Curried Ham & Turkey(Usda)
Submitted by jen2670
Creamy curried ham and turkey in a roux-based sauce served over toast or biscuits. Freezer-friendly comfort food that reheats beautifully from frozen in one hour.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
60 minREADY
80 minThis old-school curry is a smart way to use up leftover ham and turkey after a holiday meal. Diced meat gets folded into a thick, curry-spiced cream sauce made from a classic butter-and-flour roux thinned with hot milk. It’s homey, warming, and comes together on the stovetop in about 20 minutes.
What makes this recipe especially practical is the freezer instructions built right in. You can divide the finished curry into portions, wrap them tight in freezer paper, and stash them for up to six months. When you’re ready to eat, the frozen block goes straight into the oven and comes out bubbly and smooth after reheating.
Spooned over hot toast or split biscuits, this is the kind of meal that stretches holiday leftovers into something that feels intentional rather than scraped together.
Chef Tips
- Stir the milk in slowly and keep stirring constantly as the sauce thickens. A roux this size can get lumpy fast if you dump liquid in all at once.
- Cool the mixture for a full 30 minutes before wrapping for the freezer. Wrapping it hot creates steam that leads to ice crystals and freezer burn.
- When reheating from frozen, stir the curry occasionally as it bakes. The edges heat faster than the center, and stirring ensures even warming throughout.
- For a stronger curry flavor, increase the curry powder to a full tablespoon. The USDA-style recipe keeps the spice mild, but there’s room to push it.
Variations
- Serve over rice instead of toast for a more substantial dinner plate.
- Stir in frozen peas or diced carrots during the last few minutes of cooking for added color and vegetables.
- Replace the curry powder with a Madras-style curry paste for deeper, more complex heat.
Ingredients
Directions
Line four 8×8×2-inch baking pans with heat-resistant freezer wrap.
Allow= enough extra wrap to fold over top.
Use one pan for each six servings or= one-fourth of the recipe.
Do not line pans for food to be served without= freezing.
Melt fat.
Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and curry powder. Add pepper flakes= and onion.
Stir in milk slowly. Cook until thickened, stirring= constantly.
Stir in turkey and ham.
TO SERVE WITHOUT FREEZING: Heat to serving temperature after turkey and ham= are stirred into hot mixture.
Serve over hot toast or biscuits.
TO FREEZE: Pour each fourth of the mixture to be frozen into a baking pan.
= Pack food tightly to avoid air pockets.
Cool for 30 minutes at room= temperature.
Complete wrapping by pulling paper up over top of food.
Put= edges of wrap together and fold several times so paper lies directly on top= of food.
Fold ends of freezer wrap over the top and seal with freezer= tape.
Label with name of food, date of freezing, and last date the food= should be used for best eating quality (about 6 months).
Freeze= immediately for 10 to 12 hours before removing packages from the pans.
TO HEAT FROZEN CURRY: Preheat oven to 350=B0 F.
(moderate).
Remove freezer= wrap.
Place food in baking pan. Bake 1 hour or until mixture is bubbly at= edges.
Stir occasionally during heating. After heating, stir gently until= sauce is smooth.
Serve over hot toast or biscuits.
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