Cooking, easy recipes for Christmas leftovers: Toastie, Stew, Salad and Hodgepodge Pie

This cheerful collection of cooking, easy recipes turns festive leftovers into joyful meals that feel new. Crisp, gooey toasties, a comforting turkey stew topped with biscuit dumplings, a bright Indonesian-inspired salad, and a playful hodgepodge pie all make brilliant use of turkey, stuffing, veg and the odd jar of pickles. These recipes are simple, flexible and designed to be made in minutes using what is already in the fridge.

Ultimate Christmas Toastie

When hunger meets leftovers, the Christmas toastie is unbeatable. It is crispy, cheesy and rewards a little creative chopping: turkey, ham, stuffing and roasted veg are all welcome, plus a tiny hit of pickle and a smear of cranberry sauce for sweetness.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 slices thick soft bread (brown or white)
• Handful mixed leftover turkey and ham, chopped
• 2 tbsp stuffing
• Small handful shredded cheddar (about 60 g)
• Few roasted Brussels and carrot slices, chopped
• 2 tsp cornichons or pickled onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cranberry sauce
• Butter for the outside of the bread

Method

1. Mix the chopped meats, veg, stuffing, pickles and cheese in a bowl. The cheese binds everything together when it melts.
2. Spread cranberry sauce on one slice of bread, pile the filling on, top with the second slice and lightly butter the outside of both pieces.
3. Place in a non-stick pan over medium heat for about three minutes per side. Keep the heat moderate so the cheese melts before the crust gets too dark.
4. Press gently with a spatula so any escaped cheese crisps up on the edge. Serve with hot gravy for dipping and a quick apple or pear-and-watercress salad.

Turkey Stew with Sweet Leek and Smoky Bacon Biscuit Dumplings

This stew is proper comfort food. It uses every scrap of leftover turkey and stuffing, enriched into a deep gravy, then topped with fluffy, buttery biscuit dumplings that soak up all the flavours.

Ingredients

• Leftover turkey (white and dark meat), roughly chopped
• Stuffing from the roast
• 3 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery, sliced
• 2 leeks, sliced and cooked with 2 rashers smoky bacon
• 3 bay leaves and a couple sprigs thyme and rosemary
• 2 tsp English mustard, 2 tbsp flour, 1.5 litres stock

Dumpling Biscuit Topping

• 125 g plain flour
• 25 g fine cornmeal
• 30 g cold diced butter
• 125 ml buttermilk
• Egg wash for glazing

Method

1. Sauté onions and celery until sweet, remove herb stalks, stir in mustard and flour then add stock. Bring to a simmer and thicken.
2. Add the chopped turkey and stuffing, then let it bubble gently while preparing the dumplings.
3. Rub flour, cornmeal and butter together until crumbly, season, then stir in buttermilk to form a soft but not sticky dough. Pat out, cut rounds with a cookie cutter and place on top of the stew.
4. Brush with egg wash and bake at 200°C for about 30 minutes until golden. Serve with steamed broccoli or greens and extra gravy.

Crunchy Indonesian-Inspired Leftover Salad

This bright salad is the perfect cold contrast to the warm dishes. It takes any crunchy veg from the fridge and dresses it in a lively peanut-lime dressing for instant freshness.

Ingredients

• Cabbage, cucumber, carrot and any crunchy veg, thinly shredded or sliced
• Fresh mint, basil or coriander leaves
• Dressing: juice of 2 limes, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp chili sauce, water to loosen

Method

1. Whisk lime juice, peanut butter, soy and chili sauce until smooth. Add a splash of water to reach a spreadable consistency.
2. Spoon the dressing up the sides of a large bowl and mound the shredded veg in the centre; toss gently and finish with extra herbs and lime wedges.

The leftover food is where the flavour is at. A little imagination turns yesterday's roast into today's celebration.

Hodgepodge Pie: A Playful Leftover Pastry

The hodgepodge pie is a family-friendly way to use everything at once. Fill a pastry case with mixed turkey, stuffing, roasted veg and a spoon of cranberry for pops of sweetness, then top with a rustic lid. It is forgiving, fun to decorate and perfect for kids to help with.

Quick notes on assembly

• Use a generous ladle of the saucy mix to avoid a dry pie.
• Don’t worry about perfect edges; torn pastry can be patched and decorated.
• Bake until the pastry is golden and the filling piping hot.

Tips, Variations and Storage

• Mix cheeses in the toastie for different flavours; cheddar is reliable for meltability.
• Add crunch to the salad with toasted peanuts or seeds for extra texture.
• Freeze leftovers of the stew (without dumplings) for up to 3 months. Reheat gently and top with freshly baked dumplings.
• Make it vegetarian by swapping turkey for roasted squash or mushrooms and using vegetable stock.

Why these cooking, easy recipes work

They are built on three simple ideas: combine flavours that echo the original roast, add one binding melty element, and balance temperature and texture. The result is comforting, economical and full of festive flavour.

This article was created from the video Christmas Leftovers | Recipes & Ideas By Jamie Oliver with the help of AI.

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