Leftover Lovin’: Thanksgiving Edition

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Wooden table with Thanksgiving food including turkey, corn, squash, apples and pumpkin pie

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. And I have to say, Thanksgiving is without a doubt one of my very favorite holidays. It has the best food! And while the traditional turkey dinner is always just amazing, it’s the leftovers that really fascinate me. I’m not big on any warmed up leftovers. I like to re-make the food into something new. And giving leftovers a makeover is exactly what inspired this article! This is my Leftover Lovin’: Thanksgiving Edition!

I think planning the menu and actually cooking the food is the most fun part of Thanksgiving. I wanted to make this post early so that while you are planning your menu, you can also plan for your leftover transformations! There are a ton of ideas here about each Thanksgiving dish and how to re-make it into something new and fun.

Cartoon turkey with running shoes on, running away

Let’s Talk Turkey

There are SO many things you can do for leftover turkey! Obviously, you can make the world’s best leftover turkey sandwiches. But there are SO many more ideas I have for you!

P.S. – If you hear leftover Thanksgiving sandwich and immediately think of Ross on “Friends” saying “My Sandwich? MYYYY SAAAAANNNNDDDWIIICHHH?? Did you mistake it for your leftover thanksgiving sandwich with the moistmaker in the middle?”… then you are my people and we need to be best friends immediately.

But I digress. Back to leftover turkey. Substitute it freely into your favorite recipes just like you would use chicken. Make enchiladas, pot pie, soups, chili, and turkey salad. You name it, you can make it with leftover turkey!

Turkey Recipe Round-Up:

Here are some of the yummiest looking recipes I saw when I was researching this topic! (Throw your leftover veggies in these too!)

wooden bowl of mashed potatoes on a wooden table with napkin and a sprig of rosemary on top

Mashed Potatoes

We don’t ever have mashed potatoes leftover. Because why would you? They are whipped potato buttery velvet deliciousness. BUT, if you do have leftovers, there are actually quite a few leftover treats you can make. Think pizza, shepherd’s pie, and gnocchi just to name a few!

Mashed Potatoes As Dessert?

Ya heard me. Mashed potatoes. In. A. Dessert.

Thanksgiving sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top with a wooden spoon and wooden placemat

Sweet Potatoes

I’m not a huge sweet potato fan. But I will for sure be eating all the marshmallows off the top of the casserole. THAT is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving.

Turns out though, there’s a LOT of ways to reimagine your leftover sweet potatoes. Think waffles, soups, and even desserts!

Sweet Potato Leftover Recipes:

Thanksgiving stuffing in a casserold dish on a wooden table decorated with squash, gourds, fall leaves and pinecones

Dressing

The dressing is the highlight of Thanksgiving for me. AND it’s one of the few leftovers I’ll gladly heat up exactly as is and not change a thing. But I realize I’m probably in the minority on that. So, I went in search of some great leftover dressing recipes. Turns out there are a TON of ways to reinvent your dressing!

Ok, maybe I do need to branch out and try some leftover dressing recipes!! Cause those all look absolutely amazing. Stuffing crust turkey pot pie! WHAT!!!! That’s happening this year!

Thanksgiving Cranberry sauce in a wooden bowl on a wooden table with scattered fresh cranberries

Cranberry Sauce

I think cranberry sauce is one of the most underrated parts of Thanksgiving! It’s absolutely delicious and there are SOOOO many possibilities for the leftovers.

I’m not gonna lie — I’m way more excited about the cranberry sauce leftovers than the actual cranberry sauce! These all look SO good!

Thanksgiving green bean casserole on in a casserole dish on a dishtowl on a wooden table with pinecones and fall leaves scattered

Leftover Vegetables

There are always a good amount of leftover veggies from your Thanksgiving meal. These are super easy to use up! You can throw them in so many different recipes!

Partially eaten pumpkin pie on a table with fake fall leaves, pinecones and gourds surrounding it

Pumpkin Pie Leftovers

We usually have a few desserts at our Thanksgiving, which almost always means leftover pumpkin pie. And of course, you COULD just eat the leftover pie as is. But where is the fun in that when you could make some of these recipes instead?? Check these out!

Just have leftover pumpkin pie filling?

Use ALL the Leftovers at Once

There are tons of recipes for leftover casseroles and dishes that would use up a lot of leftovers at one time and make a really nice meal for a crowd.

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Handy Gadgets: Help The Leftovers!

Here are some of my favorite kitchen gadget staples that you need to help you with your Thanksgiving Feast, the leftovers and BEYOND!

Wrap Up – Leftover Lovin’: Thanksgiving Edition

Thanksgiving leftovers really do give you a blank canvas to get a little creative! I love that there are so many things you can do with each leftover dish! Or if you want to throw it all in a casserole, you can certainly do that too. And as an added bonus, using up all these leftovers means easy dinners for you for days after the holiday. That’ll be nice for you to rest a bit and enjoy the holiday weekend! I hope you try some of these recipes. I know I’m going to! Let me know what you try! And as always, just keep shuffling!

Related Recipes:

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Wooden table with apple, open squash and pumpkin pie with title of "Leftover Lovin': Thanksgiving Edition

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