This flavorful turkey hash makes a wonderful breakfast the day after Thanksgiving and helps you use up those leftovers.
It's ready in just 30 minutes, which means it's effortless to whip up. And when you top it with a fried egg, it makes for a hearty and filling breakfast.
The week after Thanksgiving used to be a challenge. Faced with piles of leftover turkey meat in the fridge, I was often at a loss. Over the years, I've developed a good selection of leftover turkey recipes, including turkey carcass soup, turkey curry, turkey chili, and turkey salad.
This well-seasoned, flavorful turkey hash is one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. It's delicious, filling, and decadent - the perfect holiday breakfast!
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this turkey hash. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Bacon: You'll crisp it up in a skillet, then use the rendered fat to fry the hash.
- Veggies: I like to use onions, garlic, and bell peppers. I use frozen sliced peppers for convenience, but it's fine to use fresh.
- To season: I use kosher salt, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. These spices add wonderful flavor and warmth to the dish.
- Turkey: The star of the show! I usually use pre-cooked diced turkey breast, but it's fine to use dark meat. Either way, make sure to remove the skin. Its texture won't work in this recipe.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in almost all of my recipes, this one included. I fry them separately, then use them to top the hash.
Variations
Like all hash recipes, this is a flexible recipe that allows you to use whatever leftovers and ingredients you have on hand. So feel free to experiment! A few ideas:
- Needless to say, you can use cooked chicken instead of turkey.
- Season the dish with dried oregano - it's really good.
- Serve it with poached eggs instead of fried eggs.
- Use different veggies - small cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, and chopped celery work well. You can pretty much use any veggies you like and have on hand as long as you keep the same volume - about 1 pound.
- If you're not a fan of bacon, omit it and use olive oil or butter to cook the dish.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
You'll start by crisping the bacon in a skillet. Then, crumble it and save it for later - you'll sprinkle it on top of the finished dish.
Cook vegetables and spices in the rendered bacon fat, then add the leftover turkey. Keep the dish warm while you fry the eggs.
Divide the hash between plates, top it with crumbled bacon and eggs, and serve.
Expert Tip
Even if you normally like your bacon chewy, for this recipe, you'll want to cook it until it's crispy because you want to crumble it and sprinkle it over the hash.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, absolutely. If you do, simply use olive oil or ghee to cook the hash (since you won't have rendered bacon fat).
Yes! I typically use yellow onion in this recipe, but it's fine to use other onion varieties, including white onions and red onions.
While many hash recipes include potatoes, I find them unnecessary. This hash is incredibly rich and flavorful, and it contains no potatoes.
Serving Suggestions
This turkey hash is excellent all by itself! But sometimes I serve it with cheese biscuits on the side.
It's also good with cheese muffins or with toasted and buttered almond flour bread.
Storing Leftovers
Most leftovers, when properly refrigerated in a shallow airtight container, can be kept for 3-4 days. But since we’re using pre-cooked turkey in this recipe, just to be safe, I never keep the leftovers for longer than a day or two.
In any case, you can't really keep the soft-cooked eggs. So my recommendation is to only make as much as you can eat right away.
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Recipe Card
Turkey Hash
Ingredients
- 4 bacon slices
- 1 medium onion - chopped (6 ounces)
- 1 pound frozen bell pepper strips - thawed in the microwave and well-drained
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - (or ½ teaspoon of any other salt)
- 1 tablespoon garlic - minced (6 cloves)
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 3 cups cooked turkey breast - diced (16 ounces)
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, turning often, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat off. Using tongs, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. When cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon and set it aside.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon's rendered fat in the skillet. Use about a teaspoon more to grease a nonstick skillet, in which you'll later fry the eggs.
- Heat the cast-iron skillet back on medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and kosher salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the turkey meat. Cook, stirring, for about two minutes. Turn the heat off but leave the skillet on the burner. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil to keep the hash warm. Fry the eggs in the prepared nonstick skillet.
- Divide the hash evenly between four plates. Sprinkle the bacon crumbles on top, then top each plate with an egg. Season the eggs if you wish (I like to use salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried parsley). Serve immediately.
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Notes
- It's fine to use fresh bell peppers. I use frozen because it's convenient.
- Even if you normally like your bacon chewy, for this recipe, you'll want to cook it until it's crispy because you want to crumble it and sprinkle it over the hash.
- Most leftovers, when properly refrigerated in a shallow airtight container, can be kept for 3-4 days. But since we’re using pre-cooked turkey in this recipe, just to be safe, I never keep the leftovers for longer than a day or two. In any case, you can't really keep the soft-cooked eggs. So my recommendation is to only make as much as you can eat right away.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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