I don’t know about you but when I make a big holiday meal I want to stretch the leftovers as far as possible. This means transforming leftovers and re-inventing them so your family and friends don’t get tired of eating essentially the same foods over and over again! A few weeks ago I co-hosted a holiday open house with Julie from The Little Kitchen. We invited food bloggers from Central Florida to celebrate the holiday. Since we were having the get-together at my house I decided that I would roast a turkey breast. We had more than enough and of course it left me with an abundance of leftovers! Since I’m not one to waste for the next few days I cooked up a wide variety of dishes that utilized the leftover turkey. First up, I made this Turkey Pesto Pasta.
I used Dreamfields Pasta which I adore because it has twice the amount of fiber of regular pasta. Making this a healthier pasta dish than the traditional. I also incorporated a few vegetables such as peas and spinach and utilized some roasted sun-dried tomatoes to kick up the flavor profile. I typically always have pesto frozen in my freezer, so I just took out a half cup portion to cook in the dish. I made this meal in less than 30 minutes and no one realized they were eating leftover turkey!
Katie Original Recipe
Turkey Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 box of Dreamfields Spaghetti Pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 garlic clove thinly sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup frozen pesto
- 1/4 cup smoked sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 cups shredded turkey
- 1 cup spinach chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan shredded
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- Optional: fresh basil and more parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti according to package. Cook it 2 minutes less than required. Make sure to RESERVE 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Once cooked, set to the side until needed.
- In a large skillet heat olive oil, butter, and garlic on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then add frozen peas, frozen pesto (*If your pesto is fresh add it towards the end when you are adding the pasta to the dish), and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until pesto and peas are defrosted.
- Then add 2 cups turkey to the skillet as well as 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Stir until incorporated then add pasta and parmesan cheese. Mix well and if needed add the remaining pasta water to the skillet. Serve pasta and garnish with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Notes
Disclaimer: I was not asked or compensated to create this recipe from Dreamfields. I simply love their pasta!
Made this for dinner tonight. I didn’t have sundried tomatoes on hand, but I did have a jar of pimentoes, so I substituted them. I also didn’t see mention of spinach in the directions, so I sauteed them quickly and threw them in towards the end. I sprinkled garlic and herb blend on top. It was a great meal, and easy to alter. Thanks!
Hi Irma! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment/feedback. I’ll go back in and make an edit about the spinach! Great pasta dish–and super easy to make (and alter just like you said)!
Just wondering why you listed spinach in the ingredients but didn’t use it n the receipt?
This looks so good! I’m a fool for pesto!
Nice! I use Dreamfieled too. This is a gorgeous dish!