Life
18 Leftover Turkey Recipes You'll Actually Want to Eat
Congrats! No more hosting the in-laws, no more freaking out over place settings, no more holiday stress in general (for another 3 weeks, anyway). Everyone's favorite day to gobble up gobblers — and then lie face-down on the floor in a delirious tryptophan coma — has come and gone. If you're lucky, you'll still have a gigantic bounty of food for making cranberry sauce cocktails; giving yourself a luxurious pumpkin facial; getting crafty with sweet potato stamps; and powering through Black Friday by snacking on leftover biscuits...or pelting competing shoppers with them.
But what about all that remaining bird? The obvious thing to do would be to remake the reliable leftover classics, like turkey sandwiches and...more turkey sandwiches. Let's face it — the standard turkey re-mixes can get boring pretty quick. But turkey ravioli? Turkey tacos? Turkey hash? You’ll be just as excited to chow down on these inventive, economical concoctions as you were at the main event. Click on for 18 fresh, easy, inspired recipes — including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas — to get the most out of fall’s number one fowl.
— By Kara Freewind and Emily K. McDonald
Image: How Sweet It Is
Breakfast Biscuits
Just add egg to these delectable morsels from How Sweet It Is (after all, you probably already have the biscuits, cranberry sauce, turkey, and mashed potatoes).
Image: How Sweet It Is
Turkey Breakfast Hash
For a healthy breakfast option, mix in some broccoli, onions, apples, and cashews to make this filling morning stir-fry from The Healthy Foodie.
Image: The Healthy Foodie
Noodle Vegetable Soup
Here Good Life Eats incorporates turkey into a savory, minestrone-style stew.
Image: Good Life Eats
Snugglebum Soup
This aptly-named stay-home-and-sip-on-a-rainy-day soup from Healthful Pursuit epitomizes cozy fall food.
Image: Healthful Pursuit
Turkey Cranberry Sandwich
Okay, okay...it's a "boring" leftovers sandwich, but this spin-on-a-classic sammy from Savory Sweet Life jazzes things up with cream cheese and sprouts.
Image: Savory Sweet Life
Turkey and Swiss Panini
Damn Delicious offers another zesty version with this turkey pesto panini. Yum x1000.
Image: Damn Delicious
Turkey Salad
Craving tuna salad? Sub in some turkey for a creamy lunchtime spread. Thanks, Table for Two.
Image: Table for Two
Mini Turkey Meatloaves
Use a cupcake pan to bake these spicy little turkey-loaves from Little Leopard Book.
Image: Little Leopard Book
Turkey Ravioli with Gravy
Inject some Italian into the leftover routine with A Spicy Perspective's DIY turkey, sweet potato and cranberry sauce ravioli, with gravy serving as a perfect sauce.
Image: A Spicy Perspective
BLT Turkey Tacos
BLT Turkey Tacos (presented by How Sweet It Is). The ultimate couldn't-be-easier snack.
Image: How Sweet It Is
Thanksgiving in a Jar
Family Fresh Cooking layers leftover turkey with quinoa, mashed sweet potato, cranberry sauce, greens, and gravy. Adorable and delicious.
Image: Family Fresh Cooking
Hawaiian BBQ Turkey Flatbread Pizza
There is absolutely no reason to keep things completely traditional. Mix it up with this flatbread pizza from Damn Delicious. You can save the stuffing and mashed potatoes for dessert.
Image: Damn Delicious
Turkey & Cranberry Panini with Goat Cheese Aioli
Sure, there are lots of different ways to make a turkey sandwich, but this recipe from The Messy Baker elevates leftover turkey and cranberry sauce by adding a smear of smooth, herby goat cheese aioli and grilling to crispy, wonderful perfection.
Image: The Messy Baker
Turkey Empanadas
These Thanksgiving-inspired empanadas from Bon Appetit are the ultimate in comfort food.
Image: val sv on Flickr
Eggs Baked in Thanksgiving Leftovers
Keep your Thanksgiving leftovers breakfast-relevant with this recipe from The Gouda Life. Because cereal is for sad people who don't have turkey.
Image: The Gouda Life
Turkey and Wheatberry-stuffed Carnival Squash
The Healthy Foodie's stuffed winter squashes call for uncooked turkey meat, but after Thanksgiving, you'll be able to cross that step right off the list. Toss it with wheat berries, mushrooms, spinach, a ton of herbs, and top with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. This dish might be too good to be true.
Image: The Healthy Foodie
Turkey Reuben
This sandwich from Big Girls, Small Kitchen will be sure to remedy Gobbler sammy boredom. In between two slices of buttery rye, layer your turkey with Swiss cheese, fresh sauerkraut, and homemade Russian dressing. Whoa.
Image: BGSK
Turkey Banh Mi
Yes, it's another turkey sandwich idea — but it's a good one! Martha Stewart's turkey banh mi takes spicy mayonnaise, crisp vegetables, and fresh cilantro, and stuffs it all into a baguette. Use a long enough baguette and this sandwich can easily double as a weapon against Black Friday shoppers.
Image: avlxyz on Flickr
Turkey, Mushroom and Potato Soup
Sure, we've all done the turkey soup thing (snooze), but never like this. This recipe, from Never Enough Thyme, is a revelation. With turkey, potatoes, mushrooms, and melty Fontina cheese, it'll make you regret everything you've ever said about turkey soup.
Image: Never Enough Thyme
