21 Ways to Actually Enjoy Thanksgiving Leftovers and Finally Get Your Fridge Back
Turn those leftovers into nachos, a massive sandwich, soup, curry, a lasagna, and more turkey recipes.
Thanksgiving leftovers are one of the best parts of the holiday. You can always reheat them and enjoy as-is for an encore, but they can be repurposed into all different kinds of dishes for something new. Take turkey, for example — you can include it in a casserole, use it to make stock, fill tacos, and of course, enjoy it in a next-day sandwich stuffed with leftover sides. Read on for those recipes and more leftover turkey ideas.
Leftover Roast Turkey and Chinese Egg Noodle Soup
"This is a great recipe for whether you're roasting a traditional whole bird, using a spatchcocked (butterflied) turkey, or the separate parts," cookbook author Andrea Nguyen writes.
Turkey Curry
This tomato-based turkey curry is the perfect use for leftover Thanksgiving turkey. The blend of spices, like mustard seeds and cumin, melds with dried chiles, garam masala, and fresh garlic and ginger for a warming, richly flavored dish finished with a touch of cream.
Turkey "Carnitas" with Green Mojo
Shredded cooked turkey replaces the more traditional shredded pork in this riff on carnitas tacos, served with a sauce inspired by Cuban mojo.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Nachos
Former F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple makes next-level nachos with leftovers from his Thanksgiving meal. He includes diced turkey, chopped roasted vegetables, and whole cranberry sauce, but any leftovers you have can be used because gooey Monterey Jack cheese brings them all together.
Buffalo Turkey Hand Pies
These delicious, savory hand pies are made by filling store-bought puff pastry with diced leftover turkey that's been tossed with a Buffalo-style hot sauce.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne
One of our favorite things to eat all year is a sandwich made from all the leftovers of Thanksgiving dinner. You can pile everything on bread, but we like to warm the turkey, gravy, and stuffing, and layer them with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a little Brie.
Turkey and Butternut Squash Lasagna with Crispy Sage
Each layer of this next-level lasagna leans on Thanksgiving leftovers in a smart way to bring big flavor to the table. Leftover sautéed mushrooms jazz up the creamy bechamel, while mashed butternut squash (or sweet potato) provides a smooth contrast to the hearty turkey filling flavored with leftover gravy and Parmesan. Pan-fried sage leaves make an elegant garnish.
Parmesan-Braised Gigante Beans with Turkey
Giant lima beans cooked to al dente complement tender braised leftover turkey thighs and drumsticks in this cozy stew. A rind of Parmesan cheese enriches the broth.
Candied Sweet Potato Pancakes
"My great-grandmother, who is 102, would always make candied sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving," says 2020 F&W Best New Chef Douglass Williams. "I wanted to try to find a way to use those sweet potatoes the day after." Since the potatoes are already sweetened, Williams cuts back the amount of brown sugar in the pancakes and plays up the warming cinnamon and clove.
Stuffing "Falafel" Pitas with Tahini Gravy
"I was inspired by the overstuffed, colorful, and briny pitas of Tel Aviv," says New York City pastry chef Zoë Kanan of this next-level Thanksgiving sandwich. "The key here is introducing crunch to the sandwich. Use my recipe as a guide, and riff by including whatever textural ingredients you have around, like fried onions, sunflower seeds, or even wasabi peas."
Thai-Inspired Turkey Green Curry
Leftover turkey breast is easily infused with lots of flavor when reheated in this quick Thai-inspired Turkey Green Curry.
Chicory Salad with Cranberry Sauce Vinaigrette
"Most of us only make cranberry sauce once a year, and there's always leftovers," says Brittanny Anderson, chef at Brenner Pass in Richmond, Virginia. "A vinaigrette is the perfect place to use it all up." In this salad, Anderson pairs the sweetness of cranberries with bitter winter chicories — the ideal combination for a day-after-Thanksgiving lunch.
Mashed Potato and Ham Agnolotti in Turkey Bone Broth
"After eating heavy food on Thanksgiving, it's nice to have something lighter the day after," says 2020 F&W Best New Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph. His agnolotti feature a smart shortcut — store-bought fresh lasagna sheets — and are served in a broth made from leftover turkey bones.
Creamy Mashed Potato Soup with Dashi
As a kid, whenever Shota Nakajima was hungry, he'd grab anything leftover from the previous meal to make soup or fried rice. "I grew up in a Japanese family, and I was taught to never waste anything," says the chef of Taku in Seattle. This soup, a riff on his mother's recipe, relies on two umami-packed ingredients, dashi and soy sauce, to add depth to buttery leftover mashed potatoes.
Kentucky Hot Brown
Star chef Bobby Flay smothers an open-face turkey sandwich with cheese sauce and bacon for his version of the over-the-top Louisville classic.
Walnut-Cranberry Turkey Salad
The dressing for this light, delicious turkey salad is made with mayonnaise, yogurt, and chopped fresh herbs.
Farmhouse Turkey Hot Dish
"Hot dish" is Minnesotan for baked layers of starch, meat, vegetable, and typically, canned soup. In TV host and Twin Cities native Andrew Zimmern's version, crisp brown Tater Tots provide the starch. "Nothing beats Tater Tots for this. Period," says the chef. And the meat comes from freshly braised turkey legs, though 4 cups of shredded leftover meat would be excellent, too.
Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Two-Potato Topping
© Lucy Schaeffer
In one dish, you can use leftover turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes to put a new spin on your Thanksgiving flavors. This recipe makes a large pie, but you can also prepare it in individual ramekins; check them for doneness after 20 minutes.
Spicy Turkey Posole
Posole is a hearty Mexican soup or stew made with hominy and pork or poultry. Chef Tim Love finds that this recipe is an excellent way to use up leftover turkey.
Leftover Turkey Broth
This simple Leftover Turkey Broth recipe provides an easy method to making broth from scratch using your leftover roasted turkey carcass.
Lentil Soup with Smoked Turkey
This recipe serves four to six people, and it’s easy enough to scale up for a crowd using leftover ingredients from Thanksgiving like baby red potatoes, celery, carrots, and onions.
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