Budget Dinner with Leftover Turkey

This recipe scores high in all three major categories: it's easy to fix, it's inexpensive, and everyone likes it. And it's a great way to use up leftover turkey when everyone is sick of turkey sandwiches.

"Turkey" Rice Casserole
1 cup leftover turkey scraps
1 can cream of (whatever) soup - purchased for .35¢ at Publix this week
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese - purchased for $1.25 at Publix this week
1 cup instant rice - I already have this in my pantry
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together in a small casserole dish (8" square is a good size) holding back about a 1/4 cup of cheese. Bake for 45 minutes. Add remaining cheese to top of casserole and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

That's it! A one dish, budget friendly recipe that everyone will love. It's also very versatile.

I like to add a thawed box of broccoli florets to the top of the casserole for the last 15 minutes. You can substitute chicken or ham to use whatever leftovers you have. If you don't have leftovers, but still want to make it, you can use a large can of chunk chicken. The cream soup can be whatever you like (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli). Same with the cheese, although I do recommend including at least a little bit of an orange-colored cheese for color.

If you are feeding more than 2 or 3 people, you should probably double the recipe and use a 9"x13" or 10"x15" baking dish. Other than that, everything else is the same.

Serve with a salad, and some bread and butter, and you've got an entire meal for about $1 a person.