Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes: Turkey Mole Bowls

Nothing cramps my style more than having a mouse in the kitchen. And you truly won’t know what I’m talking about unless you have musophobia like myself. Yes, that’s a real word.

I had intended to spend my week back after Thanksgiving making fun stuff in the kitchen. But you see, that’s pretty much impossible for me to do with a mouse in the kitchen.

Which is why I’m choosing to post a recipe that I made months ago but have neglected to post until now.

Turkey Mole Bowls

Awhile back, I found a recipe for mole sauce on Carpé Season.

If you’ve never had mole (mo-lay) sauce, you should give it a go. It’s a traditional Mexican sauce that contains all sorts of seemingly random ingredients: Tomatoes, peppers, raisins, nuts, spices, and even chocolate. But trust me, it all comes together in the end.

It’s a little bit spicy, a little bit smoky, a little bit nutty, and a little bit sweet. It goes great with chicken or turkey, smothered on burritos or enchiladas, or on top of rice.

Looking at the long list of ingredients, you may be reluctant to call this a cheap recipe. But hear me out. It makes a really big batch and it freezes well.

I have made many meals out of one batch of mole sauce. I’ve made several mole “bowls”, with a random combination of leftover food items. This particular bowl featured leftover turkey, pinto and black beans, tomatoes, avocado, and scallions.

Want More Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes?

• Lots of Thanksgiving leftover ideas all in one post
• Leftover turkey chili
• Fried Thanksgiving croquettes
• Turkey-cranberry wontons
• Turkey mole bowls
• Turkey lettuce wraps with peanut sauce
• Turkey empanadas (pictured below)

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Turkey Mole Bowls

First time trying mole sauce? Use it much like you would use enchilada sauce. Or get creative and use it in lieu of tomato sauce on Mexican-inspired pizza.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

For mole sauce

• 1 can (28 ounce) whole tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 dried ancho chile peppers, stemmed and seeded
• 2 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

To assemble bowls

• Rice
• Black beans
• Leftover turkey
• Avocado

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.
2. Transfer sauce to a large saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes. Choose your mole bowl ingredients and top with about 1/3 cup of sauce. Freeze any leftover sauce in an airtight container up to four months.