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Home / Features / Roundup: Great Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

Roundup: Great Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

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Love your leftovers in whole new ways.

dinner table with thanksgiving stuffing sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes with cranberries

The most classic, and perhaps obvious, Thanksgiving leftovers dish is the beloved Thanksgiving Sandwich. We all know this mountain of goodness: a pile of everything — mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce — layered atop a slice of plain white bread, with maybe another slice on top for good measure.

But what if you want Thanksgiving dinner to do something different? These Thanksgiving leftovers recipe ideas breathe new life into day-old food. Turn stale cornbread into amazing croutons for salad. Take some turkey and stew it into one of the best gumbos ever. Make morning glorious with sweet potato buttermilk pancakes or morning glory muffins. Give thanks: your leftovers conundrum is solved.

You’ll also like: Mulled Apple Cider and Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad

bowl of homemade cranberry sauce with spoon

Savory Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe Ideas

New Orleans-Style Turkey Gumbo

finished turkey gumbo recipe for thanksgiving leftovers in bowl with sage and striped napkin

The leftover: turkey.

Now we’re talking turkey. This is so much better than what you ate yesterday. This real deal, New Orleans-style gumbo combines turkey with a dark brown roux, andouille sausage, celery, onion, and a perfect blend of herbs and spices for a silky, spicy, full-of-goodness dinner.

Deep-Dish Turkey Pot Pie

unbaked turkey or chicken pot pie in pie shell being assembled

If there is a better way to eat leftover Thanksgiving turkey, I have not found it. This recipe for deep-dish turkey pot pie does right by your leftovers, with a creamy filling stuffed with turkey and vegetables, plus a double butter pie crust to put it over the top.

Harvest Kale and Butternut Squash Salad With Cider Vinaigrette

kale and roasted butternut squash salad with apple cider vinaigrette on table with pumpkins fall salad

The leftover: Roasted butternut squash, mulled apple cider

Take your leftover mulled apple cider or roasted squash and turn it into the best salad you will have all winter.

Baby Kale Salad With Cornbread Croutons

kale salad with corn and tomatoes and croutons

The leftover: Cornbread, extra buttermilk

Let stale cornbread live its best life as indulgent croutons for this Southern kale salad with buttermilk herb dressing.

Turkey, Cranberry and Brie Melts

wooden cutting board with sliced turkey brie and a spoonful of cranberry sauce

The leftover: turkey, cranberry sauce

Two leftovers in one new dish! This leftover turkey melt is so simple, it barely needs a recipe. Just take a thin slice of bread (day-old is fine), toast it, then layer with a little cranberry sauce, turkey, and brie. Then bake for a few minutes, top with some fresh black pepper, and enjoy this melty, sweet-savory lunchtime victory.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe Ideas for Breakfast

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pancakes

thanksgiving leftovers recipe stack of sweet potato pancakes from Thanksgiving leftovers on plate with sugar

The leftover: sweet potato, extra buttermilk

Moist, satisfying, and just sweet enough. Transform a Thanksgiving side dish into a fabulous pancake breakfast.

Sweet Potato Morning Glory Muffins

sweet potato morning glory muffins baked in tin with butter and apple thanksgiving leftovers ideas

The leftover: sweet potato

Morning glorious. These hearty, nourishing muffins make a great day-after treat for any time of day, and are easy to make.

What do you make with your Thanksgiving leftovers? Share below!

Filed Under: Articles, Breakfast, Dinner, Features, Food Writing Roundups, Soup, Salad, Snacks Tagged With: dinner, gumbo, kale, leftovers, muffins, pancakes, salad, thanksgiving, turkey

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  1. H.T. says

    December 3, 2020 at 7:57 am

    Made the muffins and they are delicious.

    Reply

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