Turkey Tomato Gratin is a quick and hearty dish designed to make the most of your Christmas leftovers—especially roast turkey and any extra vegetables. This recipe combines cooked turkey with a rich tomato and cream sauce, layered with sautéed mushrooms and peppers, then topped with breadcrumbs and Parmesan for a golden, crispy finish. It’s a perfect post-holiday comfort meal that can be made in one dish with minimal effort, ready in under 45 minutes, and ideal for freezing or reheating throughout the week.

Full Recipe:

Ingredients

400g jar of passata or tomato pasta sauce
Optional: any fresh tomatoes that need using up
3 tablespoons double cream or crème fraîche
Several thick slices of cooked turkey
2 chopped mixed peppers (any color)
250g sliced mushrooms
2 slices of stale bread, crusts removed (for breadcrumbs)
Grated Parmesan (for topping)
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to medium heat.
In a bowl, combine passata with double cream or crème fraîche.
In a wide, shallow baking dish, layer slices of leftover turkey.
Sauté the chopped peppers and mushrooms in a pan until softened.
Layer the sautéed vegetables over the turkey.
Pour the tomato and cream mixture over the vegetables and turkey.
Blitz the stale bread into breadcrumbs and mix with grated Parmesan.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake until the turkey is hot and the topping is golden and crispy.
Serve hot with crusty bread, salad, or leftover greens.

Nutrients: (Estimated per serving, serves 4)

Calories: ~400–450 kcal
Protein: ~30g
Fat: ~22g
Carbohydrates: ~25g
Fiber: ~4g
Sodium: ~500mg

A Post-Holiday Lifesaver

After days of roasting, baking, and entertaining, the last thing most people want to do is spend hours preparing another elaborate meal. Turkey Tomato Gratin is the answer to that dilemma. It repurposes roasted turkey in a way that feels new and flavorful, eliminating food waste while giving you a delicious, oven-baked dish that can stand on its own as a complete meal.

The use of a ready-made tomato base like passata streamlines the process, and adding a bit of double cream or crème fraîche enriches the sauce beautifully, balancing the acidity of the tomato with a mellow, velvety touch. This also helps keep the turkey moist, which is particularly helpful if you’re working with slightly dry leftovers from the fridge.

Flexible and Forgiving

One of the strengths of this recipe is its flexibility. If you’ve got cherry tomatoes or overripe fresh tomatoes sitting on the counter, they can easily be chopped and added to the sauce or layered with the vegetables. If you don’t have mushrooms or peppers, simply substitute with other cooked or raw vegetables you have available—zucchini, spinach, courgettes, or even leftover roasted Brussels sprouts can work well here.

The bread topping is another opportunity to reduce waste. Instead of tossing stale bread, you can pulse it into coarse breadcrumbs and mix it with a bit of grated Parmesan. This not only adds texture but also creates a beautifully browned, savory crust that elevates the dish beyond a simple casserole. For a richer finish, a drizzle of olive oil over the top before baking ensures that golden, crisp topping everyone craves in a gratin.

Family-Friendly and Meal-Prep Approved

This gratin is an easy crowd-pleaser. It’s mild enough in flavor that even picky eaters tend to enjoy it, especially when paired with the creamy tomato base and the satisfying crunch on top. Served with a simple green salad, leftover holiday veggies, or even just a thick slice of crusty bread, it becomes a complete meal with very little additional effort.

What’s more, it’s ideal for meal prepping. You can assemble the entire dish ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a day or two before baking. Or, if you’ve got a lot of turkey on hand, make two dishes—bake one now and freeze the other for a busy weeknight in January. Once baked, leftovers store well in the fridge and reheat beautifully in the oven or microwave, maintaining their comforting flavor and satisfying texture.

Nutritional Balance and Satisfaction

Despite its richness, Turkey Tomato Gratin is a fairly balanced meal. The lean protein from turkey keeps you full and fueled, while the vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. The tomato sauce contributes lycopene, a powerful antioxidant known for its heart health and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Adding cream or crème fraîche does increase the fat content, but in moderate amounts, it adds satiating richness and flavor without turning the dish heavy. The topping of Parmesan and breadcrumbs gives it a satisfying finish that feels indulgent but is still reasonable in terms of overall calories.

It’s also a great way to get everyone to eat more vegetables. The peppers and mushrooms are softened and cooked down into the sauce, making them more palatable for kids and fussy eaters alike.

A Dish That Encourages Resourcefulness

One of the underlying themes of this recipe is resourcefulness. It encourages cooks to use what they already have—leftover turkey, stale bread, wilting vegetables—and turn those ingredients into something that feels thoughtful and new. That’s the magic of home cooking: giving second life to ingredients that might otherwise be wasted.

In a time when reducing food waste is becoming more important both environmentally and economically, recipes like this help reframe how we view leftovers. Instead of seeing them as tired or boring, we can think of them as building blocks for the next great meal.

The Secret to Its Comfort

There’s a nostalgic, homey quality to gratins. They’re warm, bubbling, and often involve cheese—a combination that taps into a deep craving for comfort food. Turkey Tomato Gratin captures all of that, with the added bonus of being a little lighter and brighter thanks to the tomato and pepper base.

Unlike heavier cream-based bakes, this one maintains a balance of richness and freshness, making it a great choice even when you’re a bit overstuffed from holiday indulgence. And because it doesn’t rely heavily on specialty ingredients, it’s accessible no matter what kind of cook you are.

Conclusion

Turkey Tomato Gratin is a brilliant example of how practical cooking can still be deeply satisfying. It’s economical, flexible, and ideal for reducing food waste—all while delivering bold flavor, creamy textures, and that irresistible golden top layer. Whether you’re recovering from a festive holiday spread or simply looking for a way to breathe new life into your leftovers, this dish is the answer.

With its one-pan simplicity and comforting appeal, it’s sure to become a post-holiday staple in your household. And as you enjoy each cheesy, tomato-rich bite, you’ll be reminded that some of the best meals start with what you already have on hand—transformed with a little creativity and care into something worth gathering around the table for.

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