Turkey Melt

With the holidays typically come big family meals–and you know what that means (besides wearing pants with an elastic waist). . . Leftovers!

Walmart asked me to share with you a recipe that uses up some of your holiday leftovers.  Now I’ve written leftover recipes before.  Crockpot Turkey Tetrazzini, Turkey Monte Cristo Sandwiches, Cranberry Walnut Turkey Crescent Ring, Potato Croquettes. . . I’ve even been known to make my Easy Eggrolls with leftover turkey or ham inside!

However, after the hustle and bustle of the holiday sometimes you just want something simple that you can whip up for dinner.  Something without a lot of fuss.  Something like my Turkey Melt!

Start out with your leftover meat–I had turkey from Walmart.  You are basically going to make “salad”–like tunafish salad but out of whatever your leftover meat is.  Turkey, chicken, ham, even tuna itself (for the classic Tuna Melt).

You just dice your meat up pretty fine, add your mayo and spices and some veggies for crunch if you have them (I like celery and onion).

Layer the salad onto some lightly toasted bread, slap a piece of cheese on top and then toast it under your broiler.  Super fast and easy, and delicious to boot!

Now, you don’t have to toast the bread.  Just remember that when you broil things you are getting 500 degree heat coming from one direction-the top.  So if you start with soft bread it is not going to toast up in the oven because the heat is all coming from the top.  Also if you don’t broil much here are two tips–#1) don’t close the oven door all the way–you always leave it cracked and #2) keep your eye on things–it doesn’t take long to melt and bubble the cheese and you can go from “that looks good” to “burnt to a crisp” faster than you think.

Pair your Turkey Melt with a salad (I grabbed a nice Marketside Salad mix from the vegetable case at Walmart) and you’ve got a nice, light meal.

Print

Turkey Melt

Ingredients

• 2 C Chopped Turkey
• 1/2 C Mayonnaise
• 1 TBS Relish
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1/4 onion diced
• 6 slices white bread toasted lightly
• 6 slices cheese
• Butter

Instructions

1. Mix together chopped turkey, mayonnaise, relish, celery and onion.

2. On a baking sheet lay your 6 slices of toast. Spread the turkey mixture evenly on the 6 slices of toast. Cover with a slice of cheese.

3. Turn on your oven's broiler and move one of your oven racks to the highest possible setting.

4. When the broiler is heated, slide your turkey melts onto the highest shelf. Close the oven door part way, leaving it open the final couple of inches (I frequently use a pot holder to wedge the door open).

5. Keep an eye on the sandwiches as the cheese melts and the top bubbles. It will only take a few minutes and can go from done to burnt very quickly.

6. Remove from the oven and serve!

Variations:

1. You can use ham, chicken, or tuna instead of the chopped turkey.
2. You can make the "turkey salad" with any proportions of mayo, vegetables and seasonings that appeal to you. I will sometimes add Dijon mustard.

Looking for more great leftover recipes?  The Walmart Moms have you covered:

• Ham and Bean Soup- Unsophisticook
• Sweet Potato Waffles- Lille Pumpkin
• Turkey Pozole- Growing Up Blackxican
• Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip- Mommy’s Kitchen
• Homemade Turkey Dumplings-Domestic Diva
• Ham and Cheese Breakfast Burritos- Lynnae McCoy
• Ham and Cheese Pinwheels- Classy Mommy
• Turkey Dinner Stromboli- From Dates to Diapers
• Turkey Pot Pie by Cutie Booty Cakes

****This is a sponsored post****

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.