You did it! You survived the Thanksgiving holiday.
I hope it was amazing with minimal arguing, politics, and meltdowns. If you’re like me you have to attend several Thanksgivings over the holiday weekend and an epic tailgate for the “game.” We empty our fridge in prep for the leftovers that will be coming. We gather, count our blessings, shop til we drop, cheer on our team, and stuff the fridge with some of the best food. I’m not a leftover’s person, I try to be but I’m really not. But during this holiday weekend I have to be for survival. I try to make the leftovers into new dishes which helps. Here are five of my favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipes to use.
Leftover Turkey Sliders- What you need: 12-15 Hawaiian rolls, 1 lb sliced turkey, 14 oz whole berry cranberry sauce, 8oz cream cheese, 1tbsp of powder sugar, 1/2 cup of butter, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1tbsp of poppy seeds, 2tsp dried minced onion, 2tsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4tsp of black pepper.
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray bottom of a 9×13 pan with a non stick cooking spray. In a small mixing bowl, whip cream cheese and powdered sugar. Set aside.
Open the package of Hawaiian Rolls. Keeping all the rolls together, carefully slice the rolls in half keeping all the tops attached together to create “slab” of tops and the bottoms together to create “slab bottoms.
Place the “slab” of bottoms in the 9×13 pan. Spread bottoms with whipped cream cheese, then cranberry sauce. Top with sliced turkey. Top with top “slab” of buns.
In a measuring cup, whisk together, melted butter, mustard, poppy seed, Worcestershire sauce, dried onion, and pepper. Pourr over tops of rolls and down the sides. Uses a pastry brush to spread evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and crisped. Remove from oven. Let sit 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffed Shells- What you need: 12 jumbo pasta shells, 1 cup of turkey, 1 cup of mash potatoes, 1 tbsp celery diced, 2 tbsp yellow onion diced, 1 clove of garlic minced, 3oz cheddar cheese shredded and divided. 1 1/4 cup of gravy, 1 cup of bread stuffing, salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish set aside.
Boil pasta shells, cooking for 8-9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare filling. Chop turkey into boîte size pieces. Heat mashed potatoes until just warm. In a medium bowl, combine turkey, mashed potatoes, diced onions, celery, minced garlic, and half of the shredded cheese. You can also add the salt and pepper.
Spread 3/4 cup of gravy on the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Use a medium cookie scoop to fill each pasta shell./ Place in prepared pan. Top off with leftover stuffing, remaining gravy, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Top it with optional fresh parsley, chives, or green onions.
Slow Cooker Turkey Soup- What you need: 3 cups of cooked turkey (chopped or shredded), 3/4 cup yellow onion, 1/2 cup of celery, 3/4 cup of carrot, 1/2 cup of peas, 1/2 cup of corn, 1/2 cup of green beans, 3 1/2 cups of potatoes, 3 cloves of garlic minced, 2 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 bay leaves. 3 3/4 cups of broth, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/3 cups of all purpose flour, and stuffing for topping.
Shred or chop turkey. Chop onion, clergy, and carrots, into small pieces. Peel and chop potatoes into bite size pieces. Measure a 1/2 of cup each of corn, peas, and green beans. Optionally slice green beans in half width wise to create more manageable spoon-size pieces. Mince garlic.
To the bowl of 5-6 quart slow cooker add prepared turkey and vegetables, along with salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaves, and chicken broth, cover and cook on high for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
Remove bay leaves
In a large measuring cup or medium bowl whisk together flour and heavy whipping cream until smooth. Pour into slow cooker, stirring to combine well. Replace cover and continue cooking for an additional 30-45 minutes.
Serve warm, topped with stuffing.
Thanksgiving Casserole- hat you need: 3 celery stalks diced, 1 onion diced, 2 apples seeded and diced, 1/3 cup butter, 6 cups cubed seasoned stuffing, 1 cup of chicken broth, 4 cups of turkey cooked and diced, 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 cup of sour cream, 4 cups mashed potatoes already prepared, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon slat, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese.
In a large skillet, sauté celery, onion, and apples in butter until tender.
Remove from the heat and set aside
In a large bowl combine the stuffing cubes, broth, and celery mixture.
Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray, spread around the pan.
In another large bowl combine the turkey, soup, garlic powder, and 1/4 cup of sour cream. Spoon over stuffing mixture. Spread mashed potatoes over turkey mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until heated all the way through.
Turkey Cranberry Brie Grilled Cheese- What you need: 2 slices of seedless rye bread, 3-4 slices of roasted turkey breast. 3oz of brie cheese rind cut off, thinly sliced, 2 tbsp cranberry sauce.
Preheat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and lightly grease it.
Place bread in the pan and operate brie slices among the two slices of bread. Let it start melting
Layer turkey breast over one slice of bread and then cranberry sauce on top of turkey.
Cover with second slice of bread and press lightly.
Finish the grilled cheese until bread is golden and cheese is melted.
May this season of gratitude be the best one yet. I know that we all get overwhelmed in the hustle and bustle of it all. I hope these recipes help make making leftovers a little easier. Happiest of Thanksgivings!
