Creative Ways to Transform Your Thanksgiving Leftovers into Delicious Meals
- Erika Doty
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
You survived the holiday. Whether you destroyed your kitchen cooking for everyone, or just showed up somewhere and enjoyed the spread...you likely feel full and exhausted. And once those dishes are done and you scan the containers full of leftover food, you may think, "Gosh, what do I do with all of this food?" And, "I really don't have the energy to think about it."
Let's take those leftovers and get creative...with minimal effort, because, let's face it, we're tired.
Check out our list below of favorite, tried-and-true, recipes as well as a few new ones that will utilize not only that leftover turkey but those leftover sides too!
Turkey "Stew"
This dish is a family tradition older than me. It's one of those dishes I expect to see in our family kitchen that Friday after Thanksgiving. It's hearty and uses a lot of leftovers without really adding more ingredients.
Ingredients:
Any leftover turkey bits, chopped up in bite-size chunks
Leftover gravy
Chopped carrots, celery and onion (if desired) - we often have a veggie tray of some sort for "pre-gaming" before turkey, so I often use what's left of that
Directions:
If you add the veggies, sauté those in the pan with some olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the gravy and turkey meat. Simmer on med-low for 20 minutes or so - you want all of the flavors to have a chance to blend together. (You can also prep this and dump in a crockpot to free up some stovetop space or make a buffet of leftovers a little easier, especially if you're feeding a crowd.) Serve in bowls, or over reheated stuffing (personal fav!). Reheated rolls make a nice side.
Turkey Noodle Soup - A Twist on a Classic:
Ingredients:
Remaining turkey meat and/or bird carcass
chicken or turkey bouillon
1 box chicken or turkey broth (or make your own by boiling down the turkey carcass after removing most of the meat)
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
bay leaf
1 pkg. egg noodles
butter or olive oil
salt & pepper
fresh parsley, minced (if you're feeling fancy)
Directions:
Boil turkey/turkey carcass and bay leaves in just enough water to cover it until chicken falls off the bone. I kind of set it and forget for a bit and if I have time, just turn off the stove and let it cool a little in the pot.
In the meantime in another pan, saute your onion, celery and carrots in butter or oil until soft-tender (4-5 minutes). Add some chicken bouillon to the homemade broth to give it a little more flavor. Then add the veggies, chicken and box of chicken broth (4 cups) to the pot. Bring up to a boil and add in your noodles just before you are ready to serve. Cook them until they are just done or even a little al dente (~9 minutes) because they will continue to cook and you don't want them too soft in your leftovers.
Add salt and pepper as desired, top with parsley and serve with crackers.
From the Babble Panel:
I actually look more forward to this recipe I make with our leftover turkey than I do eating turkey on Thanksgiving! It's a family tradition that my husband grew up with and now we make in our home. --Nicole
Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwiches:
Ingredients:
Sandwich bread
Leftover carved turkey
Butter
Cranberry sauce
Salt
Directions:
Butter 2 slices of bread. Layer carved turkey on one slice of bread. Add a layer of cranberry sauce, sprinkle with salt and top with second piece of bread.
Turkey Salad Sandwiches
Take your favorite Chicken Salad recipe and sub out the chicken with your leftover turkey. Bonus: use leftover rolls for the sandwiches, top with some cranberry sauce - delicious!
Classic Chicken/Turkey Salad Recipe:
Ingredients:
Turkey/Chicken, chopped
Red grapes, chopped
Slivered almonds
Bunch green onions, diced (can sub red onion)
Celery, chopped
Mayo
Lemon juice
Salt & Pepper
Mix together and serve on bread, rolls, or a bed of lettuce.
Turkey Enchiladas
A favorite day-after-Thanksgiving recipe at Brooke's house! Just use your usual enchilada recipe and sub out the meat for turkey. Always a win!
Shepherd's Pie or Pot Pie
Again, just use your favorite Shepherd's Pie or Pot Pie recipe and sub the met for your leftover turkey.
Need a good recipe? Check this one out from Pioneer Woman!
Turkey Chili
Who doesn't love a good chili?! Take your turkey leftovers and use them in Babble's Chili Cookoff winning recipe! This chili WOWED our team of Texas chefs and taste-testers. You'll win at dinner all of Thanksgiving weekend!
Winning recipe: https://www.babblewithbrooke.com/post/best-babble-chili
Leftover Sides? We got you!
Potato Cakes
This is another family recipe that's been around as long as I can remember. Take any leftover mashed potatoes, add some eggs and flour until it resembles more of a dough or batter. Shape into balls with your hands, then smash them onto a griddle. Cook them like you would pancakes. Serve with gravy on top.
Fondue Pot
We haven't tried this one yet, but probably will this year. Fill the fondue pot with gravy and set out all of the leftovers to dip in.
Somehow these have become a staple for us after Thanksgiving. I think because we never eat all the cranberry sauce and these are so. Damn. Good. Crumbly, delicious and begging to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee. The full recipe and directions is on Babble here.
✨Do you have a favorite recipe for those Thanksgiving leftovers?
Let us know! Email us at erika@babblewithbrooke.com
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