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Forget the main event – the real magic happens on 26 December, when cold turkey, orphaned pigs in blankets and that one limp sprout transcend their fate. From Padella’s cult Christmas ragu to a panettone grilled cheese that really shouldn’t work (but absolutely does), these chef-approved recipes turn festive scraps into the best meal of the week
Lauren TaylorMonday 01 December 2025 06:00 GMTComments
open image in galleryTurning the stray sprout and the last pig in blanket into pasta worth fighting over (Sam A Harris)
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“There’s much debate about the best way to use Christmas leftovers but, let’s face it, nothing beats a festive turkey club sandwich washed down with a frosty beer (or maybe two). A close second in our household is the mighty Christmas ragu,” says Padella chef Tim Siadatan.
“Slightly dry, fridge-cold turkey meat and stuffing? Perfect. A couple of lonely pigs in blankets? Yes, please (and I’ll take the sludgy fat they’ve set in as well). The one sad sprout destined for the compost – that’ll be our green intake for the day. Oh, and the ‘roast’ potato that didn’t quite make it – stuck in no-man’s land, somewhere between boiled and crisp. And let’s not forget the dregs of gravy that have turned to jelly.
There’s no hard-and-fast rule about what to include (though I’d draw the line at bread or cranberry sauce). The key is to lean heavily on the meat, with just a little veg – a sensible ratio is 70% meat to 30% veg.”
Christmas leftover ragu
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
About 400g dried pasta (linguine or spaghetti if you have it, but go with what you’ve got)
Around 350g leftover cooked meat (turkey, duck, goose, sausage and chestnut stuffing, pigs in blankets, etc)
Around 150g leftover cooked veg/pulses (Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, cavolo nero, pumpkin, carrots, roast potato, lentils, etc)
1 heaped tbsp leftover fat (duck, goose, turkey or sausage fat) or a glug (about 40ml) of olive oil
50ml Marsala (or Vermouth or sherry)
About 150ml gravy (or milk will do if the gravy is finished)
75ml single or double cream (or crème fraîche or mascarpone)
50g unsalted butter, cubed
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley (if you have it)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan (or a good mature Cheddar or Comté), finely grated, to finish
Method:
1. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4-5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt. Finely chop your cooked meat. Chop the veg and pulses slightly coarser than the meat.
2. Heat the fat or olive oil in a saucepan or flameproof casserole large enough to easily fit all the ingredients, including the cooked pasta. Add the chopped meat and fry over a medium heat until just starting to brown. Add the chopped veg/pulses, stir and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the Marsala and stir for 30 seconds, then add the gravy (or milk). Turn the heat down to a low simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and follow the packet directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time.
5. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water. Add the pasta to the ragu along with half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water, the butter and chopped parsley, if using. Stir over a medium heat until the butter is melted, the sauce is smooth and creamy, and the pasta is al dente (firm to bite but easy to chew) and fully coated. If the sauce is too dry, add splashes of water to loosen it as you stir – you want the pasta to be loose and for the strands to slide freely over each other as you stir.
6. Serve on hot plates, finished with grated Parmesan (or other cheese). A peppery, herby green salad dressed in lemon oil sits well alongside.
‘Padella’ by Tim Siadatan (Bloomsbury Publishing, £25).
Best-bit-of-Christmas curry
open image in galleryProof that the real joy of a big bird is the curry it becomes on 26 December (Andrew Burton)“Leftover turkey is my favourite Christmas food and I’ll always save to buy a bigger bird than I need, so I can enjoy it after the day,” says chef and cookery content creator Jon Watts.
“This recipe turns those wonderful leftovers into a tasty curry. Over the rest of the year, you can also substitute cold roast chicken, or rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Serve with rice and naan, if you like.”
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cardamom pods
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
20g root ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp tomato purée
400g can of chopped tomatoes
300ml chicken stock, or vegetable stock
400g leftover cooked turkey, shredded
50ml plain yoghurt
2 tsp garam masala
Coriander leaves, to serve (optional)
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cardamom pods and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute.
3. Now add the curry powder and tomato purée and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Pour in the tomatoes and stock, stir well, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken.
5. Add the turkey, then cover with a lid and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes.
6. Stir through the yogurt and garam masala, then taste for seasoning and serve, scattered with coriander, if you like.
‘Speedy Comfort’ by Jon Watts (Bloomsbury Publishing, £22).
Panettone grilled cheese sandwich recipe
open image in gallerySweet bread, molten cheese and Christmas chaos somehow conspiring to be perfect (Skye McAlpine)“There is so much that is seemingly wrong about this combination of melted, rich cheese with golden toasted sweet bread, yet – by some kind of alchemy – the two work exceptionally well together,” says cookery writer Skye McAlpine.
“Trust me on the addition of mustard: you need a slick of something sharp and peppery to cut through the glorious greasy, buttery richness of the whole affair (indeed, by the same principle, this would be good with a few cornichons or pickled onions on the side).
“Trust me also on the mayonnaise: I know it seems egregious to slather mayo over something as delicately flavoured as a slice of panettone, but you won’t taste it. I promise. The mayonnaise seemingly evaporates into nothingness, but the combination of its constituent parts – eggs and olive oil – paves the way for a perfectly golden exterior on the sandwich.
“This makes for a gloriously rich and indulgent breakfast, especially for those who like to start the day with something savoury, but I am also quite partial to a grilled cheese sandwich for supper, with nothing more than a little crisp green salad on the side.”
Makes: 1
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
80-90g panettone
10g salted butter
2 heaped tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 heaped tbsp grated mild Cheddar
Method:
1. Slice the panettone into 2 evenly (and roughly equal) sized pieces. If it’s a round, crossways section, I like to cut it on the diagonal, so that when sandwiched together you have a rounded triangular sandwich.
2. Set a non-stick pan over a medium heat and melt the butter. Spread the mayonnaise over 1 side of each of the pieces of panettone. Now turn a slice over so its mayonnaise-coated side is facing downwards and spread with a thin layer of mustard, then top with the grated cheese. Sandwich together with the second slice of panettone, mayonnaise-coated side facing upwards this time, then set in the pan.
3. Fry gently over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until the bread turns golden, then carefully flip the sandwich on to the other side and fry for a further 2–3 minutes, until golden on both sides and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
‘The Christmas Companion’ by Skye McAlpine (Bloomsbury Publishing, £28).
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