25 Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes And Ideas

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:

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.

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.

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!

This is a great way to use your leftover cranberry sauce and that little bit of whipped topping.