Keto Turkey (or Chicken) Broccoli Casserole Bake

Ingredients:

So looks like you tried the Classic American Turkey Dinner! Now you find yourself with heaps of leftover turkey, but thats part of the fun of making turkey, all of those leftovers! In my American Italian family we always had another night after the Turkey Dinner that we all went back to grandmas house for another night of Turkey dinner. That proves that an Italian can cook an American Turkey dinner because my Italian grandmother always nailed it! Interestingly, Ravioli was always part of the turkey dinner too, right along with the mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing. I guess you can take the Italian out of Italy but you can’t take Italy out of the Italian.

Turkey Dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, dressing, candied yams, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce — Turkey dinner

After the Second Turkey dinner we ate turkey sandwiches for days. We strangely made our turkey sandwiches with white sliced sandwich bread (it was the 1970’s after all) with turkey and ketchup with salt and pepper. (Ketchup?!?) I don’t know why my Italian family ate Turkey sandwiches with ketchup, maybe it reminded them of tomato sauce and maybe that made sense to them. All that I know is, I was raised on turkey sandwiches with ketchup and pepper and I didn’t even know this was strange. Until I ate a leftover turkey sandwich at a friends house and learned “normal” people ate turkey sandwiches with mayo, tomato and lettuce.

But somehow the legacy passes down and all cousins and nephews and nieces had this same experience down to the current generation. We just love to pass down our Turkey Ketchup sandwiches.

Keto Snacks, cranberry sauce, cream cheese, peanut butter, celery and seed crisps — Cream cheese, cranberry sauce and turkey on a Keto Seed Crisp

Anyway, you can also enjoy a leftover turkey sandwich in a “California Keto” style by placing a little cream cheese and keto cranberry sauce on a keto seed crisp. Absolutely delicious!

What else to do with all of that left over Turkey? We made Tortilla soup with the leftover broth and turkey. I really enjoyed that because it had a completely different flavor than the turkey dinner. I also really like this recipe for Keto Broccoli Parmesan Turkey Bake. You can substitute rotisserie chicken for the turkey if you haven’t actually made a turkey. But then you would have missed out on all of the fun.

Keto Broccoli Parmesan Chicken Bake (or Turkey)

4 cups of leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken (630 g)
8 mushrooms
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 head of broccoli (about 3-4 cups)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons crushed pork rinds

Ingredients for White Sauce:

2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 block of cream cheese (100 g) cubed
1/2 cup cream (170 ml)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (25 g)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions:

Chop, onion, mushrooms, garlic and turkey or chicken
Melt butter, add onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes, add the mushrooms and broccoli, cook for another minute, cover and allow to steam for another 2 minutes. Add the turkey and mix together in a casserole dish, set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C)
In a small sauce pan melt the 2 tablespoons butter, add the cubed cream cheese, when the cream cheese starts to melt, start to mix with a whisk. Add the heavy cream and continue mixing. They should start to mix together.
Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and parmesan cheese to the white sauce and bring to a light bubble, about 2-3 minutes. If the sauce seems a little thick add a little water or more cream, I just added water and probably another 1/2 cup worth because I wanted it a little saucy.
Pour the white sauce over the casserole, sprinkle with grated cheese and crushed pork rinds.
Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.