Creamy Leftover Turkey Casserole with Rice

Last Updated on September 17, 2023 by Ellen Christian

This leftover turkey casserole with rice is perfect to use up your Thanksgiving turkey! Try this creamy rice and turkey casserole today.

Leftover Turkey Casserole with Rice

Thanksgiving is Thursday and that means at this time next week, we will all have a refrigerator or freezer full of leftovers. But, don’t worry, there are lots of things you can use your leftovers in.

This Thanksgiving leftover sandwich recipe is one of our favorite ways to use up extra leftovers. Try it for an easy day after Thanksgiving recipe.

If you’re looking for more leftover recipes,  why not try Stuffing muffin cups with turkey and ranch. It’s a great way to use up stuffing.

 This rice and turkey casserole is the perfect way to use up any leftover meat you have.   Because this recipe uses rice instead of pasta, it is gluten-free so my daughter can enjoy it as well.

If you’re looking for an easy way to use up leftovers, one of the best things about this turkey casserole with rice is how versatile it is.  While I have used green peas in my recipe, if you have leftover broccoli, carrots, or green beans, you can easily substitute them for the peas.

I enjoy topping my dish with shredded Colby or Monterey Jack cheese but any type of shredded cheese would work well from Parmesan to Cheddar. If you aren’t worried about gluten, you could top this recipe with buttered breadcrumbs as well.

Can you freeze turkey?

Now that it is only my husband and me, we always have far too many leftovers after Thanksgiving.  I only want to eat leftovers so many times after the big day.

But, you can freeze the meat by dicing it and placing it in a freezer bag. Then, when you want it again for this rice and turkey casserole, you can defrost it and make this recipe.

All of the Pacific Soup Starters are gluten-free! Varieties include Beef Pho, Chicken Pho, Tom Yum, Tortilla, and Vegetarian Pho.  

While I used the  Pacific Soup Starter as a base for this Leftover Turkey Casserole with Rice, they also work wonderfully as a soup base.  Just heat up the soup base, add your favorite mix-ins, and serve!

Ready to eat in 30 minutes or less. Pacific Foods makes foods that are clean and simple, using only natural and organic grains, meats, and veggies, while trying to source as close to home as possible.

This combination of Greek yogurt and Pacific Soup Starters is a wonderful alternative for those that are trying to avoid cream of whatever soups. 

If your meat came out dry this year, learn how to inject a turkey with flavor. You’ll get moist, flavorful poultry every time using this method.

How do I store leftovers?

If you don’t eat all of this leftover rice and turkey casserole in one meal, you can store the leftovers in the refrigerator for three days. Just be sure that the dish is tightly covered.

You can then reheat it in the microwave. Times will vary based on the strength of your microwave and the size of the bowl.

FAQ – Leftover Turkey Casserole with Rice

Can I use noodles in this recipe?

If you want to use noodles instead of rice, you can certainly make this recipe that way. Just substitute egg noodles for the rice and adjust the amount of liquid you use based on the amount of noodles you cook. 

Creamy turkey recipe

If you want to make this with a creamier base, you can add more Greek yogurt. Or, you can make homemade cream of mushroom soup and use that instead.

Just be sure that it does not have too much liquid.

Pacific uses Tetra Pak packaging which requires fewer materials to create, to process, and to ship. And in many places, it’s even recyclable.

No worries about aluminum in your food with Tetra Pak. They also require no refrigeration, which saves energy, too.

Looking for something different? Try this turkey stuffing cranberry casserole next.

Is this recipe keto?

If you’re looking for a leftover turkey casserole recipe that’s keto, this one won’t work. You can substitute Konja rice which is Keto friendly.

However, you would need to modify the recipe quite a bit to make it keto. While dairy is allowed on the Keto diet, this one is pretty high in carbs given the Greek yogurt and the cheese.

If you want a low carb keto recipe, check out this one from My PCOS Kitchen.

Related Reading

• Baked rice pudding recipe
• Leftover roast ideas
• Recipes for leftover beef
• Wild rice with cranberries recipe

Continue to Content

Yield: 4

Leftover Turkey Casserole with Rice

Print

This leftover turkey casserole with rice is perfect to use up your Thanksgiving turkey! Try this creamy rice and turkey casserole today.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup cooked miniature peas
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• non-stick olive oil spray
• 1/2 onion, diced small
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 cups diced leftover turkey
• 1/2 cup Pacific Organic Vegetarian Pho soup starter
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain
• 2 cups grated Colby or Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cook the rice following manufacturer's directions.
3. Saute the onion and thyme in the olive oil until translucent.
4. Add the diced leftover turkey.
5. Stir in the cooked rice and combine.
6. Add the cooked miniature peas and carefully combine.
7. Mix the Greek yogurt, 1 cup of grated cheese and Pacific Organic Vegetarian Pho soup starter in a small bowl.
8. Pour over the rice mixture and combine.
9. Pour into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with non stock spray.
10. Cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until bubbling. Remove from oven and top with remaining grated cheese.
11. Return to oven for 10 minutes or until cheese topping is melted.

Notes

You can use leftover turkey, chicken or other meat in this casserole.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 421Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 541mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 30g

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Ellen Christian

Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.