Use leftover turkey to make Classic Turkey Croquettes! An old diner favorite, with turkey, potatoes and spices, baked and topped with gravy.
After Thanksgiving has come and gone, and all the turkey sandwiches have been enjoyed, do you ever glance at the remaining turkey meat leftover and wonder what to do with the rest of it?
Well, today I want to share with you a recipe for classic turkey croquettes, that are a perfect solution for that leftover turkey!
What Is A CROQUETTE?
First let’s talk about what a “croquette” is, ok? Many countries have their own version, but the word “croquette” has French origins, and comes from the word “croquer” which means “to crunch”. There are recipes for croquettes that date back to the 17th century!
Croquettes typically contain meat, seafood or veggies, mixed with a thick “binder” to hold it all together, like potatoes, bread or sauces. They can be shaped into balls or oval disks, and are usually breaded and then deep fried. *Info source credit here.*
Apparently, croquettes started becoming popular in the U.S. in the early 1900’s and were a common, but popular diner meal.
I originally found this printed recipe taped onto an index card in an old recipe box. There was no mention on the card of the source, so I am grateful for whoever came up with this yummy recipe originally.
These turkey croquettes are good old comfort food at its best! Here’s how to make classic turkey croquettes.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prepare Potatoes For The Filling
The first thing I do when preparing this recipe is to preheat the oven to 350°F. and cook the potatoes. Now… if you just happen to have 2 cups of mashed potatoes lying around, by all means use them! I typically don’t, so I make them from scratch.
You’ll need 2 cups of mashed potatoes for this recipe, which is the equivalent of about 3 medium-sized russet potatoes. Peel the potatoes, then cut them into small chunks. Place them in a large saucepan and cover them with water.
Bring the water to a full boil on medium-high heat, and then cook the potatoes until they’re tender. This usually takes about 15 minutes, and you can check for tenderness by inserting a knife into a potato chunk. It should glide right into the potato, if tender.
Drain the potatoes, then mash them, without adding any butter or milk. Mash by hand or by using an electric mixer until the potatoes are lump-free. Set aside.
Prepare The Croquette Ingredients
Place the leftover pieces of turkey into a food processor and pulse about 6-8 times or until the meat become minced into very small pieces.
If you do not have access to a food processor, finely mince the turkey meat by hand with a sharp knife. Place 2 cups of the minced turkey in a large mixing bowl.
Add chopped onions, Italian bread crumbs (reserving part for later), salt, pepper, tarragon, sage, Worcestershire sauce and an egg to the turkey.
Stir these ingredients well, to fully combine them. Once combined, add the mashed potatoes to the mixture, and fold (or gently stir) them in, until fully incorporated.
Final Step
After folding in the mashed potatoes, the turkey croquette mixture will be mostly “bound together”, but might still be a bit crumbly. This is where you need to add a small amount of turkey or chicken stock, ONLY UNTIL THE MIXTURE BINDS TOGETHER.
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of stock, but it usually does not take all of it to bind the ingredients together.
Add a little bit of the stock at a time, and stir after each addition. You need the meat mixture to easily be formed into a meatball shape, where the ingredients will hold together.
Shape The Turkey Croquettes
Form the turkey croquettes into a meatball shape, by scooping out a generous heaping Tablespoon of the meat mixture and shape it into a ball using your hands to roll and form it.
Place each croquette onto wax paper, and continue until all the turkey mixture is used. The recipe, as written, will yield somewhere between 16-20 meatballs, but I usually get 19!
Place the reserved bread crumbs on a small plate, and roll each of the turkey croquettes around in it, until all sides are coated with the bread crumbs.
Ready To Bake
Place the bread crumb-coated turkey croquettes onto an ungreased baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one.
Bake the croquettes at 350°F. for 28-30 minutes (mine usually take 30 minutes!) Please note that the baked croquettes will not brown a lot, so don’t expect that!
TIP: If you want to freeze some of the classic turkey croquettes for later use, do this BEFORE baking. Place the bread crumb-coated croquettes on a baking sheet and freeze for several hours until solidly frozen.
Remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a freezer bag, label with oven temps, etc., and save for another day!
Serving Classic Turkey Croquettes
Classic turkey croquettes are always topped with hot chicken or turkey gravy to serve. Please note that I have not included a gravy recipe in the written recipe below.
You can use your own homemade chicken or turkey gravy, OR you can use purchased bottled gravy or mix at the grocery store. The type of gravy you use is entirely YOUR CHOICE, but just know that you really will want that delicious, hot gravy on top!
Place the hot croquettes on each plate, then spoon gravy over the top of each one, to serve. If you prefer store bought or making your own, by all means, use it! Whatever is the most convenient and the easiest for you, is the best plan! No judgement here.
We enjoy eating classic turkey croquettes served with fresh green beans (from our garden!), and Cranberry Caramel Apple Yams on the side. This meal “felt” like Thanksgiving, with all those great colors and flavors. YUM YUM!
I hope you will consider trying these classic turkey croquettes, and trust you will enjoy them like we do! They can easily be reheated in the microwave, which makes perfect for a quick lunch the next day or two!
We eat part of them for dinner, have a few leftovers for lunch the next day or two, plus I freeze about half of them (before baking) to use for later meals. It’s really easy on the ol’ budget that way, too!
Thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope you will come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you with much to be thankful for, and have a GREAT day!
Looking For More TURKEY Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have some truly delicious recipes using turkey, including:
- Turkey Fiesta Casserole
- Smoked Whole Turkey
- Smothered Turkey Patties
- Turkey Veggie Stir Fry
- Turkey Tortilla Soup
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Original recipe source: unknown
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Use leftover turkey to make Classic Turkey Croquettes! An old diner favorite, with turkey, potatoes and spices, baked and topped with gravy.
- 2 cups cooked turkey meat minced
- 1 cup yellow onions chopped
- 2 cups Italian bread crumbs (or plain) DIVIDED USE!
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning (or ground sage)
- ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper (EACH)
- 2 cups mashed russet potatoes approx. 3 medium
- ½ cup turkey or chicken stock use only enough to bind meat
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Peel potatoes; cut into small chunks; place them in a large saucepan/cover with water. Bring to full boil on medium-high heat. Cook until they're tender (approx. 15 min.). Check tenderness by inserting knife into potato (should glide right into potato). Drain potatoes, then mash, by hand or mixer until lump-free. Set aside.
Place cooked turkey into food processor; pulse 6-8 times or until turkey is minced into small pieces, OR mince turkey by hand with a sharp knife. Put turkey in large bowl. Add onions, 1½ cups bread crumbs (reserving ½ cup for later), salt, pepper, tarragon, sage, Worcestershire and egg to bowl. Stir well, to combine. Add mashed potatoes; fold (or gently stir) them in, until fully incorporated.
Add turkey/chicken stock a little bit at a time, stirring it into turkey mixture ONLY until turkey mixture binds together (usually doesn't take all of it to bind the ingredients together.
Scoop a generous heaping Tablespoon of turkey mixture and shape it into a ball using hands to roll/form it. Place croquette onto wax paper; continue until all turkey mixture is gone. **Recipe (as written) yields between 16-20 croquettes.
Place reserved ½ cup bread crumbs on a small plate. Roll each turkey croquette in it, until coated on all sides with bread crumbs.
Put croquettes on ungreased baking sheet, leaving space between each one. Bake at 350°F. for 28-30 minutes. Note that baked croquettes will not brown a lot. **TIP: If you want to freeze some croquettes for later use, do this BEFORE baking. Place bread crumb-coated croquettes on foil-lined baking sheet. Freeze several hours until solidly frozen. Remove croquettes from foil; place in a freezer bag, label with oven temps, etc., and save for another day!
To serve: Classic turkey croquettes should be topped with turkey or chicken gravy to serve. Use your own homemade or purchased gravy for this. Place baked croquettes on serving plates. Spoon hot gravy over each croquette to serve.
Caloric calculation was made using 3 croquettes per serving. Gravy to top croquettes was not included in the Caloric calculation, as different varieties may be used.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!