What can I say? I absolutely love to come up with fun and inspired new ways to use up leftovers, especially Holiday ones! Like I've said before, their's just something that's gratifying about being able to create a new dish from leftover parts of another meal.

I've been working pretty hard with racking my brain and trying to come up with interesting twists that were somewhat outside the box; repurposing my holiday leftovers in a way that maybe isn't something most would think of. My inspiration comes in many forms. This time around it was my wonderful cry-haired bombshell of a mother.

While my mom and I were planning our usual Thanksgiving meal she had mentioned using the leftovers in wontons. Uhm. Excuse me? I'm stealing your idea, mom!

I may have absconded her for an additional day or two so that I could have her around to taste test and let me know that her idea panned out the way we had envisioned.

Initially she suggested that we add the cranberries to the wonton filling too, but I was a little weary. Just before I started to make my wontons, I changed my mind and quickly added in some of our leftover cranberry sauce.

Yum! I'm so glad that ended up adding them in. They gave a nice little bite of tart in between the other ingredients.

I used up my particular leftovers in these little guys, but you could use more or less of anything. My mom has come to the conclusion now that you could put just about any edible thing inside a wonton wrapper and make a meal!

The broth made with leftover turkey is a must here. It adds so much flavor when you make your own, and while it may take a while to simmer on the stove, it's completely worth it and so easy to do.

'Leftover' Turkey Wonton Soup
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
The calculations below are based off my own personal Thanksgiving recipes as leftovers.
Servings: 8 • Size: 4 Wontons + Broth • Calories: 238.3 • Fat: 3.6 g • Carb: 39.8 g • Fiber: 2.6 g • Protein: 10.4 g • Sugar: 3.2 g • Sodium: 525.8 mg

Ingredients:
Turkey Stock:
Leftover Turkey Bones
2 Celery Stalks, Halved
1 C. Baby Carrots or 2 Medium Carrots
1 White Onion, Halved
3 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
8-12 C. Water
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Wontons:
1/2 C. Leftover Stuffing/Dressing
1/2 C. Leftover Cooked White Meat Turkey
1/2 C. Leftover Cooked Ham
1/4 C. Leftover Sweet Potatoes
1/4 C. Leftover Mashed Potatoes
1/4 C. Leftover Cranberry Sauce
32 Wonton Wrappers
 

Directions:

Place the turkey bones, 2 celery stalks, 1 c. carrots, white onion, and 3 garlic cloves into a large stock pot.

Fill with enough water to cover the bones.

Mine was pretty much to the top of my stock pot - about 8-12 cups.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat to low and allow the stock to simmer for about 2 hours.

You could also cook this stock overnight in a crock pot.

Once the broth is done, strain out everything from the stock; set aside.

Combine the 1 C. Leftover Stuffing/Dressing, 1 C. Turkey, 1 C. Ham, 1/2 C. Sweet Potatoes,  1/2 C. Mashed Potatoes, and 1/2 C. Cranberry Sauce into a large bowl together until well blended.

Lay out your wonton wrappers and place about 1 tbsp. of the filling mixture in the center.

Dip your fingertips into water and lightly line the edges of the wrapper.

Carefully fold the wrapper over and seal the edges off by pressing tightly together and forming the meat mixture into a half moon shape.

Continue on with each wrapper and set aside in a single layer on parchment paper until all are complete.

Increase the heat under the stock to a low boil and add in the wontons in.

Allow the wontons to cook in the soup for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.

Divide evenly among bowls and serve right away. Enjoy!