The holidays are a time to reflect on what you’re thankful for, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to think about your future.
The Thanksgiving holiday is coming up fast, and if you haven’t yet started planning your menu, now’s the time! But, it’s not too late to get creative with leftovers or find new recipes that will inspire family and friends. You can start by checking out these ten ideas for turkey leftovers.
What to do with leftover turkey
After Thanksgiving dinner, you’re probably going to have a lot of Thanksgiving leftovers. So here are ten ideas for Thanksgiving leftover turkey that’ll make your Thanksgiving leftovers exciting.
1. Thanksgiving Pot Pie
To make a pot pie, you’ll need to start with a pie crust. You can either make the crust from scratch or use store-bought dough. Just preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and then pat down your dough on top of it. Then, set up an assembly line of flour, salt, flour, butter (cut into small pieces), and eggs (beaten). Working one at a time, squeeze some flour between your thumb and index finger, sprinkle the salt over it, and then rub them together to make crumbs. When you’ve got some dough that looks like this sprinkled around, go ahead and toss it into the center of the pie crust that you’ve placed on the table. Now take some of your butter and push it into the center of the dough. Then, add some more flour and continue rubbing until the butter is completely spread out. Now, gradually add in some water (about 2/3 cup) while pushing down on the piecrust with your hands. When you feel like you have enough water in there, cover your crust with a towel and let it sit for 5 minutes before adding in your Thanksgiving leftover turkey meat and gravy. Finally, add the top piecrust and cut a few small slits in it to allow steam to escape. Place your pot pie back in the oven for about 30 minutes before checking on it to ensure that you don’t have any raw dough sticking out from under the crust. If you do, bake for a further 10 minutes before checking again. Serve warm!
2. Biryani made with Thanksgiving Turkey meat and Thanksgiving Rice
This is a straightforward recipe to make and one that will help you use up your leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat. To start, fry some onions in oil until they turn brown. Then add the turkey, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala.
Next, add enough water to cover the turkey and stir well before adding the rice. Now place a lid on the pan and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated. You’ll know it’s ready when you can see all the rice has turned glossy, and it’s cooked through with no hard grains left (the grains should be soft like risotto).
Serve with a side of salad!
3. Turkey Tostadas
To make turkey tostadas, you’re going to need some leftover mashed potatoes, leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat, rotisserie chicken (optional), shredded mozzarella cheese (or other cheese), fresh cilantro leaves, jalapeño rings, olive oil, or vegetable oil spray in large skillet on medium-high heat. Start by adding your olive oil or vegetable oil spray in a skillet on medium-high heat. Now add the mashed potatoes and tortilla shells. Top with turkey meat, cranberry sauce, mozzarella cheese, or other cheese. Add cilantro, jalapenos, and more of the ingredients if desired. Cook for about 5 minutes, then carefully flip the tostadas over with a spatula per side is fully browned. Serve warm!
4. Turkey Cobb Salad
Making a turkey cobb salad is easy, with most of the work is chopping up the ingredients. To start, you’re going to need some cooked turkey breast, hard-boiled eggs, bacon pieces, romaine lettuce, and Thanksgiving leftover cranberry sauce. Now make a dressing with the cranberry sauce and Thanksgiving leftover mayonnaise. Place your vegetables on a bed of chopped romaine lettuce, place your turkey on top, and add the other ingredients on top, including blue cheese or goat cheese. Finish off by adding your dressing!
5. Turkey Pot Pie Cupcakes
- Place a Thanksgiving leftover biscuit dough in each cup of a muffin tin
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown on top
- Add mashed potatoes and turkey meat to the biscuit dough in each cup, and then add cranberry sauce
- Bake for another 15 minutes, or until the pie filling has been set.
- Remove from the oven and cool for five minutes
- Enjoy!
6. Leftover Thanksgiving Sandwich
The classic Thanksgiving sandwich idea is to make it open-faced on a holiday bun with fresh the oven turkey meat slathered in gravy before being topped off with roasted veggies from Thanksgiving dinner. Other Thanksgiving sandwich ideas include using leftovers as a pizza topping or taco filling for unique Thanksgiving leftover recipes that use ingredients you would not usually think using when thinking about Thanksgiving leftovers
7. Thanksgiving Taco Bar
Using Thanksgiving turkey meat as a taco filling along with Thanksgiving leftover cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes combined with Thanksgiving leftover cranberry sauce, fried bacon pieces, your choice of cheeses to create a fun food bar that’s perfect for leftovers
8. Thanksgiving Reuben Sandwiches
Made with Thanksgiving corned beef (or pastrami), shredded cheese like mozzarella (or other cheese), sauerkraut (don’t knock it until you try it), and Russian dressing served on rye
9. Leftover Turkey Casserole
Made with Thanksgiving turkey meat, Thanksgiving gravy, Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, and Thanksgiving cranberry sauce baked in a casserole dish. Add leftover Thanksgiving vegetables like Brussels sprouts or green beans on top before baking
To make a turkey casserole, start by cooking the mashed potatoes. After they are cooked, combine them with cooked turkey meat. Add some cranberry sauce when you’re coating it in gravy. Pour this mixture into a baking dish and add Thanksgiving leftover vegetables like Brussels sprouts or green beans on top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes to one hour until the center is no longer pink. Let cool for five minutes before serving.
10. Thanksgiving Hummus
the perfect Thanksgiving sandwich, especially if you favor the vegetarian variety of sandwiches. To make this Thanksgiving leftover recipe, start by warming up some pita bread that’s been cut into triangles (or leave it whole for dipping) and then slice cheese like mozzarella or spread out on top of bread instead of using shredded cheese. Next, combine mashed potatoes with cooked turkey meat, olive oil, and tahini to make the base of your hummus. Add in some cranberry sauce after mixing all the ingredients to create a sweet flavor! Once everything is mixed together correctly, serve with pita wedges or slices of French baguette!
The Perfect Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes For You To Enjoy This Holiday
When it comes to what you should do with your leftover turkey, the options are endless. The best part of Thanksgiving is getting creative and flexing your culinary skills by making dishes that use ingredients from previous meals in new ways. If this sounds too intimidating, or if you need help coming up with ideas for how to make leftovers exciting, contact us! Which one of these 10 Thanksgiving leftover recipes have you tried? Let us know which ones were a hit or not in the comments below!
