Wednesday, November 27, 2019

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. 


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