Thanksgiving Leftovers to Love

By Food & Wine
Updated November 13, 2018
© JOHN KERNICK
We love the day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich as much as the next guy, but holiday leftovers taste even better when they're repurposed creatively. Use leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, yams and more in recipes from breakfast to dessert. From turkey pot pie to a walnut-cranberry turkey salad, here are great ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers.
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Mashed-Potato Spring Rolls

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David Chang took F&W’s Thanksgiving challenge by improvising a Momofuku-style feast from basic leftovers, including turning mashed potatoes and green beans into this crispy canapé, a salute to the 1950s.

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Turkey Reuben Hash

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This 25-minute hash from F&W’s Kay Chun pairs leftover turkey with potatoes, sauerkraut and caraway for a fun play on a Reuben sandwich.

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Turkey-Stuffing Salad

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This fresh, fun salad from F&W’s Kay Chun combines turkey and croutons with celery, apple, fennel and parsley.

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Lentil Soup with Smoked Turkey

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Simmering the broth with a Parmesan rind gives the soup an even richer taste than sprinkling the cheese on top.

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Vegetable Turkey Soup with Cornmeal Noodles

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For an all-American pairing, match a bright California Chardonnay with a robust turkey soup made from Thanksgiving leftovers.

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Turkey and Swiss Bread Pudding

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Bread pudding is one of the best vehicles for using up leftovers.

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Next-Day Turkey Sandwiches

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Barbara Lynch of No. 9 Park in Boston piles most of the components of the traditional Thanksgiving meal between two slices of bread. You can use any squash puree; if you only have roasted squash or sweet potatoes, just mash them up.

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Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Two-Potato Topping

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This recipe, from Jimmy Bradley of the Red Cat in New York City, makes a large pie, but you can also prepare the dish in individual 1 1/2-cup ramekins. Check them for doneness after 20 minutes.

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Turkey Sandwiches with Cranberry-Apricot Relish

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This tangy, sweet relish can accompany roast pork, chicken or turkey served on their own or as sandwiches.

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Walnut-Cranberry Turkey Salad

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The dressing for this light, delicious turkey salad is made with low-fat mayonnaise, yogurt and chopped herbs.

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Turkey Breast with Ginger-Scallion Sauce

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David Chang recommends poaching turkey breast in leftover turkey stock before serving it with ginger-scallion sauce, based on his favorite condiment at Great N.Y. Noodletown in Chinatown.

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Squash and Stilton Biscuits

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The dough for these biscuits uses leftover mashed squash or sweet potatoes and is very moist. You’ll need to use plenty of flour when you pat the dough out for cutting.

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Turkey and Mushroom Potpie

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Fromage Fort

Marcus Nilsson
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Fromage fort is the ultimate way of using leftover cheese. Jacques Pépin's father used to combine pieces of Camembert, Brie, Swiss, blue cheese and goat cheese together with his mother's leek broth, some white wine and crushed garlic. These ingredients marinated in a cold cellar for a week to a week-and-a-half (he liked it really strong). Now Pépin's wife, Gloria, makes a milder version in a food processor that takes only seconds. It is delicious with crackers or melted onto toasts. It also freezes well.

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Sweet Potato, Balsamic Onion and Soppressata Pizza

DAVID MALOSH
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Every winter, Green Aisle's backyard becomes a charcuterie cellar--the landlord strings homemade soppressata on the trees to dry. Adam Erace uses the soppressata to top this clever prebaked-crust pizza, along with mashed sweet potatoes and mozzarella cheese.

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Potato-and-Mozzarella Croquettes

FREDRIKA STJÄRNE
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These light and cheesy fried potato croquettes are breaded twice: They're dredged in bread crumbs, dipped in beaten eggs seasoned with mustard and garlic, then dredged in bread crumbs once more. The payoff is a supercrisp, flavorful crust for the filling of soft mashed potato and melted cheese.

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Pumpernickel Waffles

© JOHN KERNICK
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Mashed potatoes in the batter give these waffles a soft, chewy texture. For a delicious brunch, top them with sliced smoked salmon, poached eggs and chives. The waffle batter should be made a day ahead, so plan accordingly.

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