Thanksgiving Leftover Mac and Cheese

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta, then rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.

2. While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery; saute until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add leftover turkey and cook until warm and flavors are incorporated, about 1 minute. Season with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add broth if mixture seems dry. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Melt remaining butter in a large saucepan over medium (or slightly higher) heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in milk (about 1 to 2 tablespoons); keep stirring to make sure flour is blended and there are no lumps. Cook until roux is brown and very fragrant. Add Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda, and Parmesan cheeses; cook until sauce thickens and the cheese melts. Slowly add enough milk so the roux/cheese mix is creamy; just add it in small increments so it's not too juicy.

4. Add macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix to combine. Add the turkey mixture. Mix well and transfer to a baking dish. Top with bread crumbs.

5. Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.

6. Place mac and cheese under the broiler until browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Tips

Cook's Note:

I mix 2 tablespoons each parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme with 1 tablespoon each salt and pepper to season my turkey and then use a pinch of this with the leftovers to make this mac and cheese.