We all know that feeling when you stare at a fridge full of groceries Thanksgiving leftovers. What else is there after you’ve stuffed yourself with hot turkey sandwiches? Oh boy, we have some delicious ideas for you – lamb stuffed potato pancakes, crispy sweet potato patties and hand pies to name a few. You will love leftovers again.
OK. So the turkey is roasted, cut to perfection and served. Everyone’s indulged in our rich and classic Green Bean Casserole with Silky Mashed Potatoes, and, well, you get the point.
So now the real The meal begins! Because there’s nothing better than Thanksgiving leftovers. And not just reheated leftovers, but reinvented, reinvented leftovers.
One of my favorite dishes from The One is pot pie for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s easy to prepare.
Top a deep pie plate with turkey pieces, gravy, mashed potatoes, a chopped green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and more turkey and gravy. (Of course, you can also customize your cake from your ingredients.)
Roll out a plain pie dough, cover and bake at 220°C (425°F) until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Do you prefer something different? I challenge you to resist the following dishes. Yes, I dare you!
Have a nice rest of the day!
Turkey and cranberry sandwich with filling
This turkey and cranberry sandwich with filling is a classic post-Thanksgiving must-have. Slices of savory bread, mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing and gravy. The best thing about Thanksgiving…apart from the people at the table.
Recipe
residual sales
These Thanksgiving leftover bags are filled with cold turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing or dressing, cranberry sauce, and other leftovers that are lurking in your fridge. A simple dinner fix that will earn you recognition.
Recipe
Hot brown sandwich
A hot brown sandwich is an easy and iconic excuse to top leftover turkey with bacon and a bubbly hot cheese sauce. Perhaps Thanksgiving should happen more than once a year.
Recipe
Sweet Potato Patties
A simple layer of panko and a few minutes in a hot skillet transform these sweet potato patties into a wonderful side dish or vegetarian main dish. It’s also a great way to use up leftover mashed sweet potatoes.
Recipe
Thanksgiving leftover muffins
These leftover Thanksgiving Muffins are a great way to make the most of any holiday extras by layering the filling, gravy, turkey, and mashed potatoes in a muffin tin for a hearty and surprising snack for the day after.
Recipe
Crispy Mashed Potato Tacos
These crispy mashed potato tacos filled with crispy cabbage, creamy mashed potatoes, fresh pico de gallo and cilantro are unconventional yet absolutely delicious.
Recipe
Hot turkey sandwich
I always make these when my daughter comes over for lunch. I usually grill them and sometimes add avocado to make them even juicier.
Recipe
Ground Beef Lamb Potato Patties
These Nik Sharma Lamb Mince Potato Patties pack seasoned ground beef in a fluffy mashed potato coating that’s brushed with breadcrumbs and pan fried until golden.
Recipe
FAQs
We recommend using or freezing your leftovers within 4 days of cooking. Leftovers should be refrigerated and stored in sealed containers within 2 hours of preparation.
Cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, leftover cranberry sauce and gravy freeze very well. Cooked vegetable side dishes tend to go mushy after freezing. We therefore recommend using them up and avoiding freezing.
You can safely feed your dog cooked turkey, pumpkin or sweet potatoes. Don’t share the turkey carcass, dessert, or fatty foods with your furry friend.
If you’re still looking for ways to use up those leftovers and can’t stand the thought of another turkey sandwich, try one of these Thanksgiving leftover recipes.
- Swap chicken for turkey in these easy Chicken Enchiladas.
- To make this Sweet Potato Cranberry Strudel, mash and toss together any leftover sweet potatoes and carrots.
- Stack your leftovers on Tater Tots for a plate of Thanksgiving-style totchos.
- Substitute turkey in your favorite butter chicken recipe.
- Use the turkey carcass for this easy soup.
- Add your leftover turkey to this carrot soup.
- Pour the cranberry sauce over the cheesecake or stir into the yoghurt and top with muesli.
- Use finely chopped turkey instead of ground turkey in this turkey taco salad.
- Use leftover gravy in your favorite poutine recipe.
- Stack all leftovers on a cake plate, cover with a cake base and bake until golden brown. Voila! Thanksgiving turkey pot pie.
- Stuff peppers with turkey, stuffing and veggies. Top with cheese and bake until tender.
- Leftover dessert? You don’t need our help figuring out what to do with it.