When the Thanksgiving feast ends, the real challenge begins: what to do with all those leftovers? Get ready to turn your refrigerator into a culinary playground, where there’s a whole lot more on the table than bland turkey sandwiches. From turkey shepherd’s pie and fried stuffing bites to sweet potato doughnuts and cranberry sauce bars, we’ve got creative ways to use every last bit of your turkey dinner extraordinaire. Suit up – we’re about to make your leftovers the real MVPs of the post-Thanksgiving game!
Thanksgiving Leftover Hand Pies
Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, gravy – this recipe for leftover hand pies from Handle the Heat uses all of it! Use an easy homemade crust or pick up some puff pastry dough from the store for some extra flaky goodness. This recipe only takes about 30 minutes of prep so it’s perfect for a day-after treat without much effort!
Spicy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Turn those precious extras into this Tex-Mex twist on a classic shepherd’s pie. Kicked up a notch with chorizo, green chilis, beans, and cheese, our Texas-inspired casserole has a touch of smoky heat. If you want to dial up the spice, add a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce or look for a spicy pork chorizo.
Cranberry Sauce Bars
Don’t toss that extra cranberry sauce! This recipe from Sula & Spice is a perfect way to use up this leftover sweet staple. These sweet, crumbly bars only require a few ingredients and just 10 minutes of prep time. If you’re serving a day-after brunch, these will be a hit and this recipe makes a generous 16 bars!
Fried Stuffing Bites with Cranberry Sauce Pesto
Leftover stuffing is great on its own and it’s pretty magical without even warming it up. But this recipe from Food Network might inspire you to turn that leftover stuffing into a whole new dish that can stand on its own. These fried bites of yum pair perfectly with a homemade cranberry pesto made with leftover cranberry sauce, a little pepper and walnuts. You can’t go wrong with these!
Bacon Blue Cheese Mashed Potato Waffles
If you’ve got some leftover mashed potatoes, you must try this recipe from How Sweet Eats. All you need is a waffle iron and a scoop of leftover mashed potatoes and you’ve got a tasty treat on your hands. You can add bacon, blue cheese, a fried egg, and just about anything else your heart desires! Yum!
Turkey and Stuffing Quiche
This recipe from Food Network is a sophisticated way to use up any leftover turkey and stuffing. This beautiful quiche works well for a brunch crowd or just whip it up for yourself. You won’t regret it.
Forthright’s Turkey Sandwich
You could just make a regular ol’ turkey sandwich but why not take your traditional turkey sandwich up to a whole new level with this recipe from Forthright Cafe in downtown Austin? The magic comes from a sweet, mouth-watering bacon jam that might just become a staple in your kitchen. The sweet and savory jam complements the meat perfectly. It adds an extra step, but it’s so worth it!
Cranberry Orange Bread Pudding
Use your leftover bread and dried cranberries to whip up this cranberry orange bread pudding from The Spruce Eats. Serve it with homemade vanilla sauce or a drizzle of heavy cream for a surprisingly delicious treat.
Day After Thanksgiving Skillet Breakfast
A bag of frozen hash browns serve as the base for this yummy breakfast skillet from Martha Stewart. Be sure to pick up a bag on one of your last-minute trips to the store! This tasty breakfast makes good use of leftover turkey, sweet potatoes, and green beans layered with cheese and eggs. This dish is worth waking up for!
Turkey Dinner Bone Broth & Rice Soup
Turkey soup for the soul! This recipe is the perfect way to use the whole bird in your Thanksgiving plans, as it repurposes your turkey carcass and veggie scraps into a highly flavorful, buttery broth that’s just perfect for a post-Thanksgiving meal!
Turkey Dinner Waffle Sandwiches
Sweet Potato Cranberry Doughnuts
Doughnuts made from sweet potatoes? Yes, please! This innovative recipe from Taste of Home uses leftover sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, and leftover apple cider. That apple cider is mixed with confectioner sugar to make a sweet and tangy glaze that’s drizzled over the top of these beauties!
Leave a Reply