Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes For When You’re Ready For Seconds
Ditch the sandwich for some post-Thanksgiving nachos and tacos.
What's better than Thanksgiving dinner? Two Thanksgiving dinners, that's what. Don’t worry if you end up cooking way too much food, because it happens to the best of us. Thanksgiving leftovers are kind of like a tradition, anyway. The go-to is a reheated turkey sandwich, complete with cranberry sauce and stuffing, but you can take it to the next level and get creative with some easy Thanksgiving leftover recipes. This way, it really does feel like the holiday is repeating itself. You'll be reaping the rewards of a second Thanksgiving dinner in no time.
Unlike Thanksgiving day, when you're working hard in the kitchen for hours on end, you already have all of the ingredients ready to go for a leftover recipe. So, the cooking time is most likely cut in half, and you’ll be left with more time to get to the store to scope out the good deals on Black Friday.
You don't even have to look up your own recipes, because we've assembled these 10 Thanksgiving-inspired recipes to try out. They're perfect for anyone who is feeling too relaxed after eating all of that turkey, and less motivated to do the extra work. Just grab the cranberry sauce, stuffing, and even some leftover pumpkin pie to assemble something tasty.
I'm getting hungry just thinking about these leftovers. It's true there's always something to be thankful for. For me, in addition to my family and friends, it's preparing more than one Thanksgiving feast this year.
01These Stuffing Muffins
These leftover stuffing muffins are so easy to make. They can be used as a great side dish for a second dinner, or they can be eaten for breakfast. If you decide to go the latter route, they will be the fuel you need to get going on your long day of Black Friday shopping.
If you have other ingredients in your kitchen to work with, try making stuffing muffins with extra flavor, like these chorizo muffins or sausage, apple, and sage muffins from Yummly. I will stop at muffin' to eat more stuffing. See what I did there?
02These Mashed Potato Mounds
Perhaps your family always has leftover mashed potatoes, because every year, you make more than you can handle in one sitting. If that’s true, this tutorial is a fun idea to give your leftover mashed potatoes a second life.
These mounds look super fancy, like mashed potato latkes, that you would never believe they were made from leftovers. I bet this recipe would even work for your leftover mashed sweet potatoes, if you're in the mood for something different.
03These Potato Croquettes
This is a great recipe for just about any leftover in your fridge, because you can stick whatever your heart desires in a yummy potato croquette. This is perfect to serve as a main dish for the day after Thanksgiving. Just drizzle some leftover gravy on top of your Thanksgiving potato croquettes, and enjoy. They're so mouthwatering, your family will be getting up for a second (or fourth) helping.
04This Thanksgiving Turkey Enchilada Casserole
If your family is in the mood for Mexican food the next day, this tutorial was made for you since you already have a bunch of leftovers available in your fridge to whip up Thanksgiving enchiladas.
Making enchilada casserole is a super creative way to reuse your leftovers for a completely different dish than the turkey dinner you savored the day before. By sprinkling on cilantro or parsley, your leftover enchiladas will look fresh and Insta-worthy.
05This Turkey Panini
A Thanksgiving leftover turkey sandwich is a fan fave we all love to have, but this turkey panini is taking that sandwich to the next level. Making personalized sandwiches with whichever leftovers you want to put in can be a fun family activity post-Thanksgiving. Or, you can follow a specific Thanksgiving panini recipe and have a side of warmed up gravy for dipping your sandwich into.
06These Turkey Nachos
OK, this recipe looks seriously unreal. Using your cranberry sauce for salsa on Thanksgiving leftover nachos is a genius move. Make these for lunch, dinner, or a snack in between shopping. If you have scoopable tortilla chips, make these individual Thanksgiving nachos for sharing at a Friendsgiving.
07This Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
Put your leftover pumpkin pie to good use and turn it into a sweet milkshake the next day. If you have any other pies on your Thanksgiving table, like apple or chocolate, you could even use those to make another dessert. Just blend your pie with milk and ice cream. Don’t forget to add some whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice on top of your milkshake for a garnish, and enjoy.
08These Sweet Potato Poppers
If sweet potatoes are your favorite dish at Thanksgiving, you might want to make these poppers for Black Friday. If I would add anything different with this recipe, it would be melted marshmallows for a dipping sauce. However, the OG recipe includes a side of melted chocolate, which is also a great choice.
09These Thanksgiving Waffles
Using your waffle maker, put together these Thanksgiving leftover waffles from TikToker @justataste. This is especially great if you have a lot of stuffing to go through. Just place in your waffle maker with any of the other savory ingredients mixed in. Top with your cranberry sauce and even some turkey for a unique spin on chicken and waffles.
10These Leftover Thanksgiving Tacos
Instead of a sandwich, make a leftover Thanksgiving taco. The only thing you really need to make extra for this recipe from TikToker @thejoshelkin is the taco shell, made from a tortilla, gravy, and stuffing mix, that you bake in the oven. Of course, soft shell tacos with just tortillas is another option if you don’t feel like heating up the oven again.
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