Skip to main content Skip to header navigation

17 Thanksgiving leftovers recipes that will send you back to the kitchen

After gorging on the three major Thanksgiving food groups (which are obviously mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey), you might want to change things up when you eat the leftovers. (Or maybe you just want to eat a plate of exactly the same meal. That’s OK too.) But for those of you looking to give your Turkey Day leftovers a little makeover, these mouthwatering choices should give you plenty of inspiration.

Give leftover turkey an ethnic spin:

1. Turkey cranchiladas recipe

Bet you never had turkey and cranberry sauce like this before. Plus, turkey cranchiladas is just an awesome name for a dish.

2. Shredded turkey taquitos recipe

Chicken is so last month. Use turkey to make seasonal taquitos.

3. Turkey and stuffing summer rolls with Thai sweet chili sauce recipe

These turkey and stuffing summer rolls are the ultimate lightened-up Thanksgiving leftovers dish.

4. Turkey and stuffing wontons with cranberry dipping sauce recipe

How to make turkey better: Deep-fry it in crispy wonton skins.

Or add it to a hearty, comforting bowl:

5. Turkey curry recipe

A little Indian flavor gives a whole new life to your turkey.

6. Turkey and cheese chowder recipe

Since you probably didn’t consume enough calories on Thanksgiving, the only logical thing to do is to make super-cheesy turkey chowder.

7. One-pot leftover turkey soup recipe

For those of you looking for a slightly less cheesy and caloric option, turkey and wild rice soup is the perfect choice.

Better yet, pile it high on a sandwich:

8. Turkey dip recipe

When you have the opportunity to make a recipe that calls for a bowl of gravy as the dipping sauce, you take it.

9. Turkey Reubens recipe

The classic Reuben, with all its delicious Russian dressing and tangy slaw, gets a delightful Thanksgiving makeover.

10. Turkey-mashed potato breakfast sandwiches recipe

The morning after Thanksgiving never looked so good. #PutAnEggOnIt, and everything is better.

Use up a little bit of everything in these dishes:

11. Leftover turkey shepherd’s pie recipe

Because if you want to make comfort food even better, then you put it into individual dishes and top it with mashed potatoes.

12. Thanksgiving leftovers pizza recipe

You can throw pretty much anything onto this Thanksgiving leftovers pizza. I mean, pizza is never bad, amirite?

13. Mini sausage stuffing turkey burgers recipe

Turkey and stuffing turned slider, with cranberry sauce spread, of course.

Don’t forget the leftover sides and sauces:

14. Cranberry Dutch baby recipe

This cranberry Dutch baby is the best argument against canned cranberry sauce ever.

15. Brussels sprouts and cranberry grilled cheese recipe

A grilled cheese sandwich just might be the way to get me to eat Brussels sprouts.

16. Leftover sweet potato and bacon frittata recipe

After all that cooking, a breakfast that comes together in minutes is the perfect choice for Friday morning.

17. Savory sweet potato-goat cheese grits recipe

I might make extra sweet potatoes just for these cheesy grits. Mmm.

More on leftovers

The definitive guide to reheating leftovers
How to prevent leftover food from getting soggy
How to make the most of leftovers

Leave a Comment

Comments are closed.