12 Delicious Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes Your Family Will Love

Thanksgiving is a cooking marathon! You get up early, pop the turkey in the oven, chop, slice, stir, mash and prep the side dishes, set the table and greet your guests. Exhausting isn't it? But as you look around your table at all who are gathered to celebrate a day set aside for reflecting on what we have to be thankful for, it makes the work totally worth it. 

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While the post-feast turkey coma sets in on you and your guests don't forget about the leftovers! 

Thanksgiving food leftovers are almost as good as the original meal. That's is why I try to make a little extra of the side dishes so I can box up a meal for each of my guests to take home with them. 

Not only will your guests be thrilled to take home some leftovers but your overflowing fridge will be grateful for the extra space! 

Boxing Up The Leftovers

I LOVE these affordable, reusable, microwavable, and freezer-safe plastic containers to pack up leftovers for my guests. There is plenty of room to pack a sizable leftover meal in them and the lid snaps on securely so no worry about it popping off on their trip home. 

Oh, and don't forget to prepare a separate to-go container for leftover desserts too! Nobody wants their gravy mixing with their pumpkin pie! 

via: Amazon

Once all the leftovers are boxed up and packed into the fridge it can be so hard to tell what is in each container. Who wants to spend time pulling out container after container from the fridge, popping open each lid only to find that the one you opened isn't the leftover dressing you're craving. 

I've got the perfect solution to this problem - customizable printable labels! 

via: wikibuy

Print off several sheets of these FREE labels from Wikibuy.com and fill them out as you pack up the leftovers. Not only are the labels super helpful but they add a little extra elegance to your guest's to-go containers too. 

12 Easy Recipes For Thanksgiving Leftovers 

Turkey Leftover Recipes

Fall Harvest Turkey Pot Pie

recipe via: Fairlife.com

Comfort food at it's best! Piping hot pot pie with mixed vegetables, cubed or shredded turkey in a seasoned creamy sauce make this meal the perfect leftover dish. It whips up quickly since the turkey meat is already cooked! 

This meal tastes amazing baked in a cast iron skillet! If you don't have one I recommend this cast iron skillet. I use mine ALL the time!

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

recipe via: Yellow Bliss Road

Leftover mashed potatoes plus leftover turkey are the stars of this tasty casserole dish! This rustic dish is similar to pot pie except for the crust. Instead of pie crust or puff pastry topping, mashed potatoes and a generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese top off the dish. 

Turkey Noodle Soup

recipe via: The Recipe Rebel.com

Soup is the perfect fall food. It is warm, filling and full of flavor. This turkey noodle soup is a great meal to make for dinner on a busy night especially since the turkey is already cooked. Just toss the ingredients into your soup pot and let the stove do its magic!

Leftover Mashed Potato Recipes

Mashed Potato Balls

recipe via: Rasa Malaysia

Here is a recipe that will take your leftover mashed potatoes to a whole new level! Mashed potato balls are simple to make and you can customize the seasonings and flavors by adding your favorite ingredients like bacon or diced peppers. Serve them as a side dish, appetizer or make it the main course. They are best when served warm. Beware these are sure to be gobbled up quickly!

Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes

recipe via: Belly Full

This recipe can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for when you are ready to fry them up. These loaded mashed potato cakes would make the perfect side dish to a leftover turkey meal. Adjust the flavor by adding bacon, ham or pepper jack cheese. 

Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi 

recipe via: Life As A Strawberry

This recipe is by far the most creative use of leftover mashed potatoes! Have you ever made your own homemade gnocchi? It is quite simple and makes a wonderfully comforting meal. The recipe from Life As A Strawberry walks you through the process step by step! 

Leftover Stuffing Recipes

Leftover Stuffing Breakfast Casserole

recipe via: Sweet And Savory By Shinee

This is the perfect day after Thanksgiving breakfast recipe! If you are a die-hard Black Friday shopper you are going to want to have a slice of this casserole before you hit the stores! Packed full of protein, veggies, and flavor you would never know that the night before it was the dressing or stuffing as some call it. 

Chicken (or Turkey) Stuffing Bake

This weeknight winner is sure to please your family as a post-Thanksgiving day meal. Simple on-hand ingredients mixed with your leftover turkey and stuffing (a.k.a. dressing) add flavor to this dish. It can be made in one pan so no worries about more dirty dishes piling up in the sink. I think your family will love this recipe! 

Leftover Stuffing Waffles 

recipe via: Best Recipe Box

Does this recipe surprise you? What a creative and tasty way to use up that leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving dinner! The surprises don't end here because these stuffing waffles are topped off with maple gravy. 

My family loves all things waffles! I make them all of the time in my waffle iron. This twist on a traditional waffle will really be a hit with my crew. 

Leftover Cranberry Recipes

Oatmeal Cranberry Bars

recipe via: A Few Shortcuts

Whip up a batch of these sweet oatmeal cranberry bars using your leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving. These can be a sweet breakfast treat or an after-dinner treat. Use gluten free oats to make this a gluten-free treat!

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Bread

recipe via: Oh My Veggies

Bake up a warm loaf of this cranberry sauce bread using your leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. Cranberries give this sweet bread a little tang of goodness in every bite. Spread some of the sauce on the bread to get even more cranberry goodness!

Leftover Cranberry Meatballs

recipe via: Life Made Simple Bakes

You already have leftover cranberry sauce so why not make these flavorful meatballs using the cranberries plus a few additional ingredients as the sauce? Homemade or frozen store-bought meatballs work perfectly for this recipe. Plugin your crockpot, toss in the meatballs and sauce and you are all set for dinner tonight. This is a great way to use up your leftover cranberries too! 

Enjoy your leftovers!

After finding all these great leftover recipes I'm almost as excited to make the leftover recipes as I am to make the original Thanksgiving feast! I'm sure my family will be blown away by the creative dishes I'm going to be serving them post-turkey day!

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Do you have any delicious leftover Thanksgiving recipes you can share with me? What is your favorite? I'd love to hear from you. Please leave me a comment below!

More Thanksgiving Themed Ideas You Will Love

Check out these other Thanksgiving-themed posts! Teach your kids how to be thankful and Thanksgiving craft round-up. 

Tips To Teach Your Kids How To Be Thankful - click HERE to read more. Includes a free holiday printable.

click HERE to read more

Is your family crafty? These 5 easy to make Thanksgiving crafts are fun for all ages to make! Click HERE to get the instructions for the projects. Also, included is a free Gratitude Game printable you can print and play as a family. 

click HERE to read more

Top 10 Family Friendly Board Games

The weather outside might be cold and frightful but game night at home is so delightful! Don't let the cold and snowy weather get you down, keep your mind sharp and cabin fever at bay by playing a board game together.

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Family game night is always a favorite time at our house. A little healthy competition over a board game or card game between friends and family is a great way to spend an evening. Shoot, even Candy Land, a classic kids board game, can bring out your inner competitor! My young son is known for his Candy Land and Shoots and Ladders trash talk. He is a fierce competitor and loves to play hard.

The best part about board games is that there are so many great ones to choose from that kids and adults of all ages will enjoy. My kids ages range from teen to kindergarten age and playing board games together provides them with an activity that they can all enjoy together whether it is a quick round of Slamwich or a lengthy game of Monopoly.

Every year for Christmas my husband and I make sure that there are a few new games gifted to the kids as a family gift. We always end up playing the new game several times on Christmas Day as a family. I've got such great memories each year of the games we have played.

Don't forget to Pin for later!

This year I'm once again on the hunt for a new family board or card game to give as a gift. Since I've been doing a lot of shopping online and in the store searching for the perfect game I thought I'd share some new ones I've come across as well as some of our family's favorites.

Family Favorite Board Game Ideas Everyone Will Love

1 - Ticket To Ride

Players - 2-5 |  Difficulty - Easy | Ages - 8+

Players score points by creating train routes across the continental United States. The winner is the person who finishes with the highest store including bonus points for completing specific routes or longest continuous train route. This game is also a great way to teach kids geography, strategy and basic math. There is also a popular European version too!

2 - Pinch 'N' Pass

click HERE

Players - 3-6 | Difficulty - Easy | Ages - 12+

Quick wits and quick responses makes this naming game fun for a group to play. Perfect game for a party! Start the game by selecting a "Pinch" card where you are given a category like "Tom Cruise movies". Anyone can join in by calling out an answer to fit the category earning a card for themselves. If the random timer hasn't run out any other player can call out another suggestion to fit the same category thus stealing the card. Whoever has the card in their hand when the timer runs out gets a point and moves one space on the board. "Pass" cards have the opposite effect where the goal is to get rid of the card and the person left holding the "Pass" card when the timer runs out moves back a space. Game time can range fro 10 minutes to 40 minutes.

