Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America and I am really excited for the food. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the time spent with family too. But I’ve been dreaming about stuffing and mashed potatoes for weeks now. One thing I don’t always love about this holiday? The Thanksgiving leftovers. If you feel the same way, no worries. Today I’m sharing three favorite recipes with you that can use up your Thanksgiving leftovers.
what to make with your Thanksgiving leftovers
Each year we alternate the holidays with families, so I don’t always have Thanksgiving leftovers. But when I do… I can get pretty tired of them pretty quickly. It always seems like the stuffing (my favorite) goes first and the turkey goes last. Even though we usually try to buy a small turkey, we always seem to have so much left over! Some of you might love that, but turkey isn’t really my favorite. Especially day after day after day. So I’ve compiled three recipes that use some of your Thanksgiving leftovers, to help get you out of the leftover rut. These have all been tested by my little family over the years, and I hope you enjoy them too!
| Read: How to Plan a Kid-friendly Holiday Table |
Easy Monte Cristo Sandwiches
leftovers used: turkey and cranberry sauce
I love Monte Cristo sandwiches and here’s a little bit of a different take on them. Using waffles as the bread (I like to make Belgian waffles, than slice in half, but you could easily use two frozen waffles also), you make a sandwich with a tiny smear of regular or honey mustard, turkey, and sharp cheddar. Place open-faced under the broiler until it’s steaming hot, then put some cranberry sauce on top and put the top piece of “bread” on. An easy and tasty sandwich that would be good for breakfast, brunch, or lunch!
Turkey Enchiladas
leftovers used: turkey and corn
This is the only enchilada recipe I make at home, it’s so yummy and easily adaptable. The rest of the year I make it with chicken, but come Thanksgiving time it’s a great use for all that leftover turkey!
This enchilada recipe is easy to make and you can utilize leftovers!
- 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
- 1 cup cooked corn
- 1 bunch green onions (chopped)
- 3 TBSP taco seasoning
- 2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken) (shredded or cubed)
- ½ cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup milk
- 1½ cup shredded cheese (divided)
- tortillas
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Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, using only half the cheese.
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Spread some mixture in each tortilla, roll the tortilla up, and place seam down in an 11 x 7" baking dish.
*How many enchiladas this recipe makes depends on the size of the tortillas and how much you fill them. You should be able to get 10-14.
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After filling all tortillas, add a little splash of milk to remaining mixture and spread on top of the enchiladas. Then sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake at 350℉ for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
| Read: Make an Epic Thanksgiving Dessert Grazing Table |
Turkey Cornbread Bake
leftovers used: turkey, veggies, and cornbread
I love this recipe and make it any time of year (but again, usually with chicken), but it’s especially easy to prepare at Thanksgiving time when the meat and cornbread are already cooked. Any kind of veggies are good in this (corn, peas & carrots, broccoli…), and I even think that if you didn’t have enough cornbread, you could mix in some leftover stuffing and that would be extra tasty as well!
This casserole dish is comfort food at its finest and the perfect recipe to make with Thanksgiving leftovers!
- Cornbread (You'll need roughly the amount of a 10-inch pie plate.)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken) (cubed)
- 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom (or Celery) soup
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup cooked vegetables
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
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Crumble the cornbread, set aside.
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Sauté the onion in butter until tender, add salt and pepper to taste. Add the dried thyme. Add the crumbled cornbread and mix all together well.
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Remove cornbread mixture from heat and spread half the mixture into an ungreased 9×13" baking dish.
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Combine turkey, soups, broth, and veggies, and pour over cornbread mixture.
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Spread the remaining mixture on top and bake at 325℉ for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.
How do you feel about Thanksgiving leftovers?
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