Food & Cooking Recipes Holidays & Events Thanksgiving Recipes 22 Creative Recipes That Start With Thanksgiving Leftovers Reinvent Thanksgiving classics—and get the most out of your menu—with these new and exciting dishes. By Peggy Kieran Peggy Kieran Peggy is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines and Kirsten Nunez Kirsten Nunez Kirsten Nunez is a writer who focuses on food, health, nutrition, and DIY. She has a master's degree in nutrition, and has been writing professionally for nearly 10 years for digital and print publications, such as Martha Stewart, Shape, Real Simple, Healthline, and SELF. She also creates original recipes, which have appeared on product packaging in stores. Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 1, 2023 Close Photo: JULIA GARTLAND When the feast is complete and the refrigerator is packed, it's a good reason to start thinking about Thanksgiving leftover recipes. And while it's easy to recreate a full plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and other holiday favorites, it's even more exciting to create an entirely new dish out of bits and pieces from the mains and sides. All of our ideas for using up Thanksgiving leftovers are sure to inspire (and will help you clear out your refrigerator in the process). From turkey-filled breakfast tacos to cranberry-infused dessert, there's something for everyone in this collection of Thanksgiving leftover recipes. Here's How Long Your Leftover Turkey Will Last in the Refrigerator and Freezer 01 of 22 Day-After-Thanksgiving Skillet Breakfast Nico Schinco This hearty dish will feed the whole family, and it delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort. Use frozen hash browns as the base layer for this single-skillet extravaganza (we think you've washed enough dishes and pans at this point). They're topped with shredded turkey, sliced sweet potatoes, and, yes, even green beans. Top the whole shebang with cheese and a few eggs, and continue baking until the whites set. And if you really want to rival last night's meal, heat up the gravy as an optional drizzle. View Recipe 02 of 22 Salmon-and-Mashed-Potato Croquettes Lennart Weibull Craving a break from turkey? Whip up these crispy salmon-and-mashed-potato croquettes. But don't worry—you won't need to cook yet another protein in the oven. The recipe calls for canned or smoked salmon, making it an excellent time-saving dish. View Recipe 03 of 22 Mini Pastry Nico Schinco We're not going to sugarcoat it: Thanksgiving baking can be labor-intensive. To sweeten the deal, here's a reward for the pastry chef after that long day in the kitchen that's so easy you don't need a recipe: Turn the scraps of excess dough from your piecrust into a mini dessert. First, preheat oven to 375°F. Then on a parchment-lined baking sheet, pat pie-dough scraps together into an approximately five-inch circle. Brush it lightly with heavy cream; sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Bake until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Top with fresh fruit, such as sliced pears and raspberries, and a dollop of whipped cream. Whether you share this confection with your sous-chefs is entirely up to you. 04 of 22 Creamy Leftover-Turkey-and-Rice Soup Johnny Miller Put a light, fresh spin on Thursday's leftovers with a speedy riff on avgolemono, the classic Greek chicken soup. Egg yolks (they're the "avgo") add creaminess to simmering stock while lemon juice (the "lemono") brightens the flavor, and cooked rice and shredded meat fill out every spoonful. If you have other prepared vegetables on hand, like sautéed greens or broccoli rabe, throw them in, too. The result is satisfyingly hearty, but not so much so that you'll conk out on the couch again. View Recipe 19 Leftover Turkey Recipes That Are Sure to Become Family Favorites 05 of 22 Turkey Breakfast Tacos Julia Gartland An inspired way to use up leftover turkey and sweet potatoes the morning after! Amp up the filling with your favorite spicy salsa, layer on tortillas, and add a fried egg. View Recipe 06 of 22 Cranberry Tartlets These bite-size pies use leftover pastry dough and cranberry sauce. Serve them with turkey sandwiches for a perfect post-Thanksgiving dessert. View Recipe 07 of 22 Potato Croquettes Johnny Miller Leftover mashed potatoes are brightened with fresh parsley, smothered in breadcrumbs, and then fried until crunchy and golden in this crowd-pleasing appetizer. View Recipe 08 of 22 Turkey Tortellini Soup Aaron Dyer In this twist on the Italian favorite tortellini en brodo, the stuffed pasta joins baby spinach and leftover turkey in a cleansing homemade broth. View Recipe 09 of 22 Turkey Cobb-Salad Sandwich Marcus Nilsson Martha's hearty take on the classic salad stacks leftover turkey and cranberry sauce with bacon, egg, avocado, lettuce, and basil. View Recipe 10 of 22 Turkey-and-Watercress Salad Julia Gartland A pleasing jumble of tastes and textures, this salad teams leftover turkey with peppery watercress, crunchy celery, and nutty farro. A bright dressing made with another leftover—cranberry sauce—pulls it all together. View Recipe 11 of 22 Leftover Turkey Curry Julia Gartland Turn up the volume on leftover turkey by turning it into a fiery curry with fresh ginger, cumin, coriander, and Thai chile. View Recipe 12 of 22 Turkey Monte Cristo Bryan Gardner Switch out the usual ham for leftover turkey in this French toast-grilled cheese hybrid. Cranberry sauce adds just the right amount of sweetness. View Recipe 13 of 22 Turkey-Salad Sandwich Bryan Gardner Sweet, savory, fresh, crunchy—this day-after sandwich has a lot going for it. Leftover turkey teams up with celery, green apple, golden raisins, cucumber, and watercress. A lemony mayonnaise ties all the flavors together. View Recipe 14 of 22 Chunky Turkey-Vegetable Soup Leftover Thanksgiving turkey takes on new character in this hearty tomato and escarole soup seasoned with garlic and rosemary. If you're tired of turkey right now, dice and freeze the meat and make this soup next month. View Recipe 15 of 22 Pumpkin and Ice Cream Sandwich Breathe new life into leftover pumpkin pie filling by sandwiching it with vanilla ice cream between graham crackers. View Recipe 16 of 22 Quick Turkey Tetrazzini Mike Krautter Trust us, no one will be able to resist this creamy noodle casserole studded with turkey, mushrooms, and peas. View Recipe 17 of 22 Turkey and Sweet-Potato Hash You'll find that the complementary flavors of turkey, sweet potatoes, and apples come together in this rich, satisfying dish. View Recipe 18 of 22 Day-After Turkey Soup Krause, Johansen This healthy take on leftovers combines turkey with lots of fresh vegetables like kale and corn with white beans. View Recipe 19 of 22 Spicy Turkey Medianoches Lennart Weibull This deli sandwich, made with sliced roasted turkey, has layers of flavor from dill pickles, salty prosciutto, Swiss cheese, sliced jalapeño peppers, and yellow mustard, too. View Recipe 20 of 22 Chicken a la Cranberry Justin Walker Set the turkey aside and use leftover cranberry sauce as a glaze on chicken legs to coat and flavor them. They'll be deliciously crispy and just right with leftover mashed potatoes—and a green vegetable, too. View Recipe 21 of 22 Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Justin Walker Turn a classic savory side dish into a fabulous dessert; homemade vanilla cheesecake topped with swirls of cranberry sauce is a dreamy dessert for the weekend after the big feast (once all the pie has been eaten!). View Recipe 22 of 22 Turkey Salad Wrap Dana Gallagher For another Thanksgiving leftover recipe that requires minimal effort, make this easy wrap. Turkey breast is layered with arugula and grated carrots, then served with a zesty mayo-based sauce. If you have salad or greens leftover from the festivities, add them to the wrap for a delicious riff on Thanksgiving dinner. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit