Here are 25 yummy Thanksgiving leftover recipes and ideas so you don’t waste any Thanksgiving leftovers! Great uses for leftover turkey, stuffing and more!
25 Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes And Ideas
Don’t you just love Thanksgiving? It’s the most guilt free holiday of the year. You don’t have to worry about getting the right gifts or whether everything is decorated perfectly. You don’t have to wonder whether you made enough cookies or whether the food is on your diet. You have permission and can eat to your heart’s content! At times like this, I have to wonder, “Have I died and gone to Heaven?!”
There is one problem — What happens when everyone rolls away from the table? You stand there in the shadows of mounds of Thanksgiving leftovers and the guilt sets in. You really can’t wedge in another bite, but you can’t bring yourself to throw away all that good food. You know that there are people starving in Bangladesh, but you can’t afford the shipping cost to send it to them… What do you do with it?
Here are some Thanksgiving leftover ideas to help you put those leftovers to good use and keep your clean conscience!
- Mix gravy, cubed turkey and leftover vegetables into a casserole dish. Top with refrigerator biscuits, leftover pie crust or crescent rolls (unbaked). Bake at 350° until the dough is cooked and golden brown.
- When making pies on Thanksgiving Day, save the extra dough or make extra to use to make pasties (recipe below). Roll out discs of dough in whatever size you want and fill with meat, vegetables and leftover potatoes.
- Don’t forget to use your leftover Thanksgiving relish dish items. Chop and use in salads, soups or casseroles. If you’re really sick of the vegetables, chop and freeze to use later.
- Use leftover mashed potatoes to thicken soups and stews.
- Make potato pancakes: Add 1 egg and 2 Tbsp. flour to 2 cups mashed potatoes. Make into patties and fry in a pan with margarine.
- If you have a small amount of whipped topping left over, place dollops of it on a wax paper and freeze. Then place in an air tight container. When you need a quick topping for a dessert or some to go on a late night cup of hot cocoa you can just grab one out of the freezer.
- Don’t throw out that pickle juice from the pickles you used on your relish dish. Use it to make French dressing next time instead of vinegar.
- Grilled Turkey Sandwich We stayed with friends over Thanksgiving. The husband fixed a kind of turkey sandwich we had never seen before. He used stuffing and turkey for a moist sandwich and then fried it like you would with a reuben. My husband said it was delicious. From Delores
Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes:
PrintEasy Pocket Sandwiches
This easy pocket pies recipe is a great Thanksgiving leftover recipe! You can easily adapt this to use leftovers from any meal for a different and tasty treat!
Ingredients
Pie crust (or canned crescent rolls or biscuits)
Thanksgiving leftovers of your choice: cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey, veggies, mashed potatoes. etc.
Leftover gravy (optional, if you have it)
For Crust: Use any of the things listed below for the crust:
- Store bought pie crust
- Make extra pie crust when you are making your Thanksgiving pie and save to use for these pocket pies.
- Use crescent rolls
- Canned biscuits slightly flattened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° if you are using pie crust (or use the temperature suggested on the can for rolls or biscuits).
- Cut the pie crust into whatever size circles you like. (For a guide, you can lay a bowl on top of the crust and cut around it.)
- Lay the Thanksgiving leftovers you want to include on top of your circle – cranberry sauce, dressing, turkey, veggies and so on.
- You can then drizzle with a little leftover gravy. (You might choose to save the gravy until after they are cooked to pour over the top or to use for dipping the pocket pies.)
- Lay another circle of crust or roll dough on top and seal the edges well.
- Brush with a little milk or egg wash if you want to make it more brown on top.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
You could also make larger circles and place leftovers on one half. Then fold the other half over and seal the edges.
Easy Pasties Recipe
Ingredients
Filling
1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
1 Tbsp. water
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 chicken bouillon cubes
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2–1 lb. ground beef, turkey or chicken, cooked
salt and pepper (to taste)
Dough
Use leftover pie crust or use the following recipe:
1 cup shortening
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups flour
6 Tbsp. water
Instructions
- In a saucepan, simmer the carrots in the water, butter, and chicken bouillon cubes.
- Add potatoes, onion and meat.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide into fourths.
- Mix dough ingredients.
- Roll dough into four 10 inch circles.
- Put the meat mixture on one side of the dough.
- Fold the other half of the dough over and seal with fingers or a fork. Bake 1 hour at 375°. Serves 4-6.
