Having a bunch of leftovers to use up after your Thanksgiving feast is no fun, especially when the fridge is full to bursting with them. There are only so many recipes you can use that leftover turkey in before you get tired of it – or are there? The following recipe might just change your mind. It’s a hot turkey sandwich with rich, meaty gravy, green peas, and more. In fact, you might want to opt for a holiday turkey a size up so you can be sure of having leftovers and making your own hot turkey sandwiches this year!
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Hot turkey sandwiches are a beloved treat in Canada but their popularity is growing rapidly everywhere. The combination of succulent turkey, thick fluffy bread slices, peas, butter, gravy, and cranberries is truly a magical one.
Why You’ll Love Them
Easy: After spending hours sweating over a hot stove on Thanksgiving the last thing you want to do the following day is repeat the experience, which is why the simplicity of this recipe is going to make you want to make it!
Delicious: Although there are lots of different leftover turkey recipes you can make, perhaps also including mashed potatoes, green beans, sliced turkey, sweet potatoes, or anything else that’s left over, these hot turkey sandwiches are one of the most delicious options.
Family friendly: This isn’t a recipe just for the kids, just for the grownups or just for anyone in particular. It has huge appeal to anyone who loves turkey and likes to eat sandwiches. Oh, and if you’re a gravy fan then you’re sure to love it a lot.
Ingredients for Leftover Roasted Turkey Sandwiches
The main ingredient in this recipe is, as you’d expect, leftover turkey. You’ll also need bread, peas, butter, gravy, cranberries, and salt and pepper.
How to Make the Best Hot Turkey Sandwich
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Warm the turkey: Warm it up in a pan on the stove or a dish in the microwave.
Cook the peas: Follow the instructions on the packaging to cook the peas.
Prepare the gravy: Warm the gravy in a pan on the stove (or make fresh if you don’t have leftovers).
Toast the bread: Toast your bread and then butter one side.
Assemble the sandwiches: Put a piece of toast on a plate buttered side up and spoon the turkey, peas and cranberries on top, and then pour gravy over the top of that, and serve. Repeat with the rest of the bread, turkey and toppings.
Substitutions and Variations
Feel free to sub Texas toast, thickly sliced Italian loaf or another kind of soft bread for the white bread. You can also omit the peas and/or cranberries, and use your favorite gravy recipe, chicken broth gravy or instant gravy mix.
How to Serve a Hot Turkey Sandwich
Serve these warm and with silverware because they’re messy! If you want to offer other sides for a buffet-style meal (always great the day after Thanksgiving!) something like festive pecan cranberry Brussels sprouts or Green goddess salad if you want something light after your Thanksgiving indulgences! Top it off with a butter tart, another one of the iconic Canadian recipes.
French fries are another option if you don’t mind the soft white bread and fries carb overload, or anything else left over from your holiday dinner can also go on the plate with your turkey and gravy sandwiches.
How to Store Hot Turkey Breast Gravy Sandwiches
Store: Leftovers are going to get a bit soggy, so it’s best to only make what you’re going to need.
Freeze: You can freeze leftover turkey but it’s best not to freeze these assembled sandwiches unless you want to learn the true meaning of the word “soggy” when you thaw them!
Hot Turkey Sandwich FAQs
Actually the cranberries are an optional component, so don’t worry if you have none left after Thanksgiving. If you have cranberry sauce though, that would also work in this hot turkey sandwich, to add a tart/sweet fruit flavor. It’s quite sweet of course, so a little goes a long way.
The best bread option here is something thick, since the hot gravy is going to soak through thin bread slices too fast. Thick sliced bread, either bought that way or sliced at home, or Texas toast (which is handy because it comes frozen and keeps for months) is ideal.
Make sure you toast at least the top side, so the bread doesn’t get saturated and soggy as soon as you add the fresh gravy and toppings. If you don’t like white bread at all, whole wheat will also work for this open faced sandwich.
Hot Turkey Sandwich with Peas Recipe
Canadian Hot Turkey Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 Cups roast turkey sliced
- 4 Slices bread thick-cut
- 2 Cups peas frozen
- 2 Tablespoons butter softened
- 2 Cups gravy
- Kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat turkey in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot. Set aside.
- Cook the peas according to packaging instructions. Set aside in a bowl.
- Heat the gravy in a saucepan on the stove until warmed through.
- Toast the bread, and lightly butter one side of each slice.
- Build the sandwiches by placing one slice of toasted bread on a plate, and top it with turkey and peas. Pour the gravy on top and serve.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Post-Thanksgiving delicacies often involve turkey in some shape or form! Here the juicy turkey leftovers are paired with thick slices of bread, meaty gravy, green peas, and cranberries, to make it the perfect “day after Thanksgiving” lunch or supper.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for recipes, dogs, sustainability, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Bella Bucchiotti is a freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer for MSN and the Associated Press Wire.
