1 week Ago
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for good reason. It’s a moment to gather your nearest and dearest and practice gratitude around a delicious meal . In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I’ve got a rotation of spreadsheets and notepads floating around my kitchen with to-do lists to prepare for the big day.
After all, it takes a lot of planning to execute a full-fledged Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. After the hubbub of the holiday is over, the table is cleaned up and the dishes are put away, there’s one more part of Thanksgiving to consider — the leftovers. After years of hosting, I’ve learned to tell everyone BYOT (bring your own Tupperware) to help clear out refrigerator space and share the joys of the big meal.
No matter how well I plan, there always seems to be an excess of turkey meat leftover. While I love a classic day-after Thanksgiving sandwich, there’s so much more to make with leftover turkey and sides. If you’re not ready to let go of the holiday, consider dishes like savory waffles, shepherd’s pie and empanadas, which make use of more than just the meat.
If you’re itching for a new flavor profile, there’s plenty of options like pho, fried rice, shawarma and hearty soups and stews. The leftovers just might overshadow the main event with these creative takes. Read on for 30 of our favorite ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.
Inspired by pot pie, these fritters are loaded with roasted turkey, vegetables and herbs and served with warm gravy for dipping. And like all good fritters, they’re crispy on the outside and warm and tender on the inside. If you’re looking for a reprieve from heavy meals post-Thanksgiving, turn to this creamy and crunchy Waldorf salad.
Here, the shredded turkey is tossed with celery, grapes, apples and pecans and served over a bed of greens. Better yet, tuck the salad into one of yesterday’s dinner rolls. For an easy post-Thanksgiving brunch, make use of leftovers by making a strata, a crowd-friendly egg-based dish.
Instead of the usual hunks of bread, add diced stuffing into the egg mixture, along with shredded turkey, grated cheese and bacon. Leftover turkey legs get the confit treatment in this Thanksgiving-inspired sandwich. By bathing the turkey in olive oil with garlic and herbs and cooking it low and slow, the meat becomes even more succulent, sliding right off the bone.
Layer it on challah with caramelized onions, bacon, cranberry aioli and cheese. No one will ever know this sandwich was made with leftovers. .
Turn leftover turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce into a delicious grilled cheese sandwich. To get those signature markings, make it in a grill pan, although a regular ole cast iron works too. While this may not be an authentic pozole, it’s got all the comforting flavors of the classic Mexican stew.
Made with leftover turkey, it packs a ton of heat, thanks to guajillo and ancho chiles. Top it with shredded cabbage, avocado and cilantro to serve. This family-friendly dinner is the perfect way to feed a crowd after you’re feeling burnt out on cooking.
Turkey, cheese, chiles and enchilada sauce are rolled into tortillas and baked until melted and bubbly. Pro tip: Placing the tortillas seam-side down will keep them from falling apart in the oven. This potpie recipe uses up more than just extra turkey meat from Thanksgiving.
The filling is made with turkey stock, sweet potatoes and cooked collard greens. While homemade crust is hard to beat, store-bought works too. After all that Thanksgiving food, you’re probably craving something green.
This salad is all about ruffage, dressing Brussels sprouts and kale with a garlicky dressing. Top it with pieces of seared turkey and a sprinkle of almonds. Leftover turkey gets the shawarma treatment, thanks to curry powder and garam masala.
Tuck the spiced turkey into tortillas and top with punchy zhoug and creamy tahini sauce. A hearty cobb salad works just as well for a side as it does a hearty entree. This version has an autumnal flair, thanks to the inclusion of roast turkey, sweet potatoes and dried cranberries.
Dress it with a homemade vinaigrette spiked with cranberry juice. Chili is the ultimate cozy night comfort food. This version comes together in just under thirty minutes, thanks to canned beans, chopped green chilies and leftover turkey meat.
You can also make it in a slow cooker and keep it warm on the counter all weekend. Crunchy pickled vegetables, spicy Sriracha mayonnaise and a tender baguette transform leftover turkey into a classic Vietnamese sandwich. The quick pickles are traditionally made with carrot and daikon, but you can make use of any vegetables you might have leftover from Thanksgiving like radishes, fennel or peppers.