You can also add other vegetables. This recipe is a good way to use those Thanksgiving leftovers, so be creative!
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Turkey Soup Recipe
Ingredients
turkey bones
water
garlic powder (to taste)
onion powder (to taste)
1 onion (optional)
2 carrot(optional)
2 stalks celery(optional)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Place turkey bones in a large pot.
- Cover with water.
- If desired, add onion, carrot and celery for extra flavor.
- Simmer 6-8 hours.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Saucy Turkey Sandwiches
In place of the usual lettuce and mayo, try making your turkey sandwiches with a slice of leftover cranberry sauce and cream cheese instead. Spread butter on one slice of bread and cream cheese on the other adding a slice of turkey and cranberry sauce in the middle.
Swiss Turkey Stuffing Pie
Ingredients
3 cups prepared stuffing
2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
1 cup (4 oz.) Swiss cheese, grated
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Press stuffing into a greased 9 inch pie plate, coming up the sides, too.
- Layer with turkey and then cheese.
- Beat eggs and milk.
- Pour over everything.
- Bake 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
Turkey Hodge Podge Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup turkey gravy
2 cups turkey, cooked and cubed
2 cups mixed veggies (frozen that have been thawed or leftovers)
2 medium potatoes, cubed and cooked
1 can refrigerator buttermilk biscuits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Mix everything together except the biscuits.
- Heat through.
- Pour into an 8 inch square baking dish.
- Top with biscuits.
- Bake 12-16 minutes until the biscuits are golden and the mixture is bubbly.
Turkey Crescent Roll Bake
Ingredients
Leftover turkey
Leftover veggies, cooked (Don’t forget to use the veggies from your relish dish. Cook them in the microwave first.)
Leftover gravy 1/2 –1 cup
grated cheddar cheese
1 can crescent rolls or refrigerator biscuits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Layer the leftovers and cheese in a greased baking pan.
- If using crescent rolls, open them and lay in rectangles pressing seams together. Cut into strips and place in a lattice work design on top of everything.
- If using biscuits, just flatten slightly and lay on top of everything.
- Bake about 20 minutes. until crescents or biscuits are golden brown and everything is hot and bubbly.
Candied Carrots
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup jellied cranberry sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups (about 5 small) carrots, cooked
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan.
- Add cranberry sauce, brown sugar and salt.
- Add carrots.
- Simmer 3-4 minutes. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
Vegetable Vinaigrette
Here’s a different way to use the Thanksgiving leftovers from the relish dish.
Ingredients
2 tomatoes, sliced (You could also use cherry tomatoes.)
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets (pieces of broccoli)
1 cup cauliflower pieces
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
1/4 cup diced green onions
Instructions
- Mix all of the vegetables in a casserole dish.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients except the diced green onions and pour over the veggies.
- Cover and chill for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with diced green onions.
Vegetable Stuffing Bake
Ingredients
Leftover stuffing
Leftover veggies, cooked (things like broccoli, cauliflower, corn and Brussels sprouts)
American or Velveeta cheese
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 -1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Press leftover stuffing into a greased pan or baking dish.
- Layer veggies on top of the stuffing.
- Lay slices of cheese to cover everything.
- Mix soup with enough milk to make it easy to pour and pour on top.
- Bake about 20 minutes, until everything is heated through and bubbly.
Crustless Sweet Potato Pie
This is a cross between a sweet potato pie and the traditional sweet potatoes and marshmallows. It’s the best of both dishes combined into one delicious recipe!
Ingredients
6 cups warm sweet potatoes, mashed
1 cup milk
1 egg
5 Tbsp. margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
18 large marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- In a large bowl, mix everything except the marshmallows.
- Beat well.
- Pour into a greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
- Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes (just to heat through).
- Top with marshmallows.
- Bake about 5 minutes longer or until marshmallows turn brown.
Sweet Potatoes
If you have a few leftover mashed sweet potatoes, add them to the stock of your vegetable soup for a thicker soup with a different but good flavor.
Mashed Potato Balls
Ingredients
Velveeta
Mashed potatoes
Ritz crackers or potato chips, crushed*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cut the Velveeta into 3/4 inch cubes.
- Shape leftover mashed potatoes around each cube.
- Roll them in the crackers or chips.
- Bake until they are golden brown.
Notes
*This is a good way to use those leftover potato chip crumbs that are always left at the bottom of the bag.
