November 28, 2014
updated
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Need some delicious ideas for those Thanksgiving leftovers? I’ve got you covered with 14 recipes for leftover turkey and Thanksgiving sides.
Tired of eating the same turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving? You’re in the right place. Below I’m sharing several easy recipes to make with leftover odds and ends from the holiday feast, including roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and veggies.
What to Make with Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey
Below you’ll find an assortment of soul-warming turkey soups, salads, and a few creative ideas to make sure all of that roasted turkey is put to the best use.
Turkey Stew is a comfort food meal with hearty vegetables and roasted turkey in a light, creamy broth.
Turkey Taco Soup is a super quick and delicious recipe made with beans, salsa, taco seasoning, and shredded roasted turkey.
Quick & Easy Turkey Salad uses shredded leftover roasted turkey tossed with chopped celery, seasonings, and just enough mayo to make it creamy.
Turkey Pot Pie Soup is all the fillings of a pot pie plus roasted turkey meat in a cozy, delicious soup.
Leftover Turkey Chili: a low-carb chili made with shredded turkey and veggies in lime and chili seasoned broth. It has just the right amount of smokey flavor and heat.
Turkey and Rice Soup is like the classic chicken and rice soup but with roasted turkey flavor.
- Pot Pies: instead of chicken, dice up leftover turkey and bake it in a delicious pot pie. They also freeze great so you can enjoy them in the future.
- Southern Gumbo: This time of year, when the weather gets cooler, there’s nothing better than a warm bowl of stew or gumbo at dinnertime. This Southern Gumbo recipe is perfect for using up holiday leftovers.
- Chicken & Hummus Bistro Box: swap the chicken for leftover turkey in this easy bento box.
If it’s not Thanksgiving Day yet and you are just browsing for some good ideas to make with your share of leftovers, there’s still time to grab your copy of the Giving Thanks, a holiday menu.
It has 23 mouthwatering recipes to choose from including the perfect oven-roasted turkey, TWO incredible stuffings, vegetable side dishes so good even the carnivores will want second helpings, and the best-ever cranberry sauce!
What To Do with Leftover Thanksgiving Sides
Finding a purpose for those last bits of Thanksgiving sides can leave you feeling stumped and the leftovers in the trash. But don’t toss them just yet, these recipe ideas are made with side dishes in mind. You’ll find some creative bites as well as a few lightened-up recipes to enjoy the day after.
Mashed Potato Cups are the perfect solution to use up leftover mashed potatoes. They’re irresistible with cheesy, fluffy potato centers and crisp exteriors.
Roasted Veggie Salads – instead of making this recipe from scratch put those last few roasted vegetables over a bed of mixed salad greens and drizzle with a balsamic vinaigrette.
- Thanksgiving Egg Rolls: crispy baked egg rolls filled with roasted turkey and hummus for a healthier Thanksgiving version of the take-out egg rolls. Grab the recipe below!
And if you have half a can of pumpkin left from a dessert, don’t. toss. it. out! There are a number of recipes to make with leftover pumpkin pureé like pumpkin pancakes, no-bake bites, and overnight oats.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe Ideas | Thanksgiving Egg Rolls
Ingredients
Thanksgiving Egg Rolls:
- 10 7 inch square egg roll wrappers
- 1 cup hummus
- 2 cups chopped roasted turkey
- Cooking spray, for baking
- Water
Cranberry Orange Sauce
- ½ cup leftover cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F, place a cookie cooling rack onto a baking sheet, and lightly grease with cooking spray (this will allow heat to cook egg rolls on all sides).
- Fill a small dish with about ½ cup warm water.
- On a large cutting board place an egg roll wrapper so one of the corners is facing you (like a diamond).
- Spread about a heaping tablespoon of hummus in the middle of the wrapper, in a vertical line. Top with leftover carved turkey.
- Dip your fingers into a water dish and wet the edges of the wrapper.
- To close, lift the outer corner and fold up and over the filling, tucking the edge slightly under.
- Fold the sides over and roll. Because you’ve moistened those edges with water, that will seal the final corner piece.
- With a toothpick, pierce each roll a couple of times. Brush each egg roll with a little oil or lightly coat with cooking spray and set it on top of the cookie sheet.
- Repeat process with remaining wrappers and ingredients.
- Bake for about 15 minutes then flip and continue to bake for an additional 7 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven.
- While the egg rolls bake, mix the cranberry sauce with the orange juice and zest to create a dipping sauce.
- Serve the egg rolls warm with cranberry-orange sauce.
Libby
Thank you for including my turkey casserole recipe! What a wonderful roundup!
Suzanne Holt
What a great collection of recipes. While a few ideas are not necessarily new ones, most of them are such original ways to use up turkey. Pinned to my “Taste of Fall” board.
Kat
A year or two ago I made lumpia with leftover turkey. I replaced the ground meat with minced turkey and it went over well. The Asian flavors a much needed change of pace.
The gumbo sounds good. I will have to try that.