Not sure what to do with turkey, stuffing, and other Thanksgiving Day leftovers? Here are some quick ideas for easy turkey leftover recipes.

Whether you’re eating a large, 6-course Thanksgiving meal or you only cooked for one person, turkey leftovers are inevitable. Your leftover turkey can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days, so you can put the extra food to good use. Some basic, easy turkey recipes are available for single people as well as families who need to find a use for all the leftover turkey, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. The leftover turkey ideas depend on the turkey size you buy when grocery shopping, but these leftover dishes make it worth a little extra meat when shopping.

The Perfect Turkey Sandwich

Nothing beats a real turkey sandwich recipe. Cold-cut meats you buy at the deli do not compare to slices of turkey on two slices of bread. Turkey sandwiches are great with added leftovers to make a meal out of the sandwich. Some people like a little of the leftover cranberry sauce on the sandwich. You can also place leftover coleslaw or even some turkey gravy on the sandwich.

Turkey Casserole Recipes – Family Meals and Good for Lunch

Turkey casserole is not as easy as a quick turkey sandwich meal, but it makes for a good post-Thanksgiving Day meal. Turkey casserole is good for Black Friday, which is typically the day where you shop all day. Turkey casserole can be made with cut-up leftover turkey, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and some spices. Cut up some celery and onions to add some flavoring. Place it in a cooking dish and place it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Even the turkey casserole can be set up for leftover lunches during the week.

Turkey Soup Recipe

Turkey soup is another easy recipe for leftover turkey. Turkey soup can even use the bones and other parts as a flavoring for the broth. Place the turkey and the bones into a large pot with water and a bouillon cube. Add vegetables and let the pot sit on a slow simmer. You can also place this turkey recipe into a slow cooker such as a crockpot and let it simmer while you are at work. When you come home, you have a great light turkey meal, or you can use the soup as an appetizer. Add some noodles to create homemade turkey noodle soup.

These few ideas are great to use turkey leftovers without throwing away all of that Thanksgiving Day food. For people who have large amounts of leftover turkey, you can use more than one easy turkey recipes. Take some of these meals to work and save money on your afternoon lunch.

11 More Ideas For Thanksgiving Leftovers

Turkey Crostinis. Toast up some crostinis, sliced french bread or rolls in the oven until they are crisp, and top with a thin layer of mayonnaise or mustard, chopped chives, shredded turkey and salt, and pepper. Add sliced avocado or crumbled bacon for even more bliss.
Turkey Stir-fry. Use turkey as your main meat for a quick tasty stir-fry. Throw in vegetables from thanksgiving dinners such as broccoli, snow peas, or carrots, and toss in chunks of turkey right before serving so they get quickly seared, then sprinkle with soy sauce and white rice.
Turkey Lasagna. Turn to Italian food after Thanksgiving. Substitute turkey instead of beef for the meat in the lasagna, along with leftover vegetables such as red peppers, spinach or stuffing. Drizzle gravy or turkey sauce over the lasagna right before serving.
Turkey Salad Sandwich. Chop up or shred turkey and mix it up with a little mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, diced celery and onion, and salt and pepper. It’s an interesting twist on the usual turkey sandwich.
Turkey, beef, or ham pasta bake. Combine pasta, your cooked main course meat, random veggies such as peas, peppers, carrots, broccoli, etc., and toss in olive oil in a skillet. Add a cream sauce such as gravy if desired, then bake in a dish for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Turkey Fajitas. Not feeling the Italian turkey lasagna? Try out turkey fajitas by mixing turkey slices with fajita seasoning and frying it up with onions and peppers in a skillet. Add guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or any other fixings you desire and wrap it up in a warm tortilla.
Stuffing-stuffed Mushrooms. Mix up the leftover stuffing with a handful of grated Parmesan cheese, a dashing of olive oil, some chopped herbs like parsley, and minced garlic. Stuff the mixture into mushroom caps and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. This a great recipe to use up leftover herbs and spices too.
Veggie Packed Frittata. Whip this up for breakfast for a light, filling morning after Thanksgiving breakfast. Gather all leftover veggies (in particular, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, onion, celery, etc.). Beat together 8 eggs, 1 cup milk, chopped herbs like parsley or chives, salt, and pepper. Add a generous handful of stuffing and two to three cups of the vegetables. Cook the mixture in a skillet until it thickens, then add grated cheddar cheese, letting it simmer for another ten minutes. Broil the pan in the oven for about two to three minutes, then let cool and slice.
Rolls and Bread. Cube these up and freeze them to use in the future for breadcrumbs or croutons. Or, rip them up into bits and serve with spinach and artichoke dip.
Cranberry Freeze. Top ice cream of desserts with the cranberry sauce or salad, or freeze it in cups and eat as a frozen treat topped with whipped cream.
Mashed Potato Patties. Shape these into hash brown patties and cook them in sizzling oil in a skillet for breakfast. Top casseroles or potpies with the mashed potatoes and bake to crisp it on top.

These recipes can take any sort of leftovers from a Thanksgiving feast and turn it into something delicious, simple to create, and also provide a little variation for the taste buds after a large American dinner. Of course, there is always the old faithful Thanksgiving favorite: a turkey sandwich topped with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy, warmed up in the oven. And if you catch a cold or the flu, consider using leftover turkey to make a Cure A Cold Chicken or Turkey soup.