Leftover Turkey Tagine

Easy leftover turkey tagine with apricots is a wonderfully simple supper for winter nights and a great way to use up leftovers from a festive roast. Using cooked turkey means no need for long, slow cooking. Ready in 35 minutes, it makes a perfect midweek supper and a change from turkey curry.

Quick & Easy Turkey Tagine

Tagine cooking is traditionally a slow business but using roast turkey reduces the cooking time considerably, so this recipe takes little more than half an hour. However, it still has all the rich fragrance and flavour of that tempting North African dish.

I like spicy dishes when it comes to using up the Christmas turkey. It creates a contrast with big roast dinner, so you are less likely to feel that you are eating the same thing over and over. The Moroccan spices make a lovely change and the earthy warmth is just what you want in the depths of winter.

Packed with protein from the meat and the chickpeas, my turkey tagine makes a rib-sticking meal. You could just serve it with a salad, but if you want something more substantial, enjoy it the traditional way with couscous (always quick and easy) or flat bread or a simple spicy rice.

Like so many spicy stews, tagine improves with keeping. If you are expecting company, make it the day before and leave yourself free to entertain.

Turkey Tagine Ingredients

• Leftover turkey– This dish is perfect for using up the last bits of a roast turkey or turkey crown. Bite sized chunks are perfect; slices aren’t necessary.
• Olive oil – I always use extra virgin because it’s unrefined.
• Chickpeas – The texture of different brands can vary significantly – choose one with a bit of bite. They want to be soft, but not mushy after cooking,
• Onion and garlic
• Dried apricots –  if you want, substitute dates or any other dried fruit.
• Canned tomatoes – I find that spending a little extra on canned tomatoes makes a big difference. I don’t get the cheapest, but not the most expensive.
• Spices – Use what you love. I suggest a mixture, or you could use a suitable spice mix such as Moroccan ras el hanout.
• Fresh Spinach washed and dried in a salad spinner.
• Fresh Coriander / Cilantro – Fresh is much better than dried as it has much more flavour. Chop up the stalks and use those too. Frozen coriander is another option.
• Turkey / Chicken / Vegetable Stock / Broth – Use your favourite, or even any leftover gravy from the roast turkey!

How to Make Leftover Turkey Tagine 

Step 1 – First, gather and measure the ingredients. Make up the stock, if necessary. Dice the onion and the turkey. Chop the apricots. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Step 2 – Heat the oil in a shallow casserole dish (or sauté pan with a lid) on a medium to low heat. Fry the diced onion gently for a couple of minutes. Then crush and add the garlic (garlic takes less time to cook than onion). Continue to cook until the onion becomes translucent – don’t brown it.

Step 3 – Add the spices to the pan, and stir well so that the onion is coated. Cook until the spices are fragrant.

Step 4 – Add the chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, honey, turkey, stock, and apricots. Stir well, and turn up the heat to bring the liquid to a simmer.

Step 6 – Then turn the heat right down, cover and leave to cook for 20 minutes.

Once done remove the cinnamon stick and discard.

Step 5 – Add half the spinach, stir in and cover the pot, leaving it for about a minute. Then add the remaining spinach and the coriander stalks, and stir.

It’s much easier to add the spinach in stages like this. At first it may look as though there’s too much spinach for the dish, but wilting it in two stages reduces the volume and makes it easy to stir in.

Cous Cous on the Side

This turkey tagine is a substantial dish eaten alone, but you could serve it with some savoury cous cous, the traditional and very easy accompaniment to a tagine.

Simply use 1:1.25 by volume cous cous to stock in a covered bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.

Allow about a quarter of a cup of cous cous per person for a side dish.

Step 6 – Sprinkle over the chopped coriander leaves. When you are ready to serve your turkey tagine, garnish it with some pomegranate seeds and toasted almonds.

Hints & Tips

• 250 g of turkey used in this tagine will serve four. I find this quantity fits easily into a flat take-away tray, which stacks neatly in my freezer.
• 50 g of dried apricots is 7–8 dried half apricots. Cut each piece into quarters. I find scissors much quicker than cutting dried fruit with a knife.
• You could substitute pitted dates or prunes for the apricots. Like the apricots, cut each into at least four.
• Garnish with pomegranate seeds and/or toasted slivered almonds. Keep the pan moving when you toast the almonds in a dry frying pan, as they can burn very quickly.
• Use a quality brand of canned tomatoes. You don’t need to pay a fortune, but supermarket budget brands can be watery and taste metallic. I find that a few extra pennies can make a big difference.
• Not all brands of chickpeas are the same, as some are far softer than others. Use the firmer ones for cooking.
• Turkey tagine freezes well as long as the meat has not previously been frozen.

More Leftover Turkey Recipes

• Turkey biryani – lightly spiced family friendly one pot

• Turkey pasta bake – with ham and mushrooms

• Turkey and ham pies – with a light and crunchy filo topping

• Turkey frittata – filling, adaptable and protein packed

• Coronation chicken – the classic recipe for leftover chicken – but just as good made with leftover turkey