34 Leftover Turkey Recipes You'll Want to Dig Right Into
Your Thanksgiving extras will be gone in a flash with these oh-so-delicious ideas.
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Our Best Ideas for Leftover Turkey
The turkey is the centerpiece of many Thanksgiving dinners (regardless of the size of the gathering) so it should come as no surprise that most of us find ourselves with extra the next day. After carving your bird you can make homemade turkey stock and a batch of soup—but what do you do with the rest? If you're not sure, we’re here to help. We’ve got lots of creative ideas (turkey nachos, anyone?) as well as tried-and-true classics like this sandwich. Not only can you easily sub in your leftover turkey for deli slices—you’ll also get to use up some of your other Thanksgiving leftovers like slices of artisan bread, apple butter and Brie.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Turkey, Brie, and Apple Butter Sandwich with Arugula
Leftover Roast Turkey Pho
Reinvent your Thanksgiving turkey into a bowl of intensely flavorful Vietnamese pho. Fortify store-bought chicken broth with turkey bones, charred vegetables and toasted spices to create a rich broth that goes from stovetop to table in less than two hours.
Get the Recipe: Leftover Roast Turkey Pho
Hot Brown Turkey Sandwiches
Baking this dish in onion gravy and then topping it with melted cheese makes for an extra juicy sandwich.
Get the Recipe: Hot Brown Turkey Sandwiches
Turkey Vegetable Soup with Stuffing Dumplings
There's probably no better way to empty that overstuffed post-Thanksgiving refrigerator than a hearty soup. Using the turkey bones to make a broth for the soup is the best way to get every penny's worth from your bird. If your leftover stuffing is chunky and rustic, finely chop it to make these delicate dumplings.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Vegetable Soup with Stuffing Dumplings
Open Faced Hot Turkey Sammys
Rachael energizes the traditional open faced turkey sandwich by adding maple sausage to whole-grain bread stuffing and apple sauce to plain cranberry sauce.
Get the Recipe: What a Face! Open Faced Hot Turkey Sammys with Sausage Stuffing and Gravy, Smashed Potatoes with Bacon, Warm Apple Cranberry Sauce
Turkey Frittata
Enjoy this egg skillet featuring leftover turkey for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Add plenty of vegetables and top with cheddar, Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Frittata
Turkey Dumpling Stew
With its use of classic fall herbs like thyme and parsley, this dumpling soup is the perfect warming stew for a chilly night.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Dumpling Stew
Second Day Turkey and String Bean Pot Pies
Leftover green bean casserole is transformed into a main dish with the help of puff pastry and leftover turkey meat. You can find puff pastry in the frozen aisles of supermarkets.
Get the Recipe: Second Day Turkey and String Bean Pot Pies
Day-After Turkey Soup
You can literally throw the whole leftover turkey carcass into the pot to make the broth for this next-day soup, which includes Thanksgiving staples like sweet potato, green beans and thyme.
Get the Recipe: Day-After Turkey Soup
Potato Cakes with Fried Eggs and Turkey-Red Pepper Hash
You can use amost any herbs to flavor these potato cakes, and turkey and gravy can be transformed into a tasty hash to go on the side.
Get the Recipe: Potato Cakes with Fried Eggs and Turkey-Red Pepper Hash
Sweet-and-Spicy Turkey Pitas
Curry powder and scallions give this pita sandwich a spicy bite, while the cranberry sauce provides juiciness.
Get the Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Turkey Pitas
Leftover Thanksgiving Nachos
Use up your Thanksgiving leftovers in a surprising way by making these hearty nachos.
Get the Recipe: Leftover Thanksgiving Nachos
Leftover Turkey Chili
Put leftover roast turkey to good use in this simple, flavor-packed chili. Using fire-roasted tomatoes gives it an extra layer of toasty flavor, but regular diced tomatoes work fine, too. For a change-up from the traditional cornbread side, try it ladled over leftover mashed potatoes.
Get the Recipe: Leftover Turkey Chili
Giada's Turkey Bolognese
A Bolognese sauce can sometimes take hours to prepare, but by using shredded cooked turkey, Giada whips up this classic Italian meal quickly.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Bolognese
Bird to the Last Drop
This creamy stew uses both turkey bones and meat to give it some depth.
