What to Do With Thanksgiving Leftovers?
We at ShopaholicMommy hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! The last thing I am thinking about it eating because I still feel full from yesterday by I guaranteed most of your household does not feel the same way! Now that the day is over and you may be completely wiped out from some early morning shopping, you have a bunch of leftovers and a hungry clan to feed. While it’s very easy to simply tell the family to fend for themselves while you catch a nap, eventually you’re going to want to do something with the leftover turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes and veggies. Here are a few kid-friendly ideas for keeping everyone satisfied, using up the Thanksgiving leftovers, and not hearing “turkey again??” over the upcoming week or so.
- Turkey pot pie. My kids love chicken pot pie, and this is the same thing, only with turkey instead. Cut the turkey into cubes, and mix in a bowl with a bag of frozen peas and carrots, a couple cans of corn, and two jars (or three cups) of gravy. Pour into a large pie shell or homemade pastry. Top with either refrigerator biscuits or leftover mashed potatoes, and cook until the frozen veggies are tender and the top is lightly browned.
- Turkey fajitas. Slice up onions and peppers and saute until tender. Warm up your turkey in a frying pan with leftover gravy to keep everything moist. Let your family pile as much as they want into tortillas, and give them sour cream, chopped lettuce and tomatoes, and shredded cheese for toppings. Serve with canned black beans with a bit of cilantro mixed in.
- Turkey soup. Boil the turkey carcass and whatever drippings and skin are still in the pan in a pot of water along with a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, along with two carrots, a sliced onion, two or three cloves of garlic and a few stalks of celery.. (The vinegar helps to extract the flavor from the bones.) Let it simmer, covered, for at least an hour. Check it periodically to make sure that too much liquid isn’t simmering out. Let it cool, then drain the liquid into a large bowl and discard the bones and vegetables. Put this bowl into the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, scoop off any congealed fat, and you should be left with strong stock that resembles gelatin. Slice up new vegetables (carrots, celery, garlic and onions are a must; potatoes and mushrooms are optional) and add them, along with the stock and enough water to fill the pot back up. While that’s heating up, add white turkey meat, cut into small cubes. Simmer until the veggies are tender, and you have a delicious and nutritious soup! This can be eaten right away or frozen for the next time someone catches a cold.
- Turkey melt sandwiches. Cut open a loaf of Italian bread, and spread one side with gravy. Spread on a thin layer of stuffing, then a layer of sliced turkey. Layer slices of American, cheddar or Swiss cheese on top, and cook under a low broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Replace the top of the bread, slice, and enjoy!
What are some of your favorite recipes for using up Thanksgiving leftovers?
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These are great ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Yum! I almost like Thanksgiving leftovers better than the actual meal! I’m definitely going to give your Turkey Soup and Turkey Melt recipes a try. I think they’d make a fantastic lunch.
Great tips, I am always looking for different things to do with our leftovers. Thanks for sharing.
I like making creamed turkey with leftover veggies then putting it on toast!
Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas for what to do with turkey leftovers. We always seem to buy too big of a turkey for us (there are only the 2 of us). I always have good intentions of boiling the carcass but never seem to do it.
great ideas. we usually just eat them cold…ick….I think we’ll try out the Turkey fajitas this year
great ideas, i love making sandwiches with my leftovers and then i either throw a casarole together or make soup.. and there is still room left over for some pumpkin pie LOLL
great tips thanks
Thank you for these great ideas. I can prepare my chicken these ways!
we like to make gobblers. I don’t know if you all have WAWA’s by you, but they have a sandwich this time of year called a gobbler. It is turkey in gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce on a roll. MMM MMMMM
Yesterday it was fend for yourself day, but I think today I will need to be a bit creative. Your ideas are good ones, thank you for sharing!
I miss having leftovers galore! Lol. We went to my in laws this year, and they never make enough food to go around. So we left empty handed. Next year it’s going to be at my house. I miss the turkey sandwiches days after!
Thanks for some great ideas! The Turkey Fajitas sound great!
Nice tips I will surely try it especially the turkey fajitas!
Love these recipes. I will be using a few.
Thanks for the great tips on what to do with Thanksgiving Leftovers! These will definitely come in handy!
Turkey Pot Pie sounds easy and delish! Great ideas for leftovers. We normally do turkey soup, but maybe we’ll change it up this year!
i did not buy a turkey this yr, since it is only me…however, i usually buy one when i get a good deal, and cook it, freeze and save the bones to make soup….good recipes. love pot pie…
Thanks for the great ideas!
One of our favorites is turkey and gravy over rice..good way to use leftover gravy..of there wasnt much we just add a can of cream of mushroom soup to it..our whole family loves
I love having leftover turkey to use for making some of my favorite recipes, including turkey pot pie, and turkey soup. I have never tried turkey fajitas, but will have to make it, as my family loves fajitas. Thanks for the recipes, and great ideas!
Great ideas, thank you for sharing. We did not have any turkey this year for thanksgiving but i will keep these in mind for x-mas.
I love these ideas. I always have a hard time getting my family to eat the leftovers.
Definitely bookmarking this. Every year we have so much left over and only ever make open faced sandwiches – which I get tired of! Making the turkey soup for sure!
I just popped on here for ideas… because I have a tiny bit left..I made a potpie last night, and fajitas tonight…lol.. the soup is a traditional go to on Saturday…we make it early in the day and eat it after we hang lights and put the new tree up… BUT, the turkey melt sandwich is a new idea to me, so thanks!!!