Make the most of your leftover turkey this Christmas by making an epic turkey sandwich. Follow all our tips on what to put in a turkey sandwich and what to serve it with and make sure that nothing goes to waste. Turkey, bacon, cranberry sauce, cheese and tomatoes all layered together for the BEST leftover turkey sandwich.
What's the best thing about making a big turkey? The leftovers! Whilst we love leftover soup and curry, you just can't beat a huge turkey sandwich Christmas day evening. It's easy to adapt with whatever you have in your fridge and thrown together in a couple of minutes.
Looking for some other leftover turkey recipes? Try our Leftover Turkey Pasta, Leftover Turkey Salad or Turkey Quesadillas.
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Why you will love it
- The perfect way to use up leftovers - If you have leftover roast turkey and you don't fancy making a curry with it, this epic sandwich is the way to go.
- Quick and filling - Turkey sandwiches are ready in a matter of minutes and really hearty and filling.
- Easy to adapt - Adapt it with your favourite sandwich fillings, or whatever you have left in your fridge. A great way to use up leftovers from the cheese board.
- A must for the day after Christmas Day - After all the chaos in the kitchen on Christmas dinner, this is a nice and easy meal to make.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Bread - Whilst you can use any bread, they type of bread you use is important because it holds the whole turkey sandwich together. You want to have something nice and sturdy, which is why we used sourdough. You don't have to use sliced bread though, and we have some other options below.
- Turkey - This is the star of the Christmas sandwich. You can use leftovers from any turkey. Why not try our Roast Turkey Breast or Slow Cooker Turkey Crown?
- Tomatoes - These add some freshness to the Christmas turkey sandwich. Use something like a beef tomato, so it doesn't get lost in the sandwich. But, you could also add sun-dried tomatoes.
- Cranberry sauce - It's not a Christmas sandwich without some cranberry sauce is it? If you have any of this leftover, then this leftover turkey sandwich is a great way to use it.
- Mayonnaise - Although there is the cranberry sauce, we like a creamy sauce too. You could use our Easy Garlic Sauce instead or even our Southwest Sauce.
- Lettuce - Anything with a nice crunch works well.
- Bacon - This just takes the turkey sandwich to the next level. We used turkey medallions to keep this a healthy turkey sandwich, but you can use any bacon. Turkey bacon works well too.
- Cheese - We like a nice smoked cheese, as it works well with the turkey, but this is a good way to use up leftover cheese from a cheese board, so anything goes.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make leftover turkey sandwiches - Step by step
One: Cook the bacon to your desired crispiness.
Two: Build your sandwich but buttering the bread (optional). Spread over the mayonnaise, add a slice of turkey and half the cranberry sauce.
Three: Add the lettuce, second slice of bread, cheese and bacon.
Four: Add more cranberry sauce, more turkey, and the slices of tomato. Finish off with the final slice of bread.
Leftover turkey
The turkey is the star of this sandwich, so you need to make sure it's really special. I mean, you could buy ready cooked slices from the deli if you are wanting to save time, but the beauty of this sandwich is that it makes use of leftovers from a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner.
This recipe uses leftovers from our Slow Cooker Turkey Crown. Tender, melt in your mouth slices of slow cooked turkey, makes the perfect filling for a sandwich. So, make more than you think you need so you can put leftovers in this sandwich. You could also use leftovers from our Roast Turkey Breast.
Variations
The great thing about a sandwich like this is how easy it is to adapt. Ours is perhaps a bit random, but it was born out of whatever we had left in the fridge. That's the best thing about a leftovers sandwich.
When it comes to bread, we are big fans of sourdough. It's sturdy, which is a must for a fully loaded sandwich like this. However, you can you your favourite loaf or try making our Easy White Bread. Something like tiger bread would work well, as it is nice and buttery. You could even do something a little different and use ciabatta, bagel or a croissant.
When it comes to greens, anything goes. Add some crunch with iceberg, or give this sandwich an iron boost with some spinach. Rocket lettuce adds a nice peppery flavour too.
What is a sandwich without cheese? We added a smoked cheese, but leftover Brie or Stilton would be amazing on this. Seeing as this is a leftovers sandwich, why not use it as an opportunity to use leftovers from the Christmas cheeseboard?
You could then add slices of gherkins (pickles) and some sun-dried tomatoes for a burst of flavour. You could add roasted tomatoes or olives, caramelised onions and artichokes. It really is a great way to use up leftovers from the Christmas buffet.
What to serve with a turkey sandwich
This is a pretty epic sandwich as it is, so there really isn't much that you need to serve it with other than some leftover Christmas chocolates. However, if you wanted to make it into even more of a filling meal, then why not try one of these:
- Hasselback Potatoes
- Celeriac Chips
- Crispy Garlic Smashed Potatoes
- Little Gem Salad
- Canarian Potatoes
- Parmesan Truffle Fries
- Oven Baked Onion Rings
- Cucumber Salad
- No Mayo Coleslaw
- Bagel Crisps
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store all the individual parts of the sandwich separately, but the sandwich itself should be made from fresh. The leftover roast turkey will keep in an air tight container for up to 5 days. Try to use really fresh bread, as you don't want the whole sandwich falling apart as you try to bite in to it.
No, it doesn't need to be sliced at all. You could shred or chop it and mix it with the mayo like we do in our Chicken Mayo Sandwich.
If you use a gluten free bread and make sure there is no cross contamination, then this can be a gluten free sandwich.
More sandwich recipes
If you’ve tried this Leftover Turkey Sandwich, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Leftover Turkey Sandwich
Ingredients
- 6 slice Sourdough bread
- 200 g (7 oz) Turkey breast - cooked; sliced
- 1 Tomato - sliced
- 4 tablespoon Cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
- 2 Little gem lettuce leaves
- 4 Bacon medallions
- 2 Cheese slices
Instructions
- Cook 4 Bacon medallions to your desired crispiness.
- Build your sandwich but buttering 6 slice Sourdough bread (optional). Spread over 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise, add a slice of 200 g Turkey breast and half the 4 tablespoon Cranberry sauce.
- Add 2 Little gem lettuce leaves, second slice of bread, 2 Cheese slices and cooked bacon.
- Add more cranberry sauce, more turkey, and the slices of 1 Tomato. Finish off with the final slice of bread.
Recipe tips
- If you really like peppery flavours, then add some slices of radish to this sandwich.
- Sliced pickled beetroot is also a great addition to this sandwich.
- If you want to keep it simple when it comes to the sauce, then you can just add mayo. Or maybe something a little more special like truffle mayo.
- A thin layer of gravy on the bread also really works well as a sauce. Kind of like in that episode of Friends with Ross' sandwich.
- Slices of avocado add a nice layer of creaminess and a boost of healthy fats.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
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