The best things to make with your Christmas dinner leftovers – from curry to pasta bakes

The is always an exciting time – and each year it seems to start earlier and earlier.

It’s never too soon to start preparing. By now, you should have an idea about what food to buy, where you’ll and perhaps even have a budget set.

With an abundance of Christmas food ads flooding TV screens the question is: how much is too much? Pigs in blankets, mini burgers, luxury mince pies, brandy butter and the all-important juicy turkey – the list seems endless!

But what happens once we’ve watched the King’s Speech and there’s still so much food left over?

At this point, the eyes-bigger-than-belly syndrome has kicked in and there’s probably enough food to last the next three to four days. So, the next big riddle is: what recipes can you come up with to use your over supply?

Turkey pasta bake

This cheesy pasta bake is the perfect way to transform your festive leftovers into a mouth-watering meal. It’s quick, easy, and bursting with flavour.

Ingredients

• Leftover turkey, shredded or chopped
• 200g pasta (penne or fusilli works best)
• 100g bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil (olive or vegetable)
• 200ml pasta sauce (your favourite jarred sauce or homemade)
• 100ml double cream
• 100ml pasta cooking water (about 3½fl oz)
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 100g grated cheese (cheddar or a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)

Method

Cook the pasta

Half-fill a large saucepan with water, bring to the boil, and cook the pasta for around 10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water (about 100ml) for later.

Prepare the oven and dish

Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan) or Gas Mark 6. Lightly oil a large, shallow lasagne dish (roughly 2.5 litre/4½ pint) or a similar-sized pie dish.

Fry the bacon and onion

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and onion, frying for 8 minutes or until golden and slightly crispy.

Make the sauce

Stir in the pasta sauce and cream, then add a large ladleful of the reserved pasta cooking water (about 100ml). Bring the mixture to a simmer, allowing it to thicken slightly. Add the leftover turkey and season with ground black pepper.

Combine pasta and sauce

Drain the cooked pasta in a colander, then return it to the saucepan. Pour in the sauce and mix well until the pasta is fully coated.

Bake the dish

Transfer everything into the prepared lasagne dish, then sprinkle generously with the grated cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to turn golden.

Serve

Once baked, serve hot and even go as far as putting the plates in the oven before serving. Then, enjoy the goodness of utilising the leftovers!

Perfect for off days

The preparation time for this dish is less than 30 minutes, with a cooking time of 30 minutes to 1 hour, which is not so bad in comparison to all the preparation that went into the Christmas dinner.

Winter vegetable curry

If you’ve over done it with carrots, parsnips and caramelised onions – not to mention all those other vegetables – why not get creative and switch things up with a warming vegetable curry? Perfect for those chilly evenings, this fragrant dish works well with almost everything in the pantry!

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp coconut or olive oil: 4 tbsp coconut or olive oil
• 1 tbsp black mustard seeds: 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
• 10 fresh or 20 dried curry leaves: 10 fresh or 20 dried curry leaves
• 150g/5½oz shallots, finely sliced: 150g/5½oz shallots, finely sliced
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely sliced: 3 large garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 40g/1½oz ginger, peeled and finely chopped: 40g/1½oz ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 30g/1oz fresh coriander, stalks finely sliced, leaves roughly chopped: 30g/1oz fresh coriander, stalks finely sliced, leaves roughly chopped
• ½–1 red chilli, finely sliced: ½–1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 2 tsp ground turmeric: 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk: 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
• 150ml/5fl oz vegetable stock or water: 150ml/5fl oz vegetable stock or water
• 600g/1lb 5oz cooked seasonal vegetables (such as parsnips, roast potatoes, carrots or squash): 600g/1lb 5oz cooked seasonal vegetables (such as parsnips, roast potatoes, carrots or squash)
• 200g/7oz cooked greens (such as Brussels sprouts, cavolo nero, chard, spinach or kale): 200g/7oz cooked greens (such as Brussels sprouts, cavolo nero, chard, spinach or kale)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper: salt and freshly ground black pepper
• cooked rice or naan breads, to serve

Method

Heat the oil and prepare the aromatics

Begin by heating oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Toss in the mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop, then add the curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds to release their aromatic oils.

Saute shallots, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks

Next, stir in the shallots, garlic, ginger, and coriander stalks. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the shallots soften and begin to caramelise.

Add chilli, tumeric and coconut Milk

Once the shallots are tender, add in some or all of the chilli (depending on your spice preference) and the turmeric. Let it cook for another minute before pouring in the coconut milk and vegetable stock (or water).

Simmer and adjust seasoning

Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for five minutes to let the flavours mingle. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

Add vegetables and final simmer

Add the vegetables and return the mixture to a simmer. Cook for another five minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the fresh coriander leaves for a burst of flavour.

Finish with fresh coriander and serve

Serve this fragrant comforting dish hot with rice or naan bread.

Christmas leftover sandwich

There is nothing better than a delicious BLT – in this case, turkey, lettuce and tomato – from your local deli. But its even better during the Christmas season, when you can enjoy it all from the comfort of your home. Around Christmas time – or all year round if you prefer things a little fancier – luxury foods are on the menu and all the best of the best foods can be packed into your Christmas sandwich!

Ingredients  

• 3 slices of sourdough bread (any bread works just as well)
• 150ml leftover turkey gravy, warmed
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise 2-3 slices leftover turkey
• 4-5 leftover pigs in blankets
• 1 tbsp Collection cranberry and port sauce
• 1 tbsp Collection festive chutney
• 2-3 slices leftover Christmas cheeses, such as brie or stilton
• 2 gherkins, to serve (optional)
• Handful spinach, leftover vegetables or rocket, to serve

Method

Toast the sourdough bread

Toast the sourdough bread, then soak one of the slices in the gravy. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan.

Make gravy mayo

Add another splash of the gravy to the mayonnaise and mix to make a gravy mayo. Spread this on the other two sourdough slices.

Build your sandwich

Build your sandwich by layering up turkey, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, chutney and cheese on either side of the gravy-soaked bread, all sandwiched between the mayonnaise-covered slices.

Wrap and bake

Next, wrap the whole sandwich tightly in some foil. Place it onto a tray and into the oven for around 10-15 minutes. Serve with gherkins, rocket or spinach or leftover veg, if you like.

Serve and enjoy!