(Leftover) Turkey Chile Relleno Pasta Recipe
One-Pot (Leftover) Turkey Chile Relleno Pasta Recipe, a great way to use up your holiday leftovers in a deliciously intriguing meal.
A friend recently told me she hates Thanksgiving dinner, because everyone expects countless dishes on the table, yet they can never finish off any of them.
She continued with, “No one in my family will eat leftovers… I always end up throwing out half a turkey!”
My response, “Say what?!? The leftovers are the best part!”
If you are like me and could live off of cold roasted turkey and day-old stuffing, this recipe my have no bearing on you. However, if you struggle to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers each year, I’m here to help.
Today’s One-Pot (Leftover) Turkey Chile Relleno Pasta Recipe is a brilliantly sneaky use of leftover turkey. Your family won’t even know they are eating up Thanksgiving remnants.
Plus, you can cook this quick meal in one single saute pan, making clean up a breeze. After the masses of dirty Thanksgiving dishes piled all over the kitchen, we can all appreciate that.
The mild smoky flavor of roasted poblano peppers accentuates the rustic taste of turkey, giving it a complete makeover. Add these two ingredients to a quick pasta with silky smooth cheese sauce and you have the makings of a dinner your family will ask for again and again.
When you run out of turkey, you can make this (Leftover) Turkey Chile Relleno Pasta Recipe all year long using up your leftover chicken.
Start by blistering poblano peppers in a saute pan until black bubbles form on all sides. Then move the peppers to a large zip bag and let them steam to loosen the skins.
Once the waxy skin is loose, peel or scrape it off and chop the poblano peppers.
Use the same pan to boil chicken broth. Add pasta to the broth. Cover and simmer until the pasta is mostly cooked.
Add in cream cheese…
The chopped poblanos…
Your leftover turkey…
Shredded cheddar cheese…
Stir it all together into a creamy, dreamy, mildly spicy, swoon-worthy pasta dish!
(Leftover) Turkey Chile Relleno Pasta Recipe might be a new reason to love Thanksgiving. You may find yourself roasting turkeys year-round just to have leftovers on hand. *wink*
(Leftover) Turkey Chile Relleno Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 fresh poblano peppers, mild
- 1 pound dried fusilli pasta
- 5 cups chicken broth, divided
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4 ounces low-fat cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2-3 cups chopped leftover turkey or chicken
- Salt and pepper
- Optional garnishes: shredded cheese, chopped scallions
Instructions
- Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Place the poblano peppers in the dry pan and blister the peppers on all sides, creating large black spots. Use tongs to move the peppers to a large zip bag. Close the bag and let the peppers steam for 10 minutes.
- Pour 4 cups chicken broth into the saute pan. Bring to a boil, then stir in the pasta and garlic. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Then stir the pasta well to separate.
- Meanwhile scrape off the waxy skin from the peppers. Remove the seeds and stems, then chop the peppers into small pieces. Once the pasta is mostly cooked, add the cream cheese and chopped poblanos to the pan. Stir to melt the cheese and incorporate the peppers.
- Stir in the chopped turkey and shredded cheddar cheese. Add one more cup of chicken broth to loosen up the sauce. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Stir until the turkey is warmed through. Serve immediately.
This was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t find fresh poblanos so I used frozen ones. It still turned out great. Thanks for sharing!
I made this for a potluck at work. I didn’t have left over turkey so I used a chicken from the store. It was a grand success!!! I will make this again…
We never have trouble using up our turkey leftovers but this dish looks darn delicious. Will have to think about getting a bigger turkey.
We’re always looking for ways to use up our leftovers…this looks like a winner!