Cozy Turkey Stew (with Leftovers)

When you’ve eaten just about all the turkey sandwiches you can stomach, it’s time to get a bit more creative with Thanksgiving leftovers. Enter: this decadent turkey stew. Chunky vegetables, shredded turkey, and a creamy, almost gravy-like broth come together in less than an hour for an irresistible seasonal bowl that fills your house with the aroma of a home-cooked holiday meal.

Use this recipe when you have leftover holiday turkey or make it a regular occurrence on your table by swapping in rotisserie or cooked chicken instead. Shredding the turkey adds a nice texture to the stew, but it can also be diced into bite-sized pieces. Don’t skip the fresh herbs, as both the sage and thyme are huge flavor components of the recipe. The heavy cream can be substituted with half-and-half for a slightly lighter finish, or try store-bought almond milk if you are dairy-free.

Turkey stew can be thickened with cornstarch, like we do in this recipe, or with flour. The heavy cream as well as the starch released when cooking the potatoes will also assist in thickening the stew. If you prefer to use flour over cornstarch, add the flour to the vegetable mixture after reducing the wine (rather than whisking it into 1/2 cup of the broth) and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute to toast the flour ever-so-slightly. Then stir in all of the broth. 

Cooked turkey will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days. If you have an abundance of cooked turkey meat, you can shred it and freeze in freezer-safe containers. Then defrost and use in the stew. 

A complete meal with protein, carbs, and vegetables on its own, you don’t need to prepare anything else to turn this stew into a fabulous meal. However, if you want to add a crusty loaf of bread to sop up the stew, go for it. A side salad complements this dish nicely, too. Also important: The rich fall flavors of this stew pair wonderfully with a robust red wine or a crisp white.