8 Gourmet Ways to Repurpose Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

Thanksgiving is official over, but many of us have leftovers for daysss.  I’m fine with indulgence during the holiday season, but what I can’t get behind is food waste.  The good news is that when it comes to Thanksgiving food, it’s the leftovers that are really the star of the show.  From frying the giblets for gravy to simmering the carcus for hours for (the most amazing) turkey broth, I put every last bit of that bird to use.  I even tried mixing leftover cranberry fluff (that I probably never should have made anyways, judging by the amount I had leftover) in with shredded turkey and eating it “chicken salad style.”  Yes, I used marshmallows in my turkey salad, and you know what?  It was actually pretty good.  I’ll spare you that particular “recipe,” but here are eight things that are most definitely worth making with your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Bacon Wrapped Stuffing Bites – These are a great Friendsgiving appetizer, or alternatively an amazing way to use up leftover stuffing!  

Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza – Courtney declared this the best thing I’ve ever made.  I’m pretty sure this is illegal in some states.

Miso Turkey Ramen Noodle Soup This is a great alternative to the traditional chicken noodle soup many folks make with their Thanksgiving turkey stock. With the addition of ginger, soy sauce and the umami flavor of red miso paste, you’ll soon had the perfect ramen broth.  You can really throw whatever you want into your ramen, depending on what you’re craving and what you have on hand!

Turkey Pot Pie with Pumpkin Crust – “Pot pie is to leftovers what Botox is to aging celebrities: the ideal method for making something a bit past its prime as good as it ever was.”

Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Quesadillas – These can be made two ways, the first with stuffing and the second with sweet potato, both with cranberry sauce, turkey and mozzarella.

Turkey & Vegetable Soup with Stuffing Dumplings –  This soup is fabulous comfort food – I especially loved it drizzled with sriracha!

Turkey and Cranberry Panini with Avocado and Mozzarella – “This quite literally might have been the best sandwich I have ever eaten in my entire life.”

Dark Chocolate Brownies Swirled with Orange-Bourbon Cranberry Sauce  – I absolutely adored the way these brownies were dense, chewy and rich with just a thin layer of crispy crust on the top, almost as if they’d been brûléed.  The tart cranberry sauce with hints of citrus and booze was the perfect touch!

Johanna