey casserole last? ›

If you use the turkey in a new dish like a soup or casserole, only consume within those initial four days. Another option is freezing the cooked turkey. Turkey can last up to four more months if frozen.

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