Flavorful turkey hash with peppers and onions makes a wonderful breakfast the day after Thanksgiving and helps you use up the leftovers.
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. Luckily, over the years I've developed a good selection of leftover turkey recipes. This is one of them.
In fact, 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!
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty breakfast. 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. Also, please see the discussion below about possible variations.
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 diced cooked 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.
How to make a turkey hash
It's so easy. Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. You start by crisping up the bacon in a skillet. Then crumble it and save for later - you'll sprinkle it on top of the hash.
2. Now, cook vegetables and spices in the rendered fat. Then add the leftover turkey. Keep the dish warm while you fry the eggs.
3. Divide the hash between plates, top it with crumbled bacon and eggs, and serve.
How to serve turkey hash
It's excellent all by itself! But sometimes I serve it with almond flour cheese biscuits on the side. It's also good with cheese muffins or with toasted and buttered almond flour bread.
Variations and substitutions
Like all hash recipes, this is a flexible, forgiving recipe that allows you to use whatever leftovers and ingredients you happen to 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 instead.
What about leftovers?
Most leftovers, when properly refrigerated in a shallow airtight container, keep for 3-4 days. But since we’re using leftover meat to cook this recipe, leftovers of this turkey hash could potentially spoil faster. So just in case, I never keep them for longer than a day or two.
In any case, you can't really keep the soft-cooked eggs. My recommendation is to only make as much as you can eat right away.
More tasty leftover turkey recipes
I love Thanksgiving. But just as much as I love the holiday itself, I love the week that follows, when I get to be creative about using up the leftovers!
A couple of other tasty (and non-breakfast) options for leftover turkey recipes that I make almost every year include turkey chili and turkey curry. They're both easy to make and wonderfully flavorful!
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Turkey Hash
INGREDIENTS
- 4 bacon slices
- 1 medium onion chopped (6 oz)
- 1 lb. frozen bell pepper strips thawed in the microwave and well-drained*
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon fine salt)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (6 cloves)
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 3 cups cooked turkey breast diced (16 oz)
- 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. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon's rendered fat in the skillet. Use about a teaspoon more to grease a nonstick skillet where 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, about two minutes. Turn the heat off but leave the skillet on the burner. Cover the skillet with a lid or with foil to keep the hash warm while you fry the eggs.
- Divide the hash 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
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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. 