By: Courtney Minor
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These easy Leftover Turkey recipes are the best way to use up any turkey leftovers you have after the big Thanksgiving feast. Don’t let it go to waste, throw that delicious turkey into soups, casseroles, sandwiches, and more. Plus you can use up the rest of your Thanksgiving leftovers with these ideas too!
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What to Do with Leftover Turkey After Thanksgiving
The usual holiday dilemma is upon us: Thanksgiving is over, but your refrigerator is still stuffed to the brim with turkey, mashed potatoes, and all kinds of leftovers. This is good news if you’re happy to eat plate after plate of Thanksgiving Round 2, but you might need some ideas and a little variety to help you get through all that food.
That’s where these leftover turkey recipes come in! That perfect Thanksgiving turkey served you well, and now you have slices and slices left. Luckily, you can use it to make all kinds of recipes, from sandwiches and soups, to casseroles and chilis. Use up turkey leftovers with these ideas, and trust me, you won’t get sick of it!
Whether you start with a smoked turkey, deep-fried turkey, a turkey breast, or any other Thanksgiving turkey recipes, you can use leftovers to make these recipes!
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Cozy Soups with Leftover Turkey
In the days after a big holiday meal, there’s nothing more comforting (or easier to make) than a big bowl of soup filled with Thanksgiving leftovers, veggies, and cozy ingredients.
- Turkey Wild Rice Soup: This is a great post-holiday meal idea! Wild rice, veggies, and turkey swim in a super creamy broth, with lots of savory flavor.
- Turkey Noodle Soup: This soup is filled with noodles, vegetables, a flavorful broth, and of course plenty of turkey. It’s the perfect comfort dish for late autumn!
- Turkey Chili: Though the recipe calls for ground turkey, you can use your cooked turkey leftovers instead. Simply add it in with the bulk of the ingredients (instead of cooking it at the start) and let everything simmer.
- Crockpot Black Eyed Peas: This hearty recipe is easy to make with leftover turkey–just throw everything in and let it cook!
Easy Leftover Turkey Sandwiches
These aren’t your average Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches. Use cooked turkey to make something that feels totally new!
- Turkey Salad: Cubes of turkey, dried cranberries, pecans, celery, dill, and creamy mayo make a quick and simple leftover sandwich filling!
- Turkey Sliders: These Hawaiian roll sliders are filled with slices of turkey and swiss cheese, coated in a buttery Dijon sauce, then baked until hot. They’ll taste delicious with those leftover mashed potatoes too.
- Garlic Butter Sandwich Skewers: Slices of turkey, ham, and cheese are piled onto buns (or use leftover dinner rolls), coated in garlic butter, and baked in the oven.
Add Thanksgiving Turkey into These Casseroles
No need to eat the same meal over and over again. These casserole recipes are the best way to use up leftover turkey!
- Turkey Rice Casserole: This creamy casserole recipe is easy to throw together, and it comes out of the oven hot and bubbly. Feel free to add in some of your leftover veggies (like carrots or broccoli) too.
- Turkey Pot Pie: A creamy, cozy filling with mixed veggies is baked into a flakey crust to make this classic dish with a turkey twist.
- Leftover Turkey Casserole: This pasta casserole is filled with veggies, turkey, gravy, and topped with breadcrumbs for a cozy and delicious post-Thanksgiving meal!
Fun Turkey Leftovers Ideas
Clean out your fridge after Thanksgiving and make these tasty, easy, and fun leftover ideas! Not only will you use up all that turkey, you’ll be able to get rid of some of those other lingering dishes too.
- Thanksgiving Quesadillas: Not only can you use up your leftover turkey with this recipe, you can use the rest of your cranberry sauce and gravy too!
- Turkey Croquettes: Use leftover turkey and stuffing to make these deep-fried balls that are perfect for snacking, appetizers, or just a fun meal idea.
- Turkey Tacos: Instead of ground turkey, use shredded or cubed turkey to make these crispy tacos. Just heat up your leftovers in Step 1 of this recipe, then assemble your tacos and pan-fry.
Make these Recipes with Turkey Leftovers Instead
Cooked turkey can be used (cubed or shredded) in place of chicken in these delicious recipes!
- Tetrazzini: This creamy pasta bake is filled with noodles, mushrooms, and breadcrumbs for a cozy dish. Just add turkey!
- Fried Rice: It’s easy to swap in your leftover turkey with the rice and veggies to make this tasty recipe as a launch or side dish.
- White Bean Chili: This is my favorite chili recipe, and you can definitely use cooked turkey instead of chicken here. The cream cheese makes this chili sooo creamy!
What to do with the rest of your Thanksgiving leftovers
Most likely, turkey isn’t the only thing you’ll have leftover after Thanksgiving. You probably have mashed potatoes, turkey stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, honey baked ham, Thanksgiving rolls, veggies, and tons of other food to use up. Don’t worry, some of these leftover turkey recipes (like the quesadillas, croquettes, casseroles, and sliders) call for some of those dishes too.
You can turn leftover mashed potatoes into potato pancakes or fried mashed potatoes balls; turn slices or cubes of ham into a ham and potato casserole; or throw extra veggies into the recipes listed above.
If you’re still not sure what to make with your leftover turkey, simply add it in with your favorite soup, pasta, salad, and casserole recipes. It’s already cooked, and it’ll taste delicious in tons of dishes.
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