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How to Make Ten Meals with One Turkey

September 21, 2022 by Laura 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Is it possible to make ten meals with one turkey? Indeed. I just made it happen. What a great way to stretch the grocery budget!

In an effort to save grocery money, I’ve been brainstorming ways to use the food I have in my freezer and to make it stretch as far as possible. It turns out that one turkey stretches really, really far! (Unless you host 25 people for Thanksgiving. Then you get one or two meals out of one turkey.)

But say you took advantage of holiday sales on turkeys and got an extra one or two to eat throughout the year after the holidays were over. How far could you stretch that bird?

Ten meals, perhaps? Even five is a great return on your turkey investment.

How to stretch that turkey!

I had a 20-pound turkey taking up room in my freezer. I decided in August to thaw it and smoke it on our Traeger. Delish!

Matt pulled all the meat off the bones for me (one of my least favorite jobs) and it produced two 9×13 inch dishes full of cooked meat.

At the time of this turkey extravaganza, there were eight kids at home (one has since headed back to college). Plus we fed a few extras here and there. Still, we were able to make ten meals with one bird! Because this was such a cost-effective and tasty way to feed so many people, I plan to stock up on turkeys this November when they go on sale!!

NOTE: We didn’t eat these meals one right after another. I froze quite a bit of the turkey in meal-sized portions to pull out and use as needed. So not only did this save money but having the pre-cooked meat saved time. Win-win!

How I made ten meals with one turkey

You’ll notice as you read my meal descriptions below that we were able to make our turkey stretch by eating only small amounts of it with each meal. We’ve found that it’s better to enjoy meat as a secondary dish, filling up instead on plenty of fruit and veggie side dishes to stretch the meat and stretch the budget. Fruits and veggies are actually a super inexpensive way to stretch your grocery budget!

Here’s the turkey meal breakdown:

Meal #1: We ate freshly smoked turkey with a lot of side dishes.

Meal #2: We ate some bites of leftover cold turkey in a chef salad. A little bit of meat is all we needed.

Meal #3: We made lunch plates filled with warm turkey with ranch for dipping, plus fruits and veggies.

Meal #4: We ate turkey sandwiches on rolls. It doesn’t take a lot of turkey to make a sandwich on a roll. We got out lots of different condiment options to make our sandwiches fun. Plus we had chips with guacamole and watermelon.

Meal #5: Right after we smoked and boned the turkey, I used the turkey bones and skin to make a huge batch of broth. I used some of the broth to make a simple noodle soup. I didn’t add any turkey to the soup, but instead boiled noodles in the flavorful, rich broth along with added veggies to make our meal.

Meal #6: I made a big pot of stir-fried veggies and tossed in a few pieces of shredded turkey.

Meal #7: I used some of the turkey broth to make rich potato soup. Incredibly good!

Meal #8: I made gravy with some of the broth (Matt’s request!). We then made mashed potatoes doused and enjoyed them with turkey gravy.

Meal #9: I made quesadillas for lunch with cheese, spinach, and bits of turkey.

Meal #10: We warmed the remaining turkey and served with it barbecue sauce for dipping, plus leftover cheesy potatoes and veggies.

As you can see, not every meal includes actual turkey. But the broth made from the turkey bones and skin is super nourishing and flavorful. That’s why I feel just fine about skipping meat in those meals. We are still completely satisfied. And if you take a look here at how I make broth, you’ll see how veggie-packed it is.

How many meals can you make with one turkey?

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Why You Should Bake Your Turkey Ahead of Time

November 15, 2018 by Laura 5 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Did you know? You can bake your turkey ahead of time!

For me, this is the only way.

Now, of course, this means that at our house we don’t have a fancy “carve the turkey” tradition on Thanksgiving or Christmas day. But the trade-off is that I don’t have to walk into the kitchen and deal with a tepid, saggy turkey carcass after enjoying a special holiday meal. Worth it? A million times over.

Why should you bake your turkey ahead of time?

Let me count the reasons…

  1. Because of the tepid, saggy turkey carcass, but we’ve already been through that already.
  2. But speaking of the turkey carcass, when you make your turkey ahead of time, you’ll be able to save the said carcass and make incredibly Rich Broth and fantastic Turkey Gravy. So long live the turkey carcass (so to speak).
  3. Not only will your turkey be baked ahead of time, but you’ve also already made several gallons of broth too. And it’s not even Thursday yet.
  4. When you follow these methods of baking your turkey before the big day, your pre-cooked turkey will be perfectly moist, juicy, and tender at serving time.
  5. Instead of slaving over meal preparation on a holiday, YOU WILL GET TO ENJOY EATING THE ACTUAL HOLIDAY MEAL. That was me yelling to share the good news. I am so happy about this. Come one. Come all. Bake your turkey ahead of time!

I’ve shared before, but it’s worth sharing again…

How to Bake Your Turkey Ahead of Time

2.0 from 1 reviews
Why You Should Bake Your Turkey Ahead of Time
 
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Author: Laura
Serves: 1 beautiful bird
Ingredients
  • 1 Turkey
  • 1 Large Roasting Pan
  • Foil if necessary
Instructions
  1. Place the turkey in the refrigerator for 3-4 days until thawed.
  2. Remove the bag of giblets from the inside of the turkey.
  3. Empty the giblets into your roasting pan as they help make a good, rich broth.
  4. Place the bird, breast side up, into a large baking pan or roaster.
  5. Cover with foil or with your roaster lid.
  6. Cook at 325° for 15-20 minutes per pound.
  7. You know your turkey is done cooking when the red thing pops up, or when the legs start to pull away from the body. It should be golden brown and slightly crisp looking.
  8. Be sure to save the broth that formed naturally!
  9. Allow the turkey to cool, then de-bone completely. Store meat in baggies or in covered pyrex dishes in the refrigerator.
  10. Save turkey carcass to make another round of broth for gravy, soup, and other nourishing meals.
  11. On serving day, drizzle a liberal amount of broth (one-two cups per 9x13 inch pan of meat) over turkey, cover and warm in 300°-350° oven for 30-45 minutes or until meat is hot and steamy.
  12. Serve right away.
3.5.3229

What about the rest of your holiday meal?

Indeed, you can prepare your entire holiday meal ahead of time!! Turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cream cheese corn…the list goes on.

Here’s a run-down of how to prepare all your holiday dishes ahead of time. And even better? Grab our Holiday Prep Guide Packet filled with 9 fun printables to help you get ahead for the holidays! Sign up here to receive it for free!

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