Delicious Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

Thanksgiving is a day of gratefulness, friendship, and feasting, so leftovers are inevitable. If you have a lot of leftover Thanksgiving turkey, you can get creative and try one of these delicious recipes that the entire family will love.

What to Cook With Turkey Leftovers from Thanksgiving

For many Americans, Turkey is a must-have for Thanksgiving. More often than not, however, you may find yourself with many leftovers after the holiday. Breathe new life into your leftovers by trying these recipes to avoid wasting food and throwing it away.

Thanksgiving Turkey Potato Skins

Ingredients:

• About 3 to 4 lbs of starchy potatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups leftover Thanksgiving turkey, chopped or shredded
• 1 1/2 cups leftover stuffing
• 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar
• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
• Sliced chives for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F
2. Clean and scrub your russet potatoes and gently poke them with a fork about 5 to 6 times. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Roast your potatoes in the oven until tender, which usually takes 50 to 60 minutes. Let it cool on the baking sheet.
4. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the flesh and set aside. Make sure to leave a 1/4″ border on the skins.
5. Lightly brush the inside and outside of the potato skin with oil and season with salt.
6. Lower the oven temperature to 400°. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and arrange the skins, skin side down, on the rack. Roast the chicken in the oven until it becomes slightly crispy, which may take 25 to 30 minutes. Let it cool slightly.
7. Layer your leftover Thanksgiving turkey, potatoes, and stuffing on each potato skin. Cover them with cheese.
8. Continue to roast until the cheese is melted, which may take around 15 minutes.
9. Arrange the potatoes on a platter. Top with cranberry sauce and garnish with chives.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

• 3 sticks of butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, chilled
• 6 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Filling:

• 3 tablespoons. butter, plus extra for greasing baking dish
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 medium carrots, medium diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
• 2 1/2 cups shredded leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat
• 1 1/2 cups peas
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 sprigs thyme, stems removed
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• Flaky salt

Directions:

1. Make your crust. Before starting, place your butter in the freezer for 15 minutes. Pulse your dry ingredients in a food processor until combined.
2. Add the cold butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form. Run the food processor while adding vinegar and 4 tablespoons of ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a moist dough comes together. Make sure the dough is not too wet and sticky or dry and crumbly. If the dough is too dry, add more ice water (1 teaspoon at a time until it comes together).
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough several times to combine it. Then, divide it into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a smooth disk using a rolling pin and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the balls for at least an hour.
4. Before making your filling, preheat your oven to 375°F.
5. Melt butter and sauté onions and carrots until softened in a large skillet. Then, add garlic and stir in four to cook until golden and starting to bubble. Slowly whisk in white wine and bring it to a simmer. Cook until the alcohol has evaporated. Slowly add heavy cream and continuously stir the mixture until it boils and thickens slightly. Then, add your shredded leftover turkey, peas, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool until assembly.
6. To assemble, start by rolling out one of the dough disks on a lightly floured surface until it is ¼” thick. Then, transfer this into a greased, shallow 9″ pie dish or deep skillet. Trim the edges, but make sure to leave a 1″ overhang.
7. Add your cooled-down filling to the pie dish.
8. Roll out your second dough disk until ¼” thick. Place it on top of the filling, trimming and crimping the sides.
9. Using a knife, create slits on the surface of the pie. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with flaky salt.
10. Bake your turkey pot pie until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. If the edges of the pie darken faster than the rest of the pie, you may use foil.
11. Let the pie rest and cool down for 15 minutes before serving.

Turkey Croquettes

Ingredients

• Croquettes:
• 2 cups turkey, finely chopped
• 2 cups potato bread stuffing mix
• ½ cup celery, finely chopped
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup carrots, finely chopped
• 4 ounces butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning or ground sage

Breading:

• black pepper and sea salt to taste
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup milk
• 4 oz olive oil

Directions

1. Add celery, carrots, and onions into your food processor and pulse until finely minced. Set aside.
2. Add your leftover turkey to your food processor and pulse until it is finely chopped. For best results, use a mix of dark and white turkey meat.
3. Melt butter in a pan and sauté the mixture of finely minced celery, carrots, and onions until softened. Let them cool.
4. Add the chopped turkey, stuffing, and poultry seasoning to a large mixing bowl. Add the sauteed celery, carrots, and onions. Mix them all together.
5. Then, add a cup of chicken stock and two lightly beaten eggs into the mixture and combine. Gradually add more chicken stock until the mixture reaches stuffing consistency.
6. Season the mixture with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
7. Once combined, let your mixture set by refrigerating it for 2 to 3 hours.
8. Once set, form the mixture into cone-shaped croquettes.
9. Dredge each cone in seasoned flour, then dip it into the egg wash made from 2 eggs and ½ cups of milk. Then, cover the croquettes with seasoned bread crumbs.
10. Fry the croquettes in olive oil in a pan, turning them until all sides are lightly browned.
11. After that, place the croquette cones on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated at 350°F. Let the croquettes bake for 15-20 minutes until it has an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
12. If you don’t plan to serve all the croquettes, you can freeze the remainder and reheat them later.

Enjoying Holiday Leftovers

There are many better ways to enjoy leftover Thanksgiving turkey than simply reheating it in the microwave. Get creative and try unique recipes to transform your holiday leftovers into hearty, enjoyable meals.

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