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Thanksgiving leftovers are the best, but sometimes, it gets tiring eating the same turkey and cranberry sauce leftovers over and over again after the holiday. Jazz up your leftovers and make your taste buds happy with these 40 Creative + Delicious Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes to help you and your family devour those Thanksgiving leftovers in no time.
I realize that stuffing cooked outside the bird is technically called “dressing,” but in my family, we use stuffing as a catch-all term. I decided to simplify things and do the same in this post, so whether you cooked your stuffing inside or outside the turkey, I’ll be calling it all “stuffing” here. To learn why experts recommend not stuffing your turkey, see Ingenious Turkey Cooking Hacks for the Tastiest Bird You’ve Ever Had.
40 Incredibly Delicious Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes
TURKEY GRILLED CHEESE WITH CRANBERRY + BRIE
In my family, we’ve always eaten Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce leftovers in sandwich form – just plain white bread with Miracle Whip, cold turkey, cranberry sauce, and salt and pepper. Don’t get me wrong, this is a delicious sandwich, but it gets seriously boring after the first couple days. Here’s a great way to upgrade that boring, cold sandwich with a warm and toasty grilled cheese with Brie (my favorite!). I’ll definitely be making these after the holiday!
From Life Tastes Good
TURKEY- CRANBERRY STRUDEL WITH MAPLE ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Store bought puff pastry isn’t often used by home cooks, but it should be because it’s so easy to work with and amazingly delicious! Here we have a warm and comforting puff pastry strudel filled with leftover turkey and cranberry sauce and another seasonal favorite, Maple Roasted Butternut Squash! For more awesome butternut squash recipes, check out 25 Amazing Butternut Squash Recipes You Need to Try This Fall + Winter – Even Desserts!
From Recipe Girl
THANKSGIVING PIZZA
Here’s another fun and creative way to enjoy puff pastry piled high with ALL of your Thanksgiving leftovers! This pizza really is one of the best ways to enjoy Turkey Day leftovers!
From The Gunny Sack
LEFTOVER STUFFING WAFFLES
Betcha never thought of turning your Thanksgiving leftovers into breakfast food! This recipe transforms leftover stuffing into delicious, golden waffles great with cranberry sauce or covered in turkey and gravy for a seasonal take on traditional Chicken and Waffles.
From Just a Taste
TURKEY ORZO SOUP
Soup is the perfect meal idea to warm you up when it’s cold outside. Use up all that extra turkey in this comforting orzo soup with chicken broth and nourishing veggies.
From Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen
HOLIDAY HASH
Did you get a little crazy with the stuffing this year and make way too much? Don’t let one delicious morsel go to waste – use up leftover stuffing, turkey, and gravy in this hearty morning meal sure to start off your day just right!
From Boulder Locavore
THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS STROMBOLI
Stromboli isn’t just for Italian flavors anymore. Fill store bought pizza crust with loads of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes to enjoy all your leftovers together again.
From BetsyLife
ULTIMATE LEFTOVERS CLUB
This Ultimate Club will give new life to your leftovers. Turkey gets piled high with crispy bacon, sweet and tart cranberry sauce, melty cheddar cheese, and creamy mayo and cream cheese to make the ultimate comfort food sandwich.
From Oh Sweet Basil
SLOW COOKER TURKEY BARLEY SOUP
After cooking that enormous Thanksgiving feast, you’re probably not eager to put a lot of effort into cooking. Use up leftover turkey in this yummy barley soup, and let your slow cooker do all the work.
From The Food Charlatan
LEFTOVERS PANINI
A Panini press can turn just about any sandwich into a melty, decadent treat. If you don’t have a Panini press, you can use a heavy skillet – cast-iron is the perfect weight for this – to press the sandwich, as seen here.
From Express-o
THANKSGIVING TURKEY PESTO PANINI
Here’s a more savory panini option (minus sweet cranberry and jam) with fresh pesto, avocado, tomato, and gooey mozzarella.
