Turkey Mornay
In my house, there's always a plethora of Thanksgiving leftovers. It's not just that I want my guests to be well fed and happy. I also love having tons of ingredients at hand for the weeks after!
Turkey Mornay is a classic French casserole that makes use of both your leftover turkey and ham. Typically the dish is made of a rich and filling mornay sauce (basically a béchamel sauce with cheese, which is also the secret to a great mac-and-cheese). Macaroni and milk, however, are not the best ingredients for those attempting to reverse a diabetes diagnosis. To fix this, I've substituted coconut milk in my béchamel sauce. Here's the rundown of ingredients.
Turkey - Of course the overall theme of this post is Thanksgiving leftovers, but if you find yourself in the middle of summer, feel free to grab your favorite sliced turkey breast from the deli.
Ham - Same deal here. Make great use of your leftovers, but don't hesitate to hit up your local deli.
Mornay Sauce - Cheesy, bubbly richness that melds this classic dish together. If you're going strict, use coconut milk and raw cheese. If you're in a great state of health and can handle dairy, feel free to use some A2 whole milk. Since mornay sauce is basically a cheesy béchamel, check out my recipe for that right HERE.
Bell Pepper or Avocado - This is your garnish. If you're following a strict diet, the fatty avocado is your friend, otherwise bell pepper makes for a tasty topping.
complete instructions below
Turkey Mornay
Yield: 1 casserole
Servings: 4-6
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 25 min
Ready: 30 min
Ingredients
leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey
leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas ham
Mornay sauce
1 bell pepper or avocado
Mornay Sauce
Add 8 oz. raw milk Monterey Jack or Muenster cheese to the béchamel sauce recipe.
Instructions
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small oiled 9x9 inch glass baking pan, layer first with the pieces of turkey, then the pieces of ham, then half the sauce. Finish the casserole with another layer of turkey, ham, then a final layer of sauce.
Garnish with the bell peppers and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes. (If you wish to garnish instead with the sliced avocado, garnish after removing the casserole from the oven)
Serve hot... perhaps over some steamed and dried broccoli (dried so the bubbly cheese sauce sticks!)
