Whether you’re hosting a small gathering of friends or your entire family, you are bound to have leftovers from your amazing Thanksgiving feast. It’s just a fact of life. And while we can put down quite a few turkey sandwiches in the days following Thanksgiving, we’re always looking for new ways to use our Thanksgiving favorites for meals the next week.
So check out the following recipes that we’ve created with traditional favorites. Take them, try them out, and make them your own. And remember to have fun with it.
Thanksgiving’s Leftovers Casserole
We love the idea of using leftovers for casseroles because the hardest work is already done. You simply combine already cooked dishes in a way that makes them new and exciting. Our go-to Thanksgiving’s Leftovers Casserole uses the extra turkey, green bean casserole and stuffing as the main ingredients.
- 1 lb turkey meat, chopped or shredded
- 4 cups green beans, or green bean casserole
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 3-4 cups stuffing
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Craisins, or cranberries (optional)
Since we are using leftover for this, the amounts of turkey, green beans and stuffing are flexible. Use what you have. We try to balance out the main ingredients so that they are 2:1 fillers (green beans) to turkey. But you might like more turkey than green beans.
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine turkey, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and salt and pepper in large bowl. Include craisins or cranberries, if desired. Pour into casserole dish. Spread stuffing over the top of the turkey mix. Place in oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling.
- Serve hot.
Options: Add other leftovers such as onions, broccoli or corn to add variety to the taste.
Tip: The can of soup is used to give the mixture more moisture. If your green bean casserole has plenty of cream base in it already, you may not need the entire can of soup for this recipe. Or use leftover turkey gravy in its place.
Sweet Potato & Ham Soup
Turning already cooked potatoes into soup is one of the simplest makeovers that you can do with leftovers. Just added enough stock, milk or water to your leftover potatoes to make it the consistency you want.
- 1 lb cooked ham, ½ inch cubes
- 4 cups cooked sweet potatoes, or sweet potato casserole, mashed
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 6 oz. cream cheese
- ½ cup onions, diced (or chives)
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Remember, since we are using leftovers for this, the amounts of ingredients are flexible. Use what you have, and adjust to taste.
What to do:
- In a large pot, combine all ingredients. Stir until well-blended. Bring stove to medium-high heat. Heat soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve hot with leftover dinner rolls.
Tips: If you don’t have any stock left, substitute water. If you don’t like the sweet taste of nutmeg, try a mix of thyme, parsley or basil. Leftover bacon? Crumble it up and add it in.
