For our family, leftovers are the reward we get for surviving the marathon of cooking, cleaning, and/or traveling that is Thanksgiving.
After all the hustle and bustle leading up to the big day, we get to settle into a long weekend of living out of tupperware containers and forgetting what day of the week it is.
Here are our favorite ways to make the most of whatever you’ve got hanging out in the fridge today!
The Non-Recipe “Recipes” (Stuff You Can Throw Together in 15 Minutes or Less)
The Slider- If you haven’t taken your leftover turkey and slapped it on a Hawaiian roll with some Swiss cheese and plenty of mayo, do this immediately. If you want to get fancy about it, you can use this recipe for Hawaiian Ham Sliders (turkey and ham both work well). The honey mustard sauce takes it over the top.
The Fry It In Butter Breakfast- For leftover stuffing or mashed potatoes, heat some butter in a pan over medium high heat, then toss in the stuffing and taters, along with turkey or ham if you’ve got it. Spread it out into a thin layer, pressing it down with a spatula so the edges get nice and crispy. Flip, and fry the other side. Top with fried eggs.
The Stuffing Waffle- We made these TikTok famous stuffing waffles last year, and they were great. We served ours for breakfast with eggs, but I like the idea of piling on turkey and cranberry sauce too.
Cranberry Brie Crostini- Bake buttered bread until crispy, melt brie cheese on top, and then top with leftover cranberry sauce. I also do a VERY lazy version of this on Ritz crackers in the microwave.
Sammies, Soups, Salads
Turkey Bacon and Egg Sandwich- Piled with bacon, a fried egg, cranberry mayo and served on whatever roll or biscuit you’ve got on hand.
Waffled Cranberry Cream Cheese Turkey Sandwich- A sweet and savory Thanksgiving take on the classic Monte Cristo. Homemade or store bought waffles, cranberry cream cheese, turkey, and greens, all finished with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Turkey Pho- This is the recipe you need when your body is begging you for something green. Filled with fresh herbs, lime juice, and a little heat, this zingy soup is a welcome break from beige foods, AND it only takes 30 minutes to make!
Creamy Potato Ham Soup- A classic creamy cheesy ham soup dotted with peas and carrots. This one is always satisfying and for some reason reminds me of being a kid, even though I wouldn’t have touched anything with peas with a 10 foot pole.
Creamy Turkey Soup- This is one of our favorite soups EVER, not just for after the holidays. Creamy but not too heavy, and with just the right amount of thyme, we really love this one!
Apple Chicken (Turkey) Salad- Sub turkey for chicken in this autumnal chicken salad recipe.
The Big Salad- Leftover turkey is perfect in this BIG salad that’s hearty enough to be a main dish, but filled with enough veggies to make you feel virtuous.
Wishing you all a relaxing long weekend filled with good food, gentleness, and rest.
-Courtney and Will
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