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A bowl of creamy masala turkey curry in a balti bowl with naan.

Easy Leftover Turkey Curry

Spice up your Christmas leftovers with my Easy Leftover Turkey Curry. A delicious aromatic curry of cooked turkey, onions and peppers in a creamy, spicy masala sauce.
It's a great way to use up leftover roast turkey from Christmas or Thanksgiving. Easy, quick and made from scratch with pantry staples. This spicy treat can be on your Boxing Day table in just 40 minutes.
5 from 43 votes
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Course: Main
Cuisine: British Indian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 293kcal
Author: Sarah James

Equipment

  • Shallow casserole pan I used an enamelled cast iron shallow casserole
  • Digital cooking thermometer Optional: to check the temperature of the cooked turkey.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons rapeseed / Canola oil
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree / paste
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 440 g passata / sieved tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced
  • 200 g Greek yogurt
  • 500 g leftover cooked turkey meat cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons fresh coriander / cilantro
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a shallow casserole dish and add diced onions. Add salt and stir.
  • Cover casserole with lid and leave the onions to soften for 5 minutes on a gentle heat.
  • Add the spices, ginger, garlic and tomato puree and fry gently for a couple of minutes.
  • Stir in passata and sliced red bell pepper and simmer for 25 minutes with the lid on.
  • Add yogurt and leftover cooked turkey and bring back to a simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes. The turkey needs to be piping hot all the way through. If using a digital food probe thermometer, select a large chunk of turkey meat to test. The temperature reading should be at least 70 C / 158 F.
  • Sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander and serve with rice or naan breads.

Notes

  • Substitute 2 tablespoons of medium curry powder instead of individual spices.
  • Use regular Greek yogurt. Low fat or fat free yogurt will split the masala sauce.
  • Not suitable for reheating or freezing. Food safety guidelines advise against reheating leftovers more than once because of the risk of food poisoning.
  • Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 792mg | Potassium: 1033mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1715IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 5mg