From Damn Delicious
TURKEY CRANBERRY SLIDERS
Sliders are super popular, and it’s no wonder – they’re compact, tasty, and great for feeding a crowd. Invite family back for a second Thanksgiving dinner, watch a football game, and snack on these delicious sliders with leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, and gravy.
From Tammilee Tips
LEFTOVER TURKEY FRITATTA
Thanksgiving dinner gets a healthy makeover in this frittata recipe with turkey, spinach, and mozzarella cheese.
From Diethood
MOM’S TURKEY SOUP
Nothing’s more comforting than a traditional noodle soup with nourishing homemade turkey broth, hearty chunks of turkey and vegetables, and delicious egg noodles.
From Simply Recipes
TURKEY NACHOS
Liven up those turkey leftovers with Colby Jack cheese, jalapeños, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
TURKEY SHEPHERD’S PIE
This Thanksgiving leftover recipe is especially great because you can customize your ingredients to what you had at your holiday dinner.
From Culinary Ginger
TURKEY POT PIE
I love just about anything in pie form – desserts, quiche, and pot pies like this. If you love the comforting goodness of a delicious, well made pie crust, you should try this recipe with My Mom’s Super Simple Tender + Flaky Pie Crust Recipe – you’ll love it! For pot pie in soup form, keep scrolling!
From When Pink
TURKEY + STUFFING MUFFINS
Combine leftover turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy with some eggs and stock as a binder for easy, grab-and-go muffins perfect for hectic weekday mornings.
From Just a Taste
AUNT BEE’S LEFTOVER TURKEY CASSEROLE
I’m a big believer in keeping old family recipes alive. Here’s one for Thanksgiving leftovers with turkey, peas, and rotini in a simple creamy sauce made with cream of chicken and cream of celery soups. Classic!
From The Seasoned Mom
TURKEY CHILI [WITH LEFTOVER TURKEY]
Here’s another healthy and hearty meal containing shredded turkey, kidney beans, tomatoes, and chili spices for a warm and tasty meal.
From Simply Recipes
LEFTOVER TURKEY CARNITAS
This recipe is so good you seriously need to try it! It’s a healthier but equally delicious version of traditional pork carnitas – minus the lard and long cooking time.
From Serious Eats
TURKEY SALAD SANDWICHES
Turkey salad is made tons more delicious with the addition of seasonal dried cranberries, apples, and crunchy pecans on a soft and buttery croissant.
From Love from the Oven
CHEESY MASHED POTATO PANCAKES
Potato pancakes are a classic way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Here’s the best potato pancake recipe flavored with plenty of delicious cheddar cheese!
From Just a Taste
CHEESY BREAKFAST STUFFING CAKES
Potatoes aren’t the only Thanksgiving leftover that can be made into yummy cakes with loads of uses! These stuffing cakes are great with bacon and eggs for breakfast. You can also add Hollandaise sauce (my favorite is Knorr Hollandaise Sauce Mix
From Well Plated
TURKEY CORN CHOWDER
This recipe for quick and easy Turkey Corn Chowder will help you get a creamy, satisfying soup on the table in no time! It’s also great for leftover chicken.
From Six Sisters’ Stuff
TURKEY + CRANBERRY BBQ SAUCE PIZZA
Have you ever imagined cranberry sauce on a pizza?? BBQ sauce might be a little more normal, but not much. It all seems to work on this gorgeous and incredibly tasty pizza recipe topped with leftover turkey and cranberry sauce, BBQ sauce, and your favorite cheese.
From Recipe Runner
THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS CRESCENT RING
There are tons of crescent ring recipes, and they’re all delicious – who can resist crescent rolls?? This crescent ring features your favorite Thanksgiving leftovers topped with ooey gooey cheddar cheese.
