8 Dishes to Make with Thanksgiving Leftovers

Ok. So the turkey’s been roasted, perfectly carved, and served. Everyone has dug into our classy and classic green bean casserole, smooth-as-silk mashed potatoes, and, well…you get the idea.

So now the real eating begins! Because there’s nothing better than Thanksgiving leftovers. And not just reheated leftovers but reinvented, re-imagined leftovers.

One of The One’s and my favorite leftover dishes is Thanksgiving-dinner pot pie. It’s simple to make.

Layer a deep-dish pie plate with chunks of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, chopped-up green-bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and more turkey and gravy. (Of course, you can tailor your pie using whatever you’ve made.)

Roll out an easy-peasy pie dough, cover the whole thing, and bake it in a 425°F (220°C) until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Prefer something else? I dare you to resist the dishes below. Yup, I dare you!

Happy Leftover Day!

Jamie Prescott

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Turkey Cranberry Sandwich with Stuffing

This turkey cranberry sandwich with stuffing is a classic post-Thanksgiving must. Slices of sturdy bread, mayo, cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing, and gravy. The best part of Thanksgiving…besides the people at the table.

Jemma Watts

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Leftovers Turnovers

These Thanksgiving leftovers turnovers are filled with cold turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing or dressing, cranberry sauce, whatever leftovers are lurking in your fridge. An easy supper solution that’ll earn you accolades.

Matt Armendariz

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Hot Brown Sandwich

A hot brown sandwich is an easy and iconic excuse to smother leftover turkey with bacon and a bubbling hot cheese sauce. Maybe Thanksgiving should come more than once a year.

Liren Baker

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Sweet Potato Patties

A simple coating of panko and a few minutes in a hot pan transforms these sweet potato patties into a marvelous side dish or vegetarian main. It's also a great way to use up leftover mashed sweet potatoes.

E.J. Armstrong

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Thanksgiving Leftovers Muffins

These Thanksgiving leftovers muffins make magnificent use of all of your holiday extras by layering stuffing, gravy, turkey, and mashed potatoes in a muffin tin for a savory and surprising day-after nosh.

Molly Krebs

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Crispy Mashed Potato Tacos

These crispy mashed potato tacos, filled with crunchy cabbage, creamy mashed potatoes, fresh pico de gallo, and cilantro, are unconventional yet absolutely delicious.

Jamie Prescott

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Hot Turkey Sandwich

I make these whenever my daughter comes for lunch. I usually grill them and sometimes add avocado to make them even moister.

Nik Sharma

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Ground Lamb and Potato Patties

These ground lamb and potato patties from Nik Sharma encapsulate spiced ground meat in a fluffy mashed potato shell that’s coated with bread crumbs and pan-fried until golden brown.

FAQs

If you’re still looking for ways to use up those leftovers and can’t bear the thought of another turkey sandwich, give one of these Thanksgiving leftovers recipes a whirl.

• Swap chicken for turkey in these easy chicken enchiladas.
• Pile your leftovers on top of tater tots for a Thanksgiving-inspired plate of totchos.
• Substitute turkey in your favorite butter chicken recipe.
• Put that turkey carcass to good use in this easy soup.
• Toss your leftover turkey into this carrot soup.
• Spoon cranberry sauce over cheesecake or swirl it into yogurt and top with granola.
• Use up leftover gravy in your favorite poutine recipe.
• Pile all your leftovers into a pie plate, top with a pie crust, and bake until golden. Voilà! Thanksgiving turkey pot pie.
• Stuff peppers with turkey, stuffing, and vegetables. Top with cheese and bake until tender.
• Reinvent the leftover mashed potatoes into stuffing for borekitas.
• Leftover dessert? You don’t need our help in figuring out what to do with that.