• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to footer-circles navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Jo Cooks

Pretty Darn Delicious Recipes

Join my free recipe email club!
Free eBook
  • Recipe Index
  • Cookbook
  • ABOUT JO
  • Contact
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Desserts
  • Reader Picks
  • Turkey Pesto Panini
  • Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
  • Leftover Turkey Shepherd's Pie
  • Bacon Chicken and Arugula Sandwich
  • Arugula and Walnut Pesto Pasta
Home / Type / Healthy Eating
10 minutes
12.30.13
Updated: 08.08.17

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and Arugula Sandwich

Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
  • 579
  • 2
  • 23

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and arugula sandwich is a perfect way to use some of that leftover turkey. This pesto is made with pistachios.

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and Arugula Sandwich

Thank God it’s the weekend. I actually had to work yesterday. All my fault, really. I left no vacation time at all for the Christmas holidays. But that’s OK, because it’s a very quiet time at work during the holidays, so it’s good for catching up on work with no interruptions.

Now if you’re like me, you probably have lots of turkey leftover from Christmas and as much as my dear dog would love for me to give her all the leftovers, I know it’s probably not good for her, though she would stand to argue otherwise if she could talk, so while I left some turkey for her, I also decided to make these yummylicious sandwiches. I got inspired when I was surfing through one of my favorite blogs Damn Delicious, and saw her chicken pesto sandwich. I thought it would be perfect use of some leftover turkey.

I had lots of pistachios leftover from my Christmas baking so I decided to make a pistachio pesto. If you’ve never made pesto before it’s so easy. The ingredients are simple; basil, pistachios, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic and a bit of salt and pepper. I used my Magic Bullet for this, which I really love, so handy and so easy to use and clean because it’s so small.

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and Arugula Sandwich

 Anywhooo, this pesto is ah-maazing!! So versatile! You could use it in sandwiches, or my favorite, over pasta. It’s crazy good! You probably will have leftover pesto, so don’t throw it away, put it in an air tight container, or jar, and freeze it, it freezes really well, so the day before I’d take it out and let it thaw out. This pesto is so good, you could even just spread it over bread or crackers and just eat it! Trust me, I know what I’m talking about!

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and Arugula Sandwich

I used about 2 cups of leftover turkey, dark and white meat, with about 1/2 cup of that delicious pesto and just as Chung-Ah from Damn Delicious added some Greek yogurt for extra creaminess, I did too. I’m all about the extra creamy factor! Uh-huh! Now, around this time, Mia was going nuts around me, trying her hardest to somehow climb on the island to get to the turkey. But this is when I succumbed and gave her some. She’s just too damn cute for her own good, can’t resist. Such a manipulator!

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and Arugula Sandwich

Mix all those yummy ingredients together with a fork or spoon, or spork, lol. Now look at that. Doesn’t that look delish? I could stop right now and just eat this by the spoonful.

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and Arugula Sandwich

But I forced myself to continue with my sandwiches and I’m so glad I did! I added avocado too, just because I love avocados on sandwiches. And if you want a little extra zing, drizzle with some lemon juice, this was my hubby’s idea and oh so worth it! Every once in a while I have to give him credit for his brilliant ideas.

So let’s recap. Baby arugula, avocados, fresh mozzarella cheese, pistachio pesto turkey, tomatoes and all this in a gorgeous fresh baguette drizzled with a bit of lemon juice. What do you think? I tell you what I think. This here my friends, is money! This sandwich is worth a million bucks. So don’t throw away that leftover turkey make this yummylicious sandwich.