Get the Recipe: Bird to the Last Drop
Turkey Milanese
Leftover turkey breasts are fried to a golden crisp and topped with leftover turkey gravy and mushrooms. Make it a complete meal by serving it with a side salad of arugula and blue cheese.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Milanese
Roasted Turkey Lasagna
Made with leftover roasted turkey, this straightforward, easy-to-assemble big ol' pan of lasagna is exactly what we want to eat the day after Turkey Day. It's a comforting crowd pleaser that is just different enough from yesterday's feast.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Turkey Lasagna
Turkey Hash with Country Gravy
Sandra serves her artful turkey hash with poached eggs and leftover country gravy.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Hash with Country Gravy
Leftover Thanksgiving Panini
Ree piles leftover turkey on top of fresh sourdough, along with leftover cranberry sauce, gravy and Swiss cheese, to make a crusty grilled panini.
Get the Recipe: Leftover Thanksgiving Panini
Turkey Tetrazzini
Leftover turkey, caramelized mushrooms and egg noodles drizzled with veloute (a classic French sauce) makes a filling post-Thanksgiving casserole dish. Garnish with tasty topping like toasted almonds.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Tetrazzini
Turkey Crostini
Put a California twist on your leftover turkey by adding avocado and bacon and serving it on crusty bread.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Crostini
Turkey, Mushroom and Corn Mexican Casserole
Rachael begins building her make-ahead casserole by creating a base mixture of mushrooms, corn and chunks of roast turkey. Spicy poblano sauce, charred tortillas and shredded cheese go on top to create dense, flavorful layers.
Get the Recipe: Turkey, Mushroom and Corn Mexican Casserole
Dressing Griddle Cakes with Turkey and Cranberry Barbecue Sauce
Put your leftover turkey, cranberry and dressing to good use with Trisha’s reimagined meal. She uses the dressing to make savory griddle cakes and tops everything with an easy, homemade barbecue sauce.
Get the Recipe: Dressing Griddle Cakes with Turkey and Cranberry Barbecue Sauce
Turkey Pot Pie
Toss leftover vegetables plus shredded turkey into a cassreole dish and top with a prepared pie crust for dinner tonight.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Waldorf Salad
Sweet, tart, crunchy and creamy: This turkey salad gets its wealth of flavor and texture from a deliciously satisfying mix featuring apples, celery and toasted pecans.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Waldorf Salad
Rachael's Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
Rachael's shepherd's pie is a great way to use all of your Thanksgiving leftovers at once and create a complete meal.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie and Cran-applesauce Sundaes
Italian Hot Brown Crostini
Giada’s crostini are the perfect appetizer for your day-after Thanksgiving party. A simple pesto and Dijon mustard add a kick to the bite-size sandwiches, which she tops with leftover turkey and gravy.
Get the Recipe: Italian Hot Brown Crostini
Roast Turkey, Avocado and Bacon Sandwich
Avocado and pepper lettuce freshen up this craveworthy leftover turkey sandwich.
Get the Recipe: Roast Turkey, Avocado and Bacon Sandwich
Bubble and Squeak with Corn Puree
Use almost every category of leftovers - mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, corn and cranberry sauce - to make dinner tonight.
Get the Recipe: Bubble and Squeak with Corn Puree
Rigatoni with Braised Giblet Sauce
Giblets and the neck of leftover turkey help give depth of flavor to this tomato-based sauce.
Get the Recipe: Rigatoni With Braised Giblet Sauce
Leftover Thanksgiving Pull-Apart Sliders
Food Network Kitchen takes all the best dishes on the holiday table and put them between toasted buns for the easiest party hit — what's not to like?
Get the Recipe: Leftover Thanksgiving Pull-Apart Sliders
Turkey and Mushroom Creamy Tomato "Gravy" with Gnocchi
Gnocchi simmered in a creamy turkey and tomato sauce makes for the ultimate comforting fall meal.
Get the Recipe: Turkey and Mushroom Creamy Tomato "Gravy" With Gnocchi
Turkey Broth
If your family gobbled up all the turkey meat, you can still get a smart second-day dish out of the carcass. Use it to make broth, which you can save for soups later.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Broth
Turkey, Cranberry and Fontina Panini
Assemble these sandwiches as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is done and all you'll need to do the next day is heat up a skillet for a warm, satisfying winter supper in minutes.
Get the Recipe: Turkey, Cranberry and Fontina Panini