3 - Articulate

click HERE

Players - 4-20+ | Difficulty - Moderate | Ages - 12+

Another great game for a large multi-age group to play! Super straight forward rules make this classic so easy to play. Players take turns describing as many words from a category as they can within thirty seconds except they can't say what the word sounds like or rhymes with. If you have good communication skills this game is for you! If you don't it is still a lot of fun.

4 - Apples to Apples 

click HERE

Players - 4-10 | Difficulty - Easy | Ages - 12+

This is an easy to learn fast-paced card game that everyone will love to play! Each round is filled with surprising and outrageous comparisons from a wide range of people, places, things and events. Every round of the game has a new judge, deciding which one of the person, place, thing or event cards played by the other players is the best apples to apples comparison to the description card. The player who collects five description cards first wins! This game is bound to become your family's favorite!

5 - Monopoly - Fortnite Edition

find it HERE

Players - 2-7 | Difficulty - Moderate | Ages - 13+

Inspired by the popular Fortnite video game this edition of Monopoly isn't about what players own but rather how long they can survive. Battling your opponents and avoiding the Storm to survive is what makes this version so much fun.  Instead of Monopoly money players earn Health Point chips to stay in the game. Last player standing wins!

6 - Catan Junior

find it HERE

Players - 2-4 | Difficulty - Moderate | Ages 5+

Are you a Settlers of Catan fan? This Junior version is the perfect way to introduce this great game to kids ages 5+ who are ready to explore Catan! Players use resources to build ships and hideouts on a ring of islands or get help from Coco the Parrot. Watch out for the dreaded Ghost Captain who lives on the Mysterious Spooky Island!

7 - Yeti In My Spaghetti

find it HERE

Players - 2+ | Difficulty - Easy | Ages 4+

This is silly, easy-to-play game the whole family can enjoy together! Simply place the noodles across the top of the bowl and sit the Yeti on top. Players take turns removing the noodles one-by-one trying not the let the Yeti fall. The player who makes the Yeti fall loses.

8 - Clue Game

find it HERE

Players - 2-6 | Difficulty - Moderate | Ages 8+

A classic game of Who Done It? Players become detectives as they try to solve a murder through deductive reasoning and luck! Was it Mrs. Peacock with the rope in the study or maybe it was Professor Plumb with the wrench in the study? The player who correctly guesses the room, weapon and guest wins!

9 - Uno Attack

click HERE to find it

Players - 2-10 | Difficulty - Easy | Ages 7+

Uno Attack has all the fun of the classic version but with a twist! The new Hit card forces the next player to hit the button on the random roulette Card Launcher and wait and see if any cards are shot out at the player. Will they get a couple of cards? Four? A whole pile or brand new cards? This exciting new twist makes Uno Attack feel like a whole new game!

10 - Disney Villainous Board Game

find it HERE

Players - 2-6 | Difficulty - Moderate | Ages - 10+

Choose your favorite Disney villain in an all out race to finally end the story as a winner. Each player sets out their villain card that has different story scenes, a villain deck and a fate deck of cards. One your turn, you'll move your villain to one of the locations on your card to preform a variety of different actions. Gain resources to use your villain powers and gain items or curse the other villains with terrible conditions. Find allies to help you sent heroes to hinder your opponents. Gain the victory points to prove that your villain was right all along! 

Snack Ideas For Family Game Night

As the saying goes: families that play games together stay together and have more fun! Make some lifeline memories with regular family game nights. 

Of course no game night would be complete without a good snack! I've got the perfect snack ideas for you to serve at your next family game night - carmel corn, kettle corn and cinnamon sugar soft pretzels! 

Is your mouth watering yet? Whip up this delicious carmel corn or kettle corn in no time at all and enjoy it as a family as you gather around the table to play your favorite board games. Oh, and you can't go wrong with soft pretzels now can you? 

My whole family loves these and I love to make them! 

Easy Kettle Corn Recipe

get the full recipe HERE

Easy Carmel Corn Recipe

read the full recipe HERE

Cinnamon & Sugar Soft Pretzel Recipe 

click HERE to get full recipe

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