From Hip2Save
SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY SOUP
Your family is sure to love this Blue Ribbon Recipe with leftover turkey, tomatoes, green chiles, and other great Southwestern flavors. You may want to double the recipe!
From Just a Pinch Recipes
TURKEY TETRAZZINI WITH CRUNCHY PARMESAN PANKO TOPPING
This creamy Turkey Tetrazzini features mushrooms, peas, and an irresistibly crunchy topping made of Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. It’s hard to believe leftovers can taste this good!
From The Wicked Noodle
TURKEY ENCHILADAS
Turkey is a great addition to traditional enchiladas with black beans, enchilada sauce, and lots of Mexican cheese.
From Creme de la Crumb
CRAN-TURKEY ENCHILADAS
For a sweeter, Thanksgiving version, check out this enchilada recipe that uses leftover turkey and cranberry sauce, sour cream, cheese, and salsa. What’s not to love?!
From Dash of Sanity
POT PIE SOUP
Turn leftover turkey into a warm, comforting, and lightly creamy soup with this recipe. Pair with some leftover rolls for a well rounded meal.
From Handle the Heat
TURKEY GYROS
This recipe calls for marinating and cooking turkey just for these gyros, but you can certainly change it up for Thanksgiving leftovers! Just put leftover turkey on a fresh, soft pita with red onion, tomatoes, and creamy Tzatziki Sauce for a delicious Greek style meal.
From No Biggie
ONE POT CHEESY TURKEY TAMALE PIE
Polenta with sharp white cheddar cheese, lots of enchilada sauce, leftover turkey and gravy, loads of Mexican flavors, pomegranate salsa, and plenty of yummy cheese melted on top. If this looks and sounds amazing to you (it sure does to me!), you just gotta try this one pot tamale pie that’s so much easier than making traditional tamales, but is still just as good!
From Half Baked Harvest
THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER PIZZA
Here’s another pizza idea that super simple. Just pile your leftovers onto store bought pizza crust – mashed potatoes, turkey, and gravy can all be used here. Then, cover with lots of shredded cheeses for a melty, gooey, amazingly delicious treat!
From Baked by Rachel
SLOW COOKER HOT TURKEY SANDWICHES
Here’s another great idea for football Sunday following Turkey Day. Looking for an easy meal to entertain your family and some guests? This recipe couldn’t be simpler. Just throw leftover turkey, Velveeta, cream of mushroom soup, and turkey or chicken broth in the slow cooker for sandwiches that are sure to please a crowd! You can also serve this on egg noodles for an easy weeknight meal.
From Recipes That Crock
EASY LEFTOVER TURKEY STROGANOFF
If you like mushrooms, check out this stroganoff dish that uses up leftover turkey and gravy for a satisfying saucy dish that’s great over noodles. This recipe calls for Summer Savory
From Rock Recipes
CREAMED TURKEY OVER BISCUITS
This recipe is like a combination of Sausage Gravy and Biscuits and Chicken and Waffles. Add your leftover turkey to this creamy, flavorful sauce and put over biscuits for a hearty dish that’s perfect for any meal of the day!
From Frugal Foodie Mama
CHEESY TURKEY + RANCH QUESADILLAS
Quesadillas are a great option for busy families looking for a quick and filling meal the kids will love.
From Kalyn Brooke
Thanksgiving is stressful. These Ingenious Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes make it so much easier by helping you manage the aftermath of the holiday with new ways to enjoy all that leftover food!
I would love to hear from you!
What do you think of this list of Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes? Did you find any new favorites? Please let me know in the comments below!
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25 Amazing Butternut Squash Recipes You Need to Try This Fall + Winter – Even Desserts!
25 Amazing Pumpkin Recipes You Need to Try This Fall
25 Easy Slow Cooker Dips for Ultimate Snacking
Ingenious Turkey Cooking Hacks for the Tastiest Bird You’ve Ever Had
Mom’s Super Simple Tender + Flaky Pie Crust Recipe
