Garlic-Herb Cream Cheese Spread & an Herby Turkey Sandwich
My cure for the Thanksgiving holiday food hangover...
... involved wrapping my porch in a gajillion strands of soft white lights, shopping online because Black Friday is a really bad idea for me, purchasing THE MOST amazing Christmas tree from a local grower, and some garlic-herb cream cheese spread that complimented every bit of leftovers perfectly. In fact, it complimented every bit of everything perfectly so I made a whole bunch of it.
We used to have a Bruegger's Bagel Bakery around the corner from our house growing up and going there for lunch was one of our most favorite things. This was like the pre-Panera Bread era when your only fresh lunch options involved some romaine lettuce and artificial bacon crumbles that fast food joints tried to pass off as caesar salad (might I mention that my 13-year-old self flipping loved those things), so Bruegger's was faaaaaaaancy.
My favorite thing on the fancy bagel bakery lunch menu was an Herby Turkey Sandwich: an everything bagel smeared with herb and garlic cream cheese, sun-dried tomato spread, smoked turkey, muenster cheese, and a mountain of fresh veggies.
If you've never had one you are a) missing out and b) about to join the club.
I have not yet gotten to the point that I'm totally over my green bean casserole leftovers or pumpkin pie for breakfast. I basically don't really feel like cooking. I'm in a more let's-spike-the-apple-cider and live on turkey sandwiches kind of place.
Plus who has time for cleaning up kitchen messes when there is very obviously a perfect Christmas tree that needs to be decorated while blasting The Drifters on repeat in my living room?
Not me.
So I roasted some garlic and added it to light cream cheese with a few dried herbs. It was super fast and super easy and has made-over my leftover turkey enough that I won't be bored with poultry for at least another couple of days (provided Chad doesn't eat it all before I finish typing).
- 2 cloves garlic, skins still on, one side trimmed to expose the garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon dried dill
- 4 small flatbreads or wraps
- 4 slices muenster cheese
- 8 ounces turkey or chicken (leftovers or deli cuts)
- lots of fresh greens, cucumbers, radishes, onions, and sandwich toppings of your choice
- Pre-heat the oven to 400. Rub the teaspoon of olive oil all over the garlic cloves and place them in a small baking dish.
- Roast the garlic cloves for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are golden and could be smashed with a fork. Let them cool for a few minutes before handling.
- Peel the roasted garlic. Smash it into a paste with the back of a fork.
- Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl and stir in the basil, oregano, salt, and dill. Combine the garlic paste with the cream cheese mixture until it's evenly combined.
- Spread 1 ounce of cream cheese onto each flatbread.
- Place one slice of cheese on each.
- Top the cheese with 2 ounces of turkey on each flatbread.
- Add the veggies and roll the flatbreads up.
- Enjoy!!
What are you doing to cure your holiday hangover?
Next week I'll be fasting forward; eating salad, baking cookies. It's a balance thing.
Recipe sounds good but you are missing the sundried tomato spread.
Thank you! I couldn't quiet remember what was in an Herby Turkey, but I have very fond memories. I was glad someone wrote it down online so I could recreate it at home.
Hi Nikky! Enjoy!
This looks good, just wanted to know if this is like the spread the use at Panera Bread on their turkey flat bread
sandwich with turkey, spinach and cranberry sauce? I would love to recreate this sandwich.
Hi Michelle! It IS similar but at Panera I think they use an actual cheese spread instead of cream cheese spread. You can try it out with this Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese (which I love -- it's a Bruegger's Copycat if you've ever had their Herby Turkey Sandwich) OR you can use the garlic and herbs listed in this recipe and then swap the cream cheese for a soft spreadable cheese -- like Skinny Cow, for example.
Let me know how it goes!! And have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Glad you are curing the Thanksgiving hangover(the food kind!) These sandwiches look super delicious. Spencer and I have been eating the sweet leftovers, and I am ready for them to go away! They are calling my name! Thanks for all of your delicious add-ons for the meal. Couldn't have done it without you! Looking forward to low-key birthday dinner, which is looking like call-in pizza.
Hmmm wraps sounds delicious!!! I think I'll grab some wrap essentials tomorrow after work and make something yummy!!! This looks really really good!!! You had me at roasted garlic hahahaha
Your site looks so beautiful my friend 🙂
And this is a great way to cute a god hangover 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Cider, leftovers and getting the christmas lights out sounds like a perfect post-holiday time to me! I'm not allowed to decorate until December 3rd - it0s my birthday next week, then my mum's on 2nd, so christmas waits til after that, but I am starting to feel christmassy (especially since without thanksgiving, turkey leftovers IS christmas for me!)
Ohhhh your birthdays comin up! Yea! My little brothers' is this week. I love birthdays. Is it tradition for you to not decorate until the 3rd or are you actually not allowed? Over here there are some homeowner's associations that regulate that kind of thing depending on the neighborhood... obviously my "neighborhood" is not associated lol. It's been Christmas at my neighbors' house since the 1st week of November!
Oh, no it's just a tradition with my mum 🙂 Here, some of the shops are starting to put up decorations, but it won't get going til a bit later as here it's more about epiphany in january than christmas day. I'm looking forward to being back in England where it feels REALLY christmassy in December, although I'm glad to be missing out on all the mega early super-tacky decorations there beforehand! Happy birthday to your brother too then - what a good week to have a birthday 😉
This looks great! And I love your site layout! Looks so good! Gotta start decorating tomorrow!!
Hey, Deanna! Thanks! Just got out tree up today... decorating is HAPPENING. I love it.
Love this! I remember how much you loved Bruegger's and it rubbed off on me. It's one of my top choices on a workday. The set up on your blog looks awesome!!
Thanks! I haven't been to Bruegger's in forever. Have a bagel for me!