Best Thanksgiving Leftover Meals
By Thanksgiving night, you’re satiated and never want to see another turkey or a bowl of mashed potatoes while you’re alive. However, you will get hungry again . Here’s what you can cook the day or week after Thanksgiving using any leftovers in the fridge.
Turkey soup and sandwiches
Yes, turkey sandwiches are the obvious solution here, but that’s because they are the perfect and easiest post-Thanksgiving snack and therefore deserve a spot on this list. After all, you probably won’t want to cook the day after Thanksgiving, so a simple meal like soup or sandwiches is ideal.
And you, too, can dream up with them. This recipe by Tyler Florence , for example, includes brie, arugula, and apple butter for a savory grilled turkey sandwich. While it does call for deli meats, you can also easily exchange them for leftover turkey trimmings. If you have leftover cranberry sauce, try this turkey panini recipe that’s for leftovers.
Soup is another obvious solution, but it’s perfect for cold weather and again, it’s simple. Alton Brown’s “ Birds to the Last Drop” recipe is extremely simple: turkey carcasses, leftover meat and vegetables are cooked over low heat for about an hour. The result is a hearty, creamy turkey soup that doesn’t require much effort.
Turkey pie
If you’re ready to put in a little effort, try turkey pie. I love this recipe from Pillsbury because it’s simple and you might even have an extra pie crust or store-bought dough on hand. Simply cook the leftover turkey on the stove with vegetables and chicken stock, add flour to thicken it, then pour into the pie crust and bake. You can even add zest or herbs to the crust for a little more flavor.
You can also make a puff pastry version. Add this mixture to separate tins, then cover with puff pastry and bake for about 20 minutes at 375 ° F. This recipe at Damn Delicious shows you how.
Fried minced meat pieces
Leftover topping is good on its own, but this roasted topping recipe from Sunny Anderson transforms leftovers into something completely new and delicious.
Cut the filling into small pieces, then brush in egg water and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Then fry them until golden brown and serve with cranberry pesto, which Anderson also shows you how to cook. It all takes about 15 minutes from start to finish and is perfect for reimagining leftover toppings and cranberry sauce.
Pasta & Cheese Dinner
If you haven’t gotten enough of your Thanksgiving mac and cheese, try this Southern Living recipe with leftover pasta, vegetables, and ham or turkey.
You simply melt the cheese mixture in a Dutch oven, add the cooked pasta, vegetables and meats (the recipe uses ham, but you can just as easily use turkey), pour into a baking dish and bake at 400 ° for 25 minutes. 30 minutes. If you have any remaining bread crumbs, sprinkle them on top before placing in the oven.
Although, you may have some real leftover macaroni and cheese. If you’re adventurous, you can tweak this recipe a bit and turn your side dish into a complete meal. I would add less cheese to the cheese mixture and then add the meat and vegetables as usual, along with the leftover macaroni and cheese. Depending on which pasta and cheese you have , your consistency will vary, so you’ll have to adjust accordingly.
Samosa mashed potatoes
Mashed potatoes get bored quickly, so if you have a little on hand, try turning it into samsa instead. Here’s a simple Food Network recipe that can be made with leftover vegetables. You will also need puff pastry.
Combine vegetables and potatoes, add cilantro, mint, ginger, curry powder and cayenne pepper, then add the mixture to the puff pastry triangles. Turn over, brush with beaten egg, then bake at 350 ° F for about 20-25 minutes.
Usually, after Thanksgiving, I have a can of store-bought puff pastry left over; however, if you don’t have them on hand, use this simple recipe to make your own .
Mashed potato muffins
If samosas are too much for you, or just not your thing, don’t worry, here’s an even simpler recipe using leftover potatoes: mashed potato muffins.
First, add the grated cheese, garlic and egg to the mashed potatoes. As Kelly Sengay points out in the link above, you can also add shredded turkey or diced ham as well. Then transfer the mixture to a buttered muffin pan and bake at 375ºF for about half an hour. Remove them, sprinkle with more cheese on top and put them back in the oven for a few minutes, just enough so that the top layer of cheese melts and covers the top of the cake.
Sweet potato pancakes
Pancakes are a great way to use up any leftover sweet potatoes, or even better if you have buttermilk. The kitchen will show you how to do it in this recipe , which is very similar to regular buttermilk pancakes, only you add mashed sweet potatoes to your wet ingredients before mixing everything together.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, here’s another recipe that uses regular milk and vegetable oil. Combine the wet ingredients, mix the dry ingredients, then put them together and pour the batter into the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side for thick, savory sweet potato pancakes.
Kitchn recommends seasoning them with pecans and maple syrup, but I love the idea of seasoning them with marshmallow cream or just melted marshmallows.
Turkey and Green Bean Frittata
Frittats are an easy solution to any food leftovers. Prepare whatever you have, add them to the egg mixture and bake in the oven. Leftover turkey, ham and vegetables make a delicious filling for frittata. If you want a recipe, here’s a simple 2-step recipe from Serious Eats that walks you through it.
You will need eggs, of course. Whisk them, then cook the ingredients separately (Serious Eats calls for chopping turkey, green beans, and Brussels sprouts), add them to the egg mixture and fry. You can of course cook and toss whatever leftover ingredients you want – spinach, onions, mushrooms – empty the refrigerator and get creative.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with simply reheating the leftovers and enjoying them in their original form. Just make sure you use them safely .