Aside from the craziness of Black Friday shopping, the day after Thanksgiving begins the drudgery of what to do with the leftover turkey. Sure, you could make a sandwich or eat them plain as-is. I also highly recommend this Potato Cake with Champagne Mushroom Ragu, or this Turkey Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette. If you are looking for something a bit cheesier you might try this Horseradish Mac n Cheese dish.
But perhaps this year you want something a little healthier? This is the dish for you. It’s loaded with veggies and topped with a super yummy poblano cream sauce that’s filled with the good fat that will keep you nourished from the inside. Toss in whatever veggies you have, from tomatoes to leftover brussel sprouts.
The sauce is so creamy you won’t believe that there isn’t cream or cheese in it. Just healthy avocado, roasted pepper and raw pumpkin seeds. Yes, pumpkin seeds. I used them as my tahini base instead of sunflower seeds. It’s a tasty way to get your zinc in. Once you make this sauce, you might start using this on your salads, as a sandwich spread or as a dip!
You’ll be so excited for this pasta, you might just throw in another turkey in the oven. Who knew leftovers could taste so good!
Leftover Turkey Pasta with Roasted Poblano and Avocado Tahini Sauce
- 1-2 cups cooked turkey, diced or shredded
- 2 cups pasta, cooked according to package directions
- 2-3 cups assorted vegetables (broccoli, pea pods, cauliflower, beans, tomatoes, squash, sprouts, etc)
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 2 tablespoons lime
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/4 cup water
- salt to taste
Roast the poblano pepper: Either under the broiler or over your gas burner. The goal is to get the pepper charred. Scrape off the charred skin. Dice and place in the blender. If you want a hotter sauce, keep the seeds (I leave the seeds in).
Add the pumpkins seeds, lime, garlic clove, 1/2 tsp salt and half of the water to the blender and blend on high until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape the sides down, adding in water as necessary to blend. Add in the avocado and blend to combine again. This should be a really smooth sauce. Add remaining water as needed to achieve a thinner consistency. Add additional salt if preferred.
In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.
While the pasta is cooking, place the bite-sized veggies and the cooked turkey on a foil-lined sheet pan*. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper and broil on high until the veggies begin to brown and the turkey is warm. Depending on the strength of your broiler, this should only take about 5-10 minutes.
Toss the warm veggies, turkey and pasta with a few giant scoops of the roasted poblano and avocado tahini sauce. Serve with additional sauce on top. If you time it all to be done at the same time, the hot pasta and veggies will warm the sauce without additional cooking.
*can also make this a cold salad. Just skip the broiling and toss the veggies in, raw.
Happy Healthy Tips: I used this really amazing gluten free pasta that we found a Costco; but feel free to choose your pasta of choice.
For more recipes, go to Monique’s blog: FatandHappyBlog.com and Monique’s new site,HappyEatsHealthy.com