First and foremost, be sure to save all the turkey bones to make stock. Easy to do, and so much more satisfying than store-bought stock.
Once you have turkey stock, you can use it for all sorts of soups, including this famous turkey chili soup recipe from Al Yaganeh, known as the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. You’ll need leftover turkey for this recipe as well. Not a chili person? Try turkey soup with stuffing dumplings, or turkey tortilla soup.
Naturally, you need to enjoy at least one turkey sandwich, be it pressed, crammed with turkey salad, or grilled with cheese. This Bon Appétit recipe for a turkey sandwich with gravy mayo has us anticipating the leftovers more than the main event! We might be putting gravy mayo (from Turkey & The Wolf in New Orleans) on more than just sandwiches!
There is no end of ways to enjoy leftover turkey. Replace chicken with turkey in a cobb salad, or try turkey in a salad with dried cranberries and walnuts. Serve slices of turkey with a classic iceberg lettuce wedge salad and creamy bleu cheese dressing.
Casseroles and baked pasta dishes benefit from the addition of turkey, and would a quiche. Add turkey to a vegetable stir-fry or a curry. Top a grain bowl with turkey, fill and avocado with chopped turkey salad.
Ham it Up
If you made a ham for Thanksgiving and have some left to enjoy for days to come, check our blog post on 10 ways to cook with ham and try this strata recipe which is well-suited for Sunday brunch.
Let’s Get Stuffed!
Is there ever leftover stuffing? Sometimes there is … if you do things right.
Fill muffin tins with stuffing, mixed with spinach, chopped turkey, and whip some eggs and cream together to pour over and hold it all together. Stuffin’ muffins!
We’ve been seeing a lot of waffles made of stuffing, so if you have a waffle iron, give that a try and serve with turkey, cranberry sauce, and gravy.
Try making pot pie with leftover turkey and stuffing under a flaky crust. Get all those flavors of the holiday tucked in together, and experience Thanksgiving in a pie dish.
Speaking of pie, any mashed potatoes that are left can be used for shepherd’s pie topping. Sweet potatoes that haven’t gotten the marshmallow treatment can be enjoyed in a winter salad with turkey, spinach, or the greens of your choice.
Or mix leftover stuffing with an egg to bind it, then shape into patties and cook in a pan with melted butter, flipping to ensure that both sides get browned.
What are you making with Thanksgiving leftovers? Tell us about your favorite recipes!
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