Your Thanksgiving leftovers won’t go to waste this year, thanks to these delicious recipes. Make good use of any extra food by trying these dishes, from soups and snacks to pastas and sandwiches. We have plenty of ideas to use up all your leftovers, like our One-Pot Turkey Vegetable Soup and our Cranberry Crumble Bars.
Whipped Feta with Cranberries & Walnuts
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
This festive whipped feta dip is the perfect appetizer for any gathering. Walnuts provide a nice crunchiness, but you could easily swap in another nut like pecans or pistachios.
One-Pot Turkey Vegetable Soup
Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee
This vegetable soup makes use of leftover turkey for a satisfying main dish. It’s full of bright flavors, thanks to the use of lemon juice and lemon zest.
Cranberry Crumble Bars
Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman,Prop Stylist: Natalie Ghazali
These cranberry-orange bars freeze well. Make a batch on a free afternoon and pop them in the freezer so you’ll always have a healthy dessert on hand when company calls.
Mashed Potato Pancakes
Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin
Whip up these mashed potato pancakes anytime you have leftovers on hand. The sharp Cheddar cheese and chives are the perfect pairing with potatoes, and the tangy sour cream ties it all together.
Turkey, Pesto & Broccoli Pasta
This easy pasta is a weeknight dinner lifesaver after the busy holidays. While shelf-stable pesto will work here, we prefer the fresh flavor and more vibrant color of refrigerated pesto.
Turkey Enchiladas
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf
These turkey enchiladas take only 10 minutes to prep, so you’ll have dinner ready in a jiff.
Smothered Cabbage with Ham
Use your leftover ham in this comforting one-pot dish with cabbage and potatoes. The simple flavors get brightened at the end with a splash of cider vinegar.
Turkey & Wild Rice Soup with Vegetables
Leftover turkey has never been so delicious. Wild rice adds a nutty flavor–plus extra protein and fiber–to this creamy, hearty soup.
Crispy Loaded Mashed Potato Balls
Jazz up your leftover mashed potatoes by rolling them into balls with bacon and cheese and giving them a crispy coating in the oven. You can enjoy these as a fun side dish or an appetizer for your next holiday dinner.
Winter Kale & Quinoa Salad with Avocado
Precooked quinoa helps keep this healthy salad recipe quick and simple. Loaded with black beans, kale and avocado, this recipe is as filling as it is nutritious. Your leftover roasted sweet potatoes will work perfectly for this dish.
Turkey Potpie
This potpie is loaded with veggies, a creamy sauce and turkey, of course. It’s topped with a prepared whole-wheat crust so there’s no need to make dough.
Foh Gai Jook (Turkey Jook)
Jook is what the Cantonese call rice porridge. Frequently eaten either at breakfast or as a late-night snack, jook is a comfort food beloved in many Asian cultures—Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, Filipino and more. This homey rice porridge is a delicious way to repurpose your turkey carcass.
Loaded Mashed Potato Stuffed Mushrooms
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Here, roasted mushrooms are stuffed with cheesy, loaded mashed potatoes for an appetizer mashup you didn’t know you needed. Use same-size mushrooms so they cook evenly.
Turkey & Cheese Panini
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall.
This turkey panini is one of the best panini recipes we have ever tried. Basil pesto and sourdough bread are key to this sandwich’s unique flavor.
Kale & Roasted Sweet Potato Hash
This one-pan hash makes an easy fall dinner or a simple dish for a healthy brunch. You can even poach the eggs ahead of time–slip them into steaming-hot water to rewarm them just before serving.
Cream of Turkey & Wild Rice Soup
This delicious dish is a twist on a classic creamy turkey and wild rice soup that hails from Minnesota. Serve with a crisp romaine salad and whole-grain bread.
Ham and Broccoli Breakfast Casserole
Prepare this easy ham and broccoli casserole the evening before, and in the morning, just pop it in the oven for a delicious breakfast.
Turkey Stew
This hearty stew is just about the best use of Thanksgiving leftovers we can think of. And we don’t just mean the turkey—leftover gravy is used to add flavor and body.
3-Ingredient Cranberry-Brie Bites
Baked Brie is a perennially popular appetizer. Here, we complement the Brie with tart cranberry sauce and bake it in pretty individual tartlets using premade pie crust for an ultra-easy crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Hot Turkey Pesto Sandwich
Victor Protasio
This sandwich features herby pesto and fresh mozzarella cheese, which melts beautifully, creating a gooey, cheesy bite.
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries & Turkey
Give leftover turkey new life with these delicious stuffed potatoes. A drizzle of homemade honey-mustard dressing soaks into the hot potatoes, adding tons of flavor.
Turkey, Pasta & Vegetable Soup
This simple soup is full of vegetables and shredded turkey, making it perfect for after the holidays. Adding Parmesan rind provides a rich umami flavor.
The Ultimate Turkey Avocado Sandwich
Packed with leftover turkey, bacon, cranberry sauce and more, this sandwich is sure to satisfy. If you really want to do this sandwich up, sear a slice of stuffing or bread pudding until it’s nice and crispy and put it between the turkey and avocado.
Creamy Turkey & Vegetable Soup
Fred Hardy
The vegetables in this comforting turkey soup are perfectly tender and the broth is creamy and flavorful—perfect for when there’s a chill in the air!
Turkey-Apple-Brie Sandwiches
Hollowed-out baguettes hold a satisfying combo of tart apples, creamy Brie and protein-rich, shredded turkey.
Turkey & Squash Soup
This Southwestern-inspired turkey-and-squash soup gets a little kick from crushed red pepper and some zing from fresh lime juice. You can use leftover turkey or chicken (instead of the cutlets); dice it and add a few minutes before serving.
Turkey Dinner in a Skillet
Here’s a new way to enjoy that Thanksgiving dinner taste! Turkey tenderloin slices, broccoli and bread “stuffing” cook up quickly in this layered one-skillet dinner.
Turkey & Leek Shepherd’s Pie
The mashed potato-covered shepherd’s pie was originally created to use up the leftovers from a festive roast. This version blends peas, leeks and carrots with diced turkey, all in a creamy herb sauce.
