Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

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These Thanksgiving leftover recipes turn cooked turkey and extra cranberry sauce into meals you will look forward to eating. Start with creamy turkey tetrazzini, a puff-pastry turkey pot pie, or an apple cranberry salad for lunch. Then browse the chicken casseroles below for more ways to use chopped or shredded leftover turkey, from a biscuit-topped cobbler to cheesy Tex-Mex layers. There is also a cranberry Brie bite recipe for that last container of sauce. Choose by what you have left and the kind of meal you want, rather than trying to squeeze every holiday side into the same baking dish.

Jump to: Turkey recipes · Chicken casseroles with turkey · Cranberry sauce

Leftover Turkey Recipes That Feel Like a New Meal

Start with recipes that put cooked turkey to work. Tetrazzini brings creamy spaghetti, mushrooms, and Boursin; turkey pot pie has a flaky puff-pastry lid. For a chilled lunch, the apple cranberry chicken salad explicitly supports leftover turkey and adds crisp apple, celery, and dried cranberries.

Chicken Casseroles to Make with Leftover Turkey

These casseroles give you three more directions for cooked turkey: a cheesy biscuit topping, Tex-Mex tortilla layers, or Swiss cheese and buttery cracker crumbs. Use chopped or shredded leftover turkey in place of the cooked chicken, matching the cooked amount called for. For Swiss Chicken Casserole, skip boiling chicken and begin with the cooked-meat mixing step. These are suggested turkey adaptations of the chicken recipes; the linked posts keep their original chicken ingredients and instructions.

A Recipe for Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Brie Bites use leftover homemade cranberry sauce or canned whole-berry sauce in little puff-pastry cups with Brie and pecans. They turn a small container of sauce into a warm snack for the weekend. Keep the apple cranberry salad's dried cranberries separate from this sauce-based idea.

How to Use Turkey in a Cooked-Chicken Casserole

Choose a recipe that uses already-cooked chicken, then replace that cooked meat with chopped or shredded turkey. Keep the sauce, vegetables, pasta, tortillas, and topping as written. Turkey brings a different flavor, so taste the sauce before adding extra salt, especially if the bird was brined.

Chicken Cobbler and King Ranch Chicken Casserole begin with cooked chicken. Swiss Chicken Casserole cooks the chicken first, then dices and mixes it with the remaining filling ingredients; start at that mixing step with your cooked turkey. A recipe that bakes raw chicken and uncooked rice together needs different consideration, so it is not included as a simple swap here.

Choose by the Meal You Want

• Creamy pasta: turkey tetrazzini turns a portion of cooked turkey into a full baking dish.
• Flaky pastry: turkey pot pie gives the leftovers a new filling and crust.
• A chilled lunch: apple cranberry salad offers crunch and a change from warm holiday sides.
• A different flavor: choose the King Ranch casserole adaptation for tortillas, chiles, and cheese.
• A small snack: cranberry Brie bites use the sauce without needing more turkey.

Use Gravy and Rolls Alongside the New Meal

My homemade turkey gravy post suggests serving leftover gravy over an open-faced turkey sandwich. Follow the homemade yeast rolls warming directions and serve extra rolls alongside the pot pie or salad. Keep those sides separate from the casserole recipes so their sauce and topping proportions stay intact.

Keep Track of When the Turkey Was Cooked

The turkey pot pie and tetrazzini posts both explain that turning cooked turkey into a new dish does not restart its refrigerator storage window. Count from when the turkey was originally cooked, follow the linked recipe's storage directions, and reheat turkey casseroles to 165°F in the center. Choose which portion to use now and which to freeze while the leftovers are still within their safe storage window.

Thanksgiving Leftover Questions

What can I make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey?

Turkey tetrazzini and leftover turkey pot pie are written for cooked turkey. Apple cranberry chicken salad also specifically supports leftover holiday turkey. The chicken-casserole section offers additional, clearly labeled turkey adaptations.

Can I substitute leftover turkey in chicken casseroles?

Use the casseroles here that call for cooked chicken, matching the cooked meat amount and keeping the other ingredients as written. In Swiss Chicken Casserole, skip the chicken-boiling step and begin with the diced cooked meat. These turkey adaptations are suggestions; the source recipes retain their chicken methods.

What can I make with leftover cranberry sauce?

Cranberry Brie Bites call for leftover homemade cranberry sauce or canned whole-berry sauce. The apple cranberry salad uses dried cranberries, so cranberry sauce is not the same ingredient in that recipe.

More Ideas for Your Holiday Kitchen

For the meal before the leftovers, browse make-ahead Thanksgiving side dishes. Join my email list for more family meals and seasonal recipes.

What do you look forward to making with Thanksgiving leftovers? Leave a comment and tell me whether your first choice is pasta, pot pie, a casserole, or a turkey sandwich.