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featured image for leftover thanksgiving turkey sandwich, with cranberry sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Leftover Turkey Cranberry Sandwich

Creamy Béchamel with leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, and Pepper Jack cheese makes this open faced leftover turkey cranberry sandwich the ultimate way to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Cost: $0.64 per serving

Ingredients

For the Béchamel Sauce

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 quart milk
  • 5 whole black peppercorns
  • 3-4 sprigs parsley
  • 1 medium shallot thinly sliced
  • 1 branch rosemary fresh, slightly muddled
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg freshly ground

For the Sandwich

  • 8 thick slices bread very fresh, very lightly toasted
  • 1 pound leftover Thanksgiving turkey thinly sliced
  • 8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese
  • ½ cup leftover cranberry sauce
  • 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

Instructions

  • Adjust the racks of your oven to where one rack is 6 inches below the element, and the other is at the lowest part of the oven. Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.

Making the Béchamel Sauce

  • Add the milk, peppercorns, parsley, shallots, and rosemary to a medium saucepan, then bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the milk is steamy. Strain out the solids and return the infused milk to the saucepan. Reduce heat to low to keep the milk warm.
  • Melt the butter in a separate saucepan, then add the flour and whisk to incorporate the flour and to break up any lumps. Cook the mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until it begins to toast and smell nutty. Pour in the milk.
  • Turn the heat to medium high and bring the roux to a boil, whisking constantly. The mixture will thicken to the consistency of a smooth gravy. Remove it from the heat and allow it to stand to thicken.

Assembling the Sandwiches

  • Add the whole grain mustard to the cranberry sauce and stir with a wooden spoon until it is very well combined. Set aside.
  • Lightly toast the bread slices on the prepared baking sheet in the bottom part of the oven for just a minute. You only want them very lightly toasted.
  • Remove the baking sheet and flip the bread slices. Add a heaping spoonful of the hot Béchamel sauce to each slice and smear it around. Add the 2 ounces of turkey to each slice of bread, followed by 1 ounce of Pepper Jack atop each pile of turkey.
  • Slide the baking sheet onto the top rack of the oven just long enough to melt the cheese and lightly brown the tops.
  • Remove from the oven and arrange 2 halves on each of four plates. Spoon the cranberry sauce mixture over top and serve hot. Serve open-faced with kettle chips or house made pickles.

Notes

  • Substitute the pepper jack cheese with any cheese that melts easily and quickly.
  • Make ahead the béchamel sauce by one day. Cool completely and cover with film. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Reheat the béchamel sauce over low heat in a saucepan on your stove for about ten minutes. Leftover sauce is fabulous, spooned over scrambled eggs. Please not that the sauce cannot be frozen, as it will separate upon thawing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 696kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 1726mg | Potassium: 621mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 1482IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 726mg | Iron: 2mg