Leftover Turkey Pasta Recipe (Creamy Carbonara)
Usually, people end up with some leftovers because they overestimated the guests’ capacities, or somebody didn’t show up. I don’t know about you, but I always end up with leftovers and that’s because I go by the rule: better to have extra than to have too little. The same thing happened during Thanksgiving last year when I had turkey breast leftovers. I figured that I will use those to make leftover turkey pasta recipe in the Italian way. That’s how leftover turkey carbonara was born!
What Is Carbonara?
Carbonara is a simple Italian pasta dish prepared with ham, eggs and hard cheese. Due to its creaminess, people think it has heavy cream. However, heavy cream is not used in traditional carbonara. You get a rich sauce by stirring raw eggs into hot pasta.
I prefer carbonara creamless, but I add it while reheating leftovers because the pasta absorbs moisture and the dish becomes too dry.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Carbonara?
To make this leftover turkey pasta dish, you will need 1 cup of leftover turkey, 2 cups of pasta, 4 eggs, 4 tablespoons of hard cheese such as Grana Padano, salt, and pepper. To be honest, turkey brings less flavor than ham or pancetta, and for that reason, I added some extra spices: paprika, dry oregano, and dry parsley.
First, slice the turkey leftovers and leave them aside. Now bring water to a boil, add salt and cook pasta according to the instructions on the packaging.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. To do that, whisk eggs, grated hard cheese and herbs together. Be careful because this step can be messy. In a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and then add turkey. The heat shouldn’t be too high because you just want to warm up the turkey, you don’t need to bake it.
Drain the pasta (don’t wash it!) and add it to the skillet with the turkey. Turn off the heat, and quickly add the egg mixture to the skillet. Stir everything vigorously so the eggs can cook. Note that you need to turn off the heat before adding the egg mixture because you want them cooked by hot pasta, rather than baked and grainy.
Serve leftover turkey carbonara immediately with some grated cheese on top, and enjoy!
How to Store Leftover Turkey Pasta?
If you end up with leftovers of leftover turkey pasta, store the dish in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated for up to two days. If you decide to reheat it, feel free to add half of the cup of heavy cream to the pasta and heat it up in a skillet.
What to Serve with Leftover Turkey Pasta?
Carbonara goes well with leafy greens, so my favorite side dish is definitely green salad made of baby spinach, kale and lettuce with Aceto Balsamico dressing. Alternatively, serve this dish with breaded broccoli and zucchini; grilled asparagus or a slice of hot crusty bread. You can always get creative with your sides and try new things. The most important thing is that you enjoy the flavors and have a great meal.
Leftover Turkey Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup turkey
- 2 cups pasta
- 4 eggs
- 4 tbsp hard cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dry oregano
- ½ tsp dry parsley
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Instructions
- First, slice the turkey leftovers and leave them aside. Now bring water to a boil, add salt and cook pasta according to the instructions on the packaging.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. To do that, whisk eggs, grated hard cheese and herbs together. Be careful because this step can be messy.
- In a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and then add turkey. The heat shouldn't be too high because you just want to warm up the turkey, you don't need to bake it.
- Drain the pasta (don't wash it!) and add it to the skillet with the turkey. Turn off the heat, and quickly add the egg mixture to the skillet. Stir everything vigorously so the eggs can cook. Note that you need to turn off the heat before adding the egg mixture because you want them cooked by hot pasta, rather than baked and grainy.
- Serve leftover turkey carbonara immediately with some grated cheese on top, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Before diving into the nutritional details, please review our Nutritional Disclaimer page for important context and clarifications.
