Linguine & Turkey Saute

Linguine with turkey sauté is the classic post-Thanksgiving move: take yesterday’s turkey and turn it into a one-skillet dinner that tastes nothing like leftovers. Diced turkey simmers in a quick sage-flavored pan gravy built on sweated onion, carrot, and celery, plus a flour-thickened broth that echoes Thanksgiving dinner.

Broccoli florets get a clever two-minute plunge into the same pot as the pasta, which saves a pan and locks in their bright green color. The whole thing lands on a platter with a shower of herbed stuffing crumbs on top, a nostalgic crunch that ties the whole plate back to the holiday.

Fast, comforting, and deeply practical, it’s the kind of dinner that proves leftovers don’t have to mean another cold sandwich.

Kitchen Tips

• Add the broccoli to the pasta water for exactly 2 minutes, any longer and it turns mushy.
• Cook the flour into the butter and vegetables for a minute before adding broth, raw flour tastes like paste.
• Use the low-salt broth as written, leftover turkey and stuffing crumbs both bring sodium.
• Warm the turkey only until heated through, prolonged simmering turns cooked meat dry and stringy.

Variations

• Swap broccoli for frozen peas or baby spinach stirred in at the end.
• Stir a few tablespoons of cream or mascarpone into the gravy for a richer, Thanksgiving-turned-Tuscan spin.
• Use rotisserie chicken in place of turkey to make this a year-round leftover pasta.
• Finish with a squeeze of lemon and grated Parmesan to brighten the creamy gravy.