One of the easiest ways to your your leftover turkey this Christmas or Thanksgiving is in a Turkey Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Golden toasted bread stuffed with slices of turkey, cranberry sauce and gooey melted Brie. Total comfort food made with leftovers!
About this turkey grilled cheese
This is basically a Christmas grilled cheese. Turkey, brie and cranberry sauce are the best thing about Christmas eating, and we have piled it all into a sandwich and toasted it.
It's cheesy, it's comforting, and that melted Brie and cranberry combination is just the best. It takes less than 10 minutes to put together and a grilled cheese with turkey is easy to adapt with some other leftovers too.
Looking for more ways to use your turkey leftovers? Why not try our quick Leftover Turkey Curry, comforting Turkey Soup, filling Turkey Pasta Bake or our tasty Turkey Quesadilla?
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Bread - When it comes to making a grilled turkey cheese sandwich, the bread is key. Opting for a sturdy, thick-sliced bread will ensure that the sandwich holds together well during cooking. Sourdough, wholemeal, or rye bread are all great options that will add flavour and texture to the final product.
- Turkey - We used leftover turkey. Why not try our Slow Cooker Turkey Crown, Air Fryer Turkey or Roast Turkey Breast?
- Cranberry sauce - You can swap this for a chutney if you prefer.
- Cheese - We used Brie and Mozzarella because they both melt really well. Just look at that Brie oozing out of the turkey cheese toastie.
- Butter - This helps the outside of the bread get nice and golden. You could brush it with mayo or oil instead.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make a turkey grilled cheese - Step by step
One: Butter each slice of bread.
Two: Flip on slice of the bread over. Add the Mozzarella, Turkey, Brie and cranberry sauce to the unbuttered side.
Three: Add the second slice of buttered bread, butter side up.
Four: Heat a frying pan (no oil) and cook the sandwich on for about 2 minutes on each side.
Variations
Meat - The turkey is the star here, but you can use leftovers from a roast chicken, or you can use turkey deli slices too.
Cheese - Personally, we think Brie is a MUST on this. It is Christmas after all. We added mozzarella too, as as it makes it extra melty. But cheddar melts well too, and at Christmas you usually get some nice flavoured one.
To keep it festive, you can also add some blue cheese like Stilton and it's a good way to use up a little bit that is leftover from another recipe like our Broccoli and Stilton Soup or Blue Cheese Pasta.
Sauce - We used cranberry sauce, but you can use any kind of chutney too. Why not try our Christmas Chutney recipe? Or, you could just spread some mustard on it - we really like Dijon.
Extras - There is always so many different types of leftovers around Christmas, so we make this turkey toasted sandwich a different way every time.
One of our favourite extras is some stuffing, which makes this much more filling. You could even add some leftover roasted vegetables too. Some leftover pigs in blankets is an amazing addition or for something a bit lighter, leftover Brussels sprouts.
Serving suggestions
This is pretty much a meal in itself, but you could easily serve it with a nice side salad like our Rocket Salad, Watercress Salad or Little Gem Salad.
We also like some crisps on the side and our Air Fryer Tortilla Chips or Homemade Garlic Crisps go well.
When we want a really filling and comforting meal, it has to be soup and a toastie. A turkey toastie is perfect dunked into our Easy Tomato Soup - the flavour combination is perfection.
But we also like them with our ;Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup and Butterbean Soup.
Extra tips
- Remember to put the buttered side of the bread on the outside of the turkey toastie. This is what needs to touch the pan so it gets nice and golden when cooked.
- If you find that your cheese isn't melting very well, you can add a tiny splash of water to the pan and put a lid on it and let it melt.
- To make these gluten free, use your favourite brand of gluten free bread. Just be aware that it doesn't hold together as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is best eaten straight away, so only make as many as you need.
If the toastie is soggy, it may be because the bread is too thin or the cheese is too moist. To prevent this, make sure to use a thicker bread and dry the cheese before adding it to the bread. You can also try using a lower moisture cheese or adding some breadcrumbs to the cheese to absorb any excess moisture.
Make sure that the cheese is evenly distributed in the pan so that it all melts evenly.
More sandwich recipes
If you’ve tried this turkey grilled cheese 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
Turkey Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 slice Bread
- 20 g (0.75 oz) Butter
- 20 g (0.75 oz) Mozzarella - sliced
- 30 g (1 oz) Brie
- 50 g (1.75 oz) Cooked turkey - sliced
- 2 tablespoon Cranberry sauce
Instructions
- Spread 20 g Butter over one side of each of the 2 slice Bread.
- Flip on slice of the bread over. Add 20 g Mozzarella, 50 g Cooked turkey, 30 g Brie and 2 tablespoon Cranberry sauce to the unbuttered side.
- Add the second slice of buttered bread, butter side up.
- Heat a frying pan (no oil) and cook the sandwich on for about 2 minutes on each side.
Recipe Tips
- Remember to put the buttered side of the bread on the outside of the turkey toastie. This is what needs to touch the pan so it gets nice and golden when cooked.
- If you find that your cheese isn't melting very well, you can add a tiny splash of water to the pan and put a lid on it and let it melt.
- To make these gluten free, use your favourite brand of gluten free bread. Just be aware that it doesn't hold together as well.
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.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Casey says
What a great way to use up leftovers! I bet it would be really good with chicken, too!
Chenee says
Not a fan of brie so I used a little extra mozzarella - this was the most delicious sandwich. I'm excited I have so much leftover turkey that I can make more!
Sisley says
A delicious way to use up the turkey leftovers!
Beth says
I love the holiday flavors in this grilled cheese. This one's going to have me ho-ho-hoing with every bite!