Turkey and Bean Patties For Baby to Use Up Those Holiday Leftovers

Do you tend to find yourself with a lot of leftover turkey after the Thanksgiving or Christmas meal?

If so – and you struggle to come up with a unique way of serving some of it to your baby – then we have a yummy recipe you might like to try!

Do remember to only use holiday leftovers that have been safely stored for your homemade baby food recipes – if your turkey (or any over Christmas leftovers) were sitting at room temperature for more than two hours, DO NOT feed them to your baby or anyone else.

For absolute safety, your leftovers should be refrigerated immediately once cool.

Today’s recipe is for little patties that would make an excellent finger food for babies old enough to feed themselves.

They have a soft, smooth texture and are VERY easy for baby to eat, even if he doesn’t yet have his first tooth.

Feel free to add extra, finely chopped leftover veggies to the basic ingredients below – we also like to make an extra batch for the adults and add some chopped ham and a tablespoon of mustard, for a fuller flavour (but please note that we don’t recommend giving ham to your baby because of its high salt content).

To make turkey and bean patties for your baby you will need

1 small onion, chopped finely
olive oil
6 oz (3/4 cup) cooked turkey
8 oz (1 cup) cooked flageolet or Great Northern beans (you can use the salt-free, canned variety, drained)
1 garlic clove
2 tsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 oz (1/2 cup) flour
2 oz (1/4 cup) plain yogurt
8 oz (around 2 cups) dried breadcrumbs

Heat the oil in a frying pan/skillet and cook the onion for a few minutes until tender.

Chop the turkey, then place the turkey, beans, garlic, parsley and cooked onion in a food processor. Blend until you have a coarse patty texture.

Using your hands, form the mixture into 6 balls.

Flatten the balls into patties, then chill for 15 minutes (they hold their shape better once nice and cold).

Dip each patty in the flour, then into the yogurt, making sure they are well covered.

Finally, dip them into the breadcrumbs, coating them thoroughly.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan/skillet until hot, then cook the patties until the underside is golden (2 to 3 mins). Turn with a spatula, then cook for a further 2 to 3 mins.

Cool and serve!

If you have leftover mashed potato, why not try these tasty Potato Pancakes?
They’re great with breakfast or lunch!