If you’ve got enough leftover turkey to serve a crowd, make a tray of sliders. The rolls are doctored up with cheese, cranberry sauce and a bevy of condiments, as well as turkey, before getting popped in the oven to become melty. Serve them on a platter and let guests serve themselves.
This soup makes the most of all the extra ingredients in the fridge —as well as leftover turkey. Together they come together to make a comforting dish that’s got all the elements of your favorite chicken noodle soup. Transform Thanksgiving extras into a day-after snack by mixing chopped leftover turkey with leftover mashed potatoes, cheese, scallions and eggs.
Simply roll the mixture into balls, coat the balls in breadcrumbs and fry them until golden brown and crispy. Don’t forget leftover cranberry sauce for dipping. Gumbo is a Louisiana staple for good reason.
Skip the leftover sandwiches this year and make this Thanksgiving-inspired gumbo instead with hunks of turkey and andouille sausage. Sesame noodles are one of those dishes we keep in our back pocket year-round. The sauce comes together with a few pantry staples and gets twirled into nutty soba noodles.
This version makes use of leftover turkey, which adds more protein and texture to the dish. Sandra Lee turns all of our favorite Thanksgiving leftovers into a whole new meal. Fill ramekins with turkey, stuffing and gravy before topping with a layer of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving-inspired shepherd’s pie.
This easy-to-execute dish takes a cue from chicken salad. Leftover turkey is combined with mayonnaise, celery, red onion and dried cranberries for a meal that’s delicious and satisfying. It’s a lighter way to keep the joy of Thanksgiving going days after the holiday has wrapped up.
For a totally different spin on Thanksgiving leftovers, try your hand at making homemade empanadas. Mashed potatoes and turkey are tucked into rounds of pastry dough before getting brushed with egg wash and baked until golden brown. Serve with a side of cranberry sauce.
Fried rice is one of our favorite ways to use up leftovers lingering in the fridge. This recipe transforms turkey leftovers into an Asian-inspired weeknight dinner, thanks to a few pantry ingredients. Finish it off with a runny fried egg on top.
A hotdish is a type of casserole that's a full meal in a dish — meat, veggies and a starch held together with creamed soup. The wild rice in this version adds a chewy texture and nutty flavor, making this casserole extra hearty. It’s like eating a Thanksgiving leftover turkey sandwich from a bowl.
Make use of all your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers by making a Vietnamese classic — pho. Start by using the turkey carcass to make a rich and nourishing broth, which will be the base of the soup. To serve, add cooked rice noodles and shredded turkey and top with herbs, lime and Sriracha.
Leftover turkey meat doesn’t have to be relegated to dinner. Here, it’s used to build out a hearty frittata made with potatoes, turkey, peppers and provolone. It’s the ultimate morning-after brunch.
A creamy pasta bake is one of our favorite ways to get dinner on the table — and fast! This one is studded with brown butter cauliflower and hunks of turkey breast meat for a well-rounded meal. A waffle iron isn’t just for your everyday waffles with butter and syrup. Make use of leftover stuffing by pressing it in the iron to make savory waffles.
Before serving, top with turkey and drizzle with gravy. For a lighter meal post-Thanksgiving, a simple but flavorful soup is the answer. Shredded turkey is simmered with wild rice, mushrooms and aromatics to create a delicious dinner.
After the big meal, set up A a snack spread while you spend the rest of the weekend watching football . Here, shredded turkey gets the Buffalo treatment in an easy-to-make dip (that’s even easier to eat!). To make it, just add all the ingredients to your slow-cooker and let it do its thing.
If you need a change from Thanksgiving foods, may we recommend making your own pizza? The dough gets topped with barbecue sauce-slathered shredded turkey, which crisps up in the oven. Along with mozzarella and pickled jalapenos, it’s a welcome reprieve to turkey’s usual flavor profile. Alexis deBoschnek is a cook, recipe developer, host, and writer based in the Catskills in upstate New York.
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