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 Christmas leftovers!
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
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?
Jump to:
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Bread - When it comes to making a grilled turkey and 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.
Turkey Grilled Cheese 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.
How to Make a Turkey Grilled Cheese
- Step 1: Butter each of the bread slices.
- Step 2: Flip on slices of the bread over. Add the Mozzarella, Turkey, Brie and cranberry sauce to the unbuttered side.
- Step 3: Add the second slice of buttered bread, butter side up.
- Step 4: Heat a frying pan (no oil) and cook the sandwich on for about 2 minutes on each side over a medium heat.
Dannii's Top 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.
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 over a medium heat.
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
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
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!