What Am I Going to Do With All This Leftover Turkey?

If you’re anything like me, you’ve likely gorged yourself on turkey. But there’s still so much left! And now, you’re left wondering what to do with all this turkey meat. As much as you enjoyed it, goodness knows, you don’t feel like having Thanksgiving Round 2!

Now is about the time the search for turkey meat recipes begin. Yeah, you could make the uninspired sandwich or even a soup. But how about trying something really different for once?

I’m talking about turkey bibimbap. And it’s tasty!…Really, any bibimbap is.

Bibimbap is a Korean mixed rice bowl. It usually has shredded marinated beef, various sautéed vegetables, and a fried egg on top of a bed of white rice. Then you stir it all together with Korean hot pepper paste. But in this case, we’re going to replace the beef with turkey. Yum!

 

Turkey Mixed Bowl (Bibimbap) Recipe (Serves about 2 People)

Ingredients

Carrots, Julienne – 1 cup

Baby spinach leaves – 2 cups

Salt – just a pinch

Rice wine vinegar – 1 tablespoon

Shredded cooked turkey – about 2 cups

Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang) – 2 tablespoons (1 tablespoon per bowl)

Sesame oil – 3 tablespoons

Garlic, fresh minced – 1 teaspoon

Eggs – 2 (1 egg per bowl)

White rice, steamed – 2 cups (1 cup per bowl)

Low sodium soy sauce – 1 tablespoon

Honey – 1 teaspoon

Water – 1 1/2 teaspoons

Toasted sesame seeds – about 2 teaspoons

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook white rice according to instructions on packet. *I start my white rice cooker about an hour before I start cooking the rest.
2. Heat about a 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large pan over high heat. Add carrots with a just a tiny pinch of salt (or to taste) to saute for approximately 4 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and stir in a 1/2 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar.
3. Heat about a 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil in the same pan. Cook spinach, with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic and pinch of salt, over medium-high heat until spinach is wilted (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining a 1/2 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar.
4. Using the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add turkey, a 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce, and about 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic. Cook until heated through (about 4 minutes).
5. Spoon out white rice into two bowls. Arrange cooked turkey, sauteed carrots, and cooked spinach over the rice.
6. Again, using the same pan, heat about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over medium heat. Fry an egg for about 5 minutes (less cooking time = more runny egg yolk). Lay each fried egg on top of each bowl.
7. In a small bowl, stir hot pepper paste, 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, water, and honey together.
8. Add about 1 tablespoon of hot pepper paste mixture in each bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Time-Saving Tips

I like to cook my bibimbap ingredients separately because I think the flavors don’t get mottled up that way. However, if you’re really pinched for time, you could use a frozen steamer bag of vegetables instead of the carrots and spinach. You just steam them half the time. Then transfer the veggies to a pan to saute with a dash of sesame oil, soy sauce, and minced garlic.

I know it seems like a lot of steps but it really isn’t too bad. And it’s totally worth it! This is such a delicious way to use up some of that heap of leftover turkey. Say goodbye to those dry sandwiches and bland soups. And say hello to turkey leftovers Korean-style!

The beauty of bibimbap is that you can leave out things and/or substitute. It’s a mixed bowl so make your own mix! Don’t have leftover turkey but still want to have this yumminess? Use rotisserie chicken from the supermarket instead! That’s actually what I usually use. 😋

Have you tried turkey bibimbap? Wasn’t it delicious?? Share in the comments!

Now that Thanksgiving is done,  it’s time to focus on gift giving. Check out these guides for ideas!