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and Arugula Sandwich

Looking for more recipes? Follow on... My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram

Leftover Turkey with Pistachio Pesto and Arugula Sandwich

0 from 0 votes
Prep: 10 mins
Total: 10 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 4
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

For Pistachio Pesto

  • about a cup of fresh Basil
  • 1/2 cup Pistachios
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

For Sandwiches

  • 4 baby baguettes or 1 baguette cut into 4 equal size pieces
  • 2 cups leftover turkey or chicken
  • 4 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 2 large tomatoes sliced
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • lemon juice optional

Instructions

  • To make the pesto, add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor and pulse until fully emulsified.
  • Mix about half the pesto, turkey, and yogurt in a bowl. Store the remaining pesto in a jar or air tight container and freeze until ready to use.
  • To assemble sandwiches, cut baguettes in half, and layer starting with baby arugula, avocados, mozzarella cheese, turkey mixture, tomatoes and drizzle with lemon juice if preferred.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1gCalories: 611kcal (31%)Carbohydrates: 40.9g (14%)Protein: 43g (86%)Fat: 32.1g (49%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 75mg (25%)Sodium: 612mg (27%)Fiber: 6.8g (28%)Sugar: 5.9g (7%)
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Enjoy!

Meet jo

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe and get a FREE dinner recipes ebook!

Previous Post
Guacamole Deviled Eggs
Next Post
Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment & Rate Recipe Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    June 14, 2015 at 9:20 pm

    Can you provide any other nutritional information?

    Reply
    • jo says

      June 14, 2015 at 9:40 pm

      Yep, recipe has been updated with nutritional information.

      Reply
      • austyn says

        November 29, 2015 at 6:50 pm

        Do you think eating this with a green wrap, instead of the white bread will cut down the calories? I am trying to eat clean, and the list of items doesn’t look bad but I see it’s 600 calories but I still want to try it so bad! lol

      • jo says

        November 29, 2015 at 7:16 pm

        Not sure, you’ll have to check the calories for the green wrap, is it a tortilla or are you thinking a lettuce wrap? You can then use http://www.caloriecount.com to check out the calories for the recipe with your wrap instead of the bread.

      • austyn says

        November 29, 2015 at 7:35 pm

        Thank you! it’s a green tortilla wrap!

  2. Susie says

    January 11, 2014 at 3:25 am

    Wow! I love this site. It’s right up my alley. Got to get to the grocery store for the ingredients. Yum! Sounds soooo GOOD!

    Reply
    • jo says

      January 11, 2014 at 5:28 am

      Thanks Susie! 🙂

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hey there!

I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More…
My Cookbook
Order Now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Books-A-Million
Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe and get a FREE dinner recipes ebook!

Sign me up

Christmas

Classic Shortbread Cookies

Prime Rib Roast

How to Roast a Turkey

Crockpot Brown Sugar Cola Glazed Ham

Crockpot Honey Mustard Glazed Ham

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole From Scratch

Brined Roast Turkey Breast

Roast Chicken

Rosemary Garlic Pork Roast

Homemade Eggnog

Braised Lamb Shanks

Favorites...

Baked Chicken Breast

No Knead Bread

One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Pork Carnitas

Baked Mac And Cheese

Easy Meatloaf

Firecracker Chicken

Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls

Jo Cooks...

Flavors from around the world

No matter what household we have all grown up in, there is something that has brought us all together here and that is a love and appreciation of food. Food that is from cultures and cuisines across the world has always been a staple of the blog. I'm excited to bring you all a taste of each corner of the earth, every last bite seasoned to perfection and served up with love - from my kitchen to yours.

Asian

Italian

Mexican

Romanian

Indian

Middle Eastern

Trending Now

Baked Chicken Breast

Prime Rib Roast

Instant Pot Turkey Breast

Brined Roast Turkey Breast

Browse All
  • Easy Dinners
  • Instant Pot
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Chicken Recipes
  • Desserts
  • Recipe Index
Featured On
  • Recipe Index
  • Cookbook
  • ABOUT JO
  • Contact
  • visit my other site: Craving Home Cooked
  • Privacy Policy
© 2019 · All Rights Reserved ·

Subscribe and get a free dinner recipes ebook!

604shares
  • 579
  • 2
  • 23