Leftover Turkey Pesto Pasta is the perfect way to use up that holiday turkey that is still lurking in your refrigerator! Add whole wheat pasta and homemade pesto for a quick, easy & healthy weeknight dinner that tastes nothing like leftovers.
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Leftover Turkey Pesto Pasta was how I used up our leftover turkey and I just put it together on a whim. I always keep homemade pesto on hand for nights that I need a quick dinner and don’t want to think about it. In this post, I tell you How to Freeze Pesto & Customizable Pesto. I grow all kinds of basil during the summer, harvest it and freeze so that I can have fresh pesto on-hand anytime.
This process is a snap thanks to my favorite kitchen appliance, my Cuisinart Food Processor. You can check out my many pesto recipes here.
My Chicken Broccoli Pesto Pasta Toss is a staple dinner in our house. So I thought, well why not swap the chicken for turkey? It worked out beautifully! My boyfriend wanted the broccoli on the side this time, so we did that. Sorry there weren’t any broccoli leftovers so I didn’t have that for the pictures. I added some fresh lemon juice to brighten up the dish and we really liked it. I also added it the broccoli 🙂
Here is the recipe for Leftover Turkey Pesto Pasta:
- 1 box whole wheat pasta, prepared to package instructions & reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water.
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large, sweet, yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 lb. leftover turkey, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup pesto (4 ice cubes worth if you are using my frozen pesto recipe)
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.
- Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent and soft, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Add turkey and frozen pesto cubes (if using) and heat through. If using prepared refrigerated pesto, then add after the turkey is warm.
- Add turkey mixture, lemon zest, lemon juice and reserved pasta water to cooked pasta. Stir to combine.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese.
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