You might experiment with different flavored chips to see how they change the taste. For example, sour cream and cheddar chips, onion flavored chips or even some nacho flavored chips would create interesting flavors.
Homemade Potato Fudge
- Yield: 64 pieces
Ingredients
3 Tbsp. shortening
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. cocoa
1/3 cup mashed potatoes
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt shortening and butter in the microwave.
- Stir in cocoa until smooth.
- Add potatoes, salt and vanilla. Mix well.
- Blend in powdered sugar.
- Add nuts and mix. Dough will be very lumpy.
- Knead until smooth.
- Press into a buttered 8×8 inch pan.
- Cool in the refrigerator before cutting. Makes 64 pieces. (Yeah right!)
Stuffing Supreme
Make some stuffing, either from a box or from scratch. Add to it dried fruit, apricots, cranberries, apples, raisins or whatever you like. Toss in some nuts and roll into balls about the size of large meatballs. Bake at 375° uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
This pumpkin pie bars recipe is a recipe where you get to have your pie and eat it too — without the hassle of a pie crust. Remember, canned pumpkin is another item that goes on sale this time of year. Stock up on it to use later in the year!
PrintPumpkin Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats, quick cooking
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
Filling:
2 (15 oz.) cans pumpkin
2 (12 oz.) cans evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
Topping:
2 Tbsp. margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine crust ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Press into a greased 9×13 inch pan. Bake 20 minutes, until lightly brown.
- Beat filling ingredients until smooth.
- Pour over baked crust. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
- Combine topping ingredients in a bowl.
- Sprinkle over the top after it has baked the 45 minutes.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool.
- Store leftovers in the fridge.
This is a great way to use your leftover cranberry sauce and that little bit of whipped topping.
PrintCranberry Fruit Dip
Ingredients
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup cranberry sauce
1 cup whipped topping
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese and cranberry sauce together.
- Fold in the whipped topping.
- Serve with fruit.
Save this recipe for Christmas or New Year’s and serve with fruit like red and green grapes, apples, kiwi, strawberries, etc.
Make Canned Cranberry Sauce Taste Homemade
Here’s an easy cranberry sauce recipe to transform canned cranberry sauce into a delicious, homemade-tasting side dish with just a few simple additions. This quick hack will take your holiday meal up a notch—without the extra time or hassle. Perfect for any festive table, this easy upgrade brings out rich, fresh flavors that taste like you made it from scratch!
- Yield: 1 1/4 cups
Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. mustard
1/4 tsp. ground clove
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients.
- Serve.
This cranberry sauce recipe is good as-is, but it also makes a great topping for ham or turkey.
Cranberry Pork Chops
Ingredients
6 pork chops
1/2 cup cranberry or apple juice
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. spicy mustard
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Place pork chops in a crokpot.
- Mix the juice, cranberry sauce, sugar and mustard together.
- Pour over pork chops.
- Cook for 7-8 hours.
- Remove pork chops from the crockpot.
- Mix cornstarch and water in a saucepan.
- Stir until smooth.
- Slowly add the cooking juices to the cornstarch and water to make the sauce.
- Boil and stir until thick.
- Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve the sauce with the pork chops.
You can also top leftovers to make a casserole with leftover mashed potatoes or stuffing instead of biscuits or pie crust. Dot with butter so it doesn’t dry out.
I used the leftover stuffing in place of the bread in a breakfast casserole; layer stuffing and sausage in a 13 x 9 pan; mix 12 eggs with a little water and salt and pepper; pour over stuffing and sausage; bake at 350 degrees for 30″ minutes; check with a knife to see if the middle is done; top with cheese and let rest 10″ minutes before slicing into serving size pieces; I also added green chili to mine; very good
Another leftover from Turkey is a Turkey club sandwich. My family calls it High Turkey Sandwich, but call it what you will. Start with a slice of bread, cover with a slice of cheese. I like Swiss but any cheese will do. Top cheese with sliced Turkey. Add a slice of bread. I leave it out because for me it’s too much bread. Next layer on tomato, bacon and lettuce. Top with slice of bread, then sliced hard boiled egg. Pour thousand island over everything. Then dig in!
I made the turkey turnovers and liked them a lot. I also mixed mashed potatoes and stuffing, added two eggs, put in a baking dish, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and baked at 350F for a half hour. That was good, too.