23 Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving Leftovers Even Better on Day Two
Thanksgiving leftovers go from really exciting—that first sandwich cannot be beat—to pretty tiring pretty fast. But if you think of your leftovers as ingredients instead of making yourself the same plate for several days in a row, the world opens up to you. Stuffing can be crisped up into croutons, mashed sweet potatoes can go into pancakes, and extra cranberry sauce can jazz up a snacking cake. Below you’ll find a few of our favorite recipes using Thanksgiving leftovers—scroll down to use up whatever is filling your fridge.
Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin2/23Cranberry-Orange Snacking Cake
Assuming you ate the last few pieces of pie for a post-Thanksgiving breakfast, you’re going to need another seasonal sweet to get through the weekend. This easy cake makes use of any lingering cranberry sauce.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich3/23Taiwanese Turkey Rice
If you only have enough turkey leftovers to make one new dish, let it be this one. And don’t miss this history piece about this Taiwanese specialty.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton6/23Turkey Tetrazzini
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog7/23Butternut Squash Sandwich With Cheddar Cheese and Pickled Red Onion
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Maya Rossi13/23Turkey Pot Pie
Don’t worry, we’re not telling you to make pie dough after Thanksgiving. Store-bought pie crust works just fine in this cozy recipe.
Lara Ferroni19/23Turkey Ramen
Use the leftover turkey carcass to make an extra-flavorful stock infused with country ham, ginger, garlic, and daikon radish. The richly aromatic stock forms the broth for this ramen bowl, which is filled with tofu, avocado, watercress, scallions, shiitake mushrooms, soft-boiled eggs, and leftover turkey meat.
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks.20/23Turkey Etcetrazzini
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone21/23Thanksgiving Skillet Pizza
Transform your Thanksgiving leftovers into homemade pizza, with mashed potatoes taking the place of traditional tomato sauce. It’s topped with crispy bits of turkey, leftover veg, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for kick. Cooking the pizza in a cast-iron skillet ensures a super-crispy crust and gets it on the table quickly.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams22/23Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Club
