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Use up those Christmas leftovers with this fantastic Turkey Pasta Bake with Ham and Cheese from your party cheese board!
Nicky’s Notes
One of my favourite things about Christmas food is the leftovers!!
Even if we’re having Christmas dinner elsewhere, I still always love to cook a turkey with trimmings for the leftovers.
It just wouldn’t feel festive enough if I can’t spend the days after Christmas day traipsing back and forth to the kitchen to make turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce, or to nibble on those leftover bacon-wrapped chipolatas.
But whilst I’m greedily looking forward to all of it, I know there are going to be lots of food loose-ends, and a time when I’ll just want to eat something more normal.
And that’s where this leftover turkey bake comes into play. Leftover turkey, leftover baked ham, and 4 types of leftover cheese. Heck, why no throw in some of those chipolatas and a few sprouts too ;-). A lovely family dinner!
Table of Contents
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Fry up chopped onion and bell peppers with seasoning and garlic. Add leftover cooked shredded ham and turkey, tomato puree, a crumbled stock cube and fresh thyme. Next in goes tinned chopped tomatoes and a little sugar to balance out the acidity. Add in cooked pasta and fresh spinach then mix and top with grated or chopped cheese from your cheeseboard. Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden.
SO good!
Recipe Tips
- Make use of other leftovers! Add cooked leftover vegetables – such as carrots, green beans, broccoli, or leftover chipolatas (chop into bitesize pieces first) at the same time as adding in the pasta and spinach.
- If you have leftovers from your buffet table, such as bacon, pancetta, salami, mushrooms or olives, they all work well too.
- Cheese tip: Try not to use too many overpowering cheeses. Use a higher quantity of regular cheeses such as white or red cheddar, mozzarella, red Leicester and Gruyere, with a lower quantity of stronger cheese such as brie and stilton. Unless of course you love strong tasting cheeses – then go ahead 🙂
🍽️ What to serve it with
Serve as it is, or add a few extras such as:
- Homemade garlic bread
- A simple green salad
- A drizzle of hot sauce or sweet chilli sauce
📺 Watch how to make it
Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake with Ham and Cheese
Ingredients
- 400 g (4 1/2 cups) dried pasta shapes (I used rigatoni)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper de-seeded and chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper de-seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 200 g (1 1/3 cups) leftover cooked ham cubed or shredded
- 250 g (2 cups) leftover cooked and shredded turkey
- 1 tbsp tomato puree paste for US
- 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube crumbled
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
- 3 x 400 g (3 x 14 oz) tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 100 g (3 cups) fresh baby spinach
- 250 g (2 1/2 cups) mixed leftover cheese (we used brie, cheddar, mozzarella and red Leicester), grated or chopped finely
To Serve:
- 1 small bunch parsley roughly torn
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (fan). Boil a large pan of water and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than recommended on the pack. Drain.400 g (4 1/2 cups) dried pasta shapes
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil on a medium heat, in a large frying pan.1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened.1 large onion
- Add the chopped peppers, salt, pepper and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Add in the cooked ham and turkey, along with the tomato puree (paste), crumbled stock cube and thyme. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.200 g (1 1/3 cups) leftover cooked ham, 250 g (2 cups) leftover cooked and shredded turkey, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube, 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
- Stir in the tinned tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a gentle bubble, then add the pasta and spinach. Stir everything together, then transfer to a large baking dish.3 x 400 g (3 x 14 oz) tins chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar, 100 g (3 cups) fresh baby spinach
- Top with the mixed cheese, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.250 g (2 1/2 cups) mixed leftover cheese
- Remove from the oven and serve topped with fresh herbs and black pepper1 small bunch parsley roughly torn, 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, pinch black pepper
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes! You can make ahead up to the point you sprinkle the cheese on, then cool, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to a day.- Take out of the fridge for an hour before cooking it, to take the chill off the dish (otherwise you mind find you get a cold spot in the middle when baking it).
- Keep the foil on and heat in the oven at 190C/375F for about 10 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to heat for a further 15 minutes, until hot throughout.
Can I freeze this pasta bake?
Yes, once cooked: Cool quickly, cover and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then take out of the fridge for an hour before cooking it. Reheat in the oven (covered in foil) at 190C/375F for about 20-25 minutes until hot throughout. Add a few tablespoons of stock or hot water when reheating the pasta to ensure it’s still saucy.Type of pasta to use for pasta bake:
I love to use rigatoni for this pasta bake, but you can use most pasta shapes.Spiralli (pasta spirals), Penne (tubes cut on the diagonal), Fusilli (pasta twists) and Farfalle (pasta bows) all work particularly well, with no change in amounts or cooking times.
Gluten free version:
This recipe works well as a gluten-free dish with a few changes. Swap out the pasta for gluten-free pasta, use a gluten free stock cube or stock pot and ensure your tomato paste is gluten free.Also, if you’re using ready grated (shredded) cheese, ensure it’s gluten free, as it can sometimes be tossed in a little flour to prevent it from sticking. Nutritional Information is per serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was first published in December 2019. Updated later with video, tips and for housekeeping.
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The kids loved it, but I did find that the tomato base overwhelmed the ham and I couldn’t really taste it at all. It was a great way to use up leftovers though! I had sausage stuffing and ¼ container of cream I’ll dumped in the freezer when we went away, plus some languishing mushrooms, and that all went in too. I only used 250g rigatoni otherwise it doesn’t fit in my biggest dish, and had a cup of leftover sauce that went back into the freezer.
For us it Lacked flavor and very watery.
Suggestions add good amount of spices to tomatoes. Build the flavor profile to your liking. It also might depend on how you prepare your ham on how it will come through with the taste.
Delicious. Brilliant way to use leftovers. Looking forward to Turkey Tikka Manama.
Great way to use Christmas leftovers!
I love Christmas leftovers and this made a wonderful meal for the time between Christmas and New Year. Definitely one I will be making again.