Turkey and Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto Recipe

Turkey and Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto is a delicious and inventive way to turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into a company-worthy meal.

Roasted Sweet Potato Leftovers

So, once that Thanksgiving dinner is over, what are you doing with the leftovers? In my Apple Cranberry Leek Holiday Stuffing recipe I talk about making a delicious hash from turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Not exactly healthy eating, but it is so good!

But what about our friend the sweet potato? There are a lot of great sweet potato recipes out there, but I was looking for something a little different.

Our Thanksgiving dinner always has roasted sweet potatoes on the menu. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes is a great complement to the other parts of the meal. And, roasting them makes a good thing even better.

A Delicious Idea Was Born!

As I was rummaging through my pantry, I noticed I had some risotto rice and also a lot of chicken stock on hand. It got me thinking about one of my most favorite things I like to make – a delicious creamy risotto.

Risotto is a comfort food for me. It’s great as both a side dish or a main dish, but I know how much I like to eat it – so main dish it is!

So, I settled into a sweet potato risotto recipe. But, as I was looking at the Thanksgiving leftovers, I saw I also had a lot of leftover turkey.

And there is was! What would make this sweet potato recipe even better would be to add in the leftover turkey.

Again, the sweetness of the sweet potato providing that great complement to the roasted turkey. And, I would be using roasted sweet potatoes which added in even more flavor!

This would be the first time I would be combining these two simple ingredients, but I was pretty sure this was going to make a great recipe. In fact, the whole family thought the same once they got their hands on it!

What About Aborio Rice Substitutes?

Now, one question I do get asked is what if I can’t find risotto rice (also called arborio rice), where I shop? Are there alternatives?

The answer is yes, there are alternatives. A short-grain rice with a high starch content is what you are looking for, which is why arborio rice is the preferred risotto rice.

However, you can also substitute a short-grain brown rice, sushi rice or a short-grain white rice. Any of these will help you get to that creamy texture you want during the cooking process.

So, if you are looking for a great recipe to use those Thanksgiving leftovers (especially those roasted sweet potatoes), definitely give this one a try!

Tips and Tricks

• Arborio rice is the preferred risotto rice rather than regular white rice. Arborio rice is much starchier than regular rice and risotto achieves it’s creamy texture from that starch (see above for alternatives).
• Use a dry white wine such as chardonnay or sauvignon blanc.
• If you don’t have any leftover roasted sweet potatoes, you can make this recipe for Tex-Mex Roasted Sweet Potatoes or this recipe for Maple Brown Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes. For the Tex-Mex Roasted Sweet potatoes, just omit all of the seasonings, except for the salt and pepper.
• Risotto is best eaten immediately after it’s finished cooking.
• To reheat any leftovers, use the microwave or stove top. As the risotto is warming up, stir in a little chicken stock at a time just until it gets creamy again. You don’t want to add too much liquid so that it gets soupy.

Ingredients Needed to Make Turkey and Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card