37 Leftover Turkey Recipes to Help Clear Out Your Fridge
If you ask us, leftover turkey recipes are the true heart of the Thanksgiving holiday. That’s why, even for a small gathering, you’ll usually catch uscooking a whole turkey. Leftover turkey meat keeps well for at least three days in the fridge and you can store it even longer (up to two months) in the freezer, giving you plenty of time to focus on more than building theperfect leftover turkey sandwichloaded withstuffingandcranberry sauceand dripping in leftovergravy.
Our best recipes for leftover turkey keep things creative with crisp salads, savory turkey soups, hearty leftover turkey casseroles, and more. You don’t need to set aside hours of prep time, either, because a lot of your leftovers will do the heavy lifting for you. Ready to level up your post-Thanksgiving game? Let’s go!
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton1/37Turkey Tetrazzini
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell2/37Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Thinly slice your leftover turkey breast to give this classichot sandwich recipea delicious upgrade, complete with cranberry sauce on the side for dipping. Best of all? The total time it takes to prepare this is less than 30 minutes.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell3/37Lentil Soup With Sweet Potatoes and Escarole
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图片由切尔西凯尔,罗达布恩样式的食物4/37Thanksgiving Skillet Pizza
A one-pot (er, one-pan) wonder, the components of this Thanksgiving pizza are assembled directly in acast-iron skilletand feature a “sauce” of mashed potatoes. Need we say more?
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano and Stevie Stewart5/37Chilaquiles Rojos
This chilaquiles recipe is the blueprint for one of associate editor Jarret Melendez’sfavorite Mexican comfort foods. His recipe calls for shredded chicken, but leftover turkey is an easy swap.
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Photo by Ted Cavanaugh6/37French Toast Turkey Sandwich
Make French toast for breakfast, then make aclassic Thanksgiving spreadfor dinner; the next day, put them together, and your leftover turkey sandwich situation will be legendary.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich7/37Taiwanese Turkey Rice
Shredded turkey over rice is a year-roundstaple in Taiwan, and this version from contributor Clarissa Wei happens to be one of our best leftover turkey recipes. The savory sauce and crispy fried shallots take it over the top.
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Photo by Lara Ferroni9/37Turkey Gumbo
Onions, carrots, and bell peppers create the rich, flavorfulrouxin this Cajun and Creole classic that gives roasted turkey a whole new flavor profile—and makes for an exciting alternative to ho-hum turkey soup.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell10/37Sheet-Pan Pasta Bake
Swap the chicken for shredded turkey in thissheet-pan dinnerthat boasts a cook time that’s under 35 minutes and has more crispy topping per bite than your standard pasta casserole.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks.12/37French Bread Pizzas With BBQ Chicken & Smoked Mozzarella
Stir leftover turkey into store-bought orhomemade barbecue sauceto make a topping for this instant crowd-pleaser. Use any melty cheese you’ve got left from yourThanksgiving appetizer spread, like cheddar, gouda, or even brie.
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Photo by Elizabeth Cecil13/37Turkey Congee With Crispy Shiitake Mushrooms
Comforting, filling turkey congee is the perfect soothing cold-weather breakfast. As with anyrice soup or porridge, have fun with the toppings: Add fresh herbs, roasted butternut squash, chopped peanuts, or a soft-boiled egg.
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Lara Ferroni15/37Turkey Samosas
Chef Naomi Pomeroy uses roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and peas (or chopped green beans) to make samosas with Thanksgiving leftovers. To get a jump start on the prep, you can make the samosa dough and roll it into rounds ahead of time. Layered between sheets of wax paper and wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, the rounds can be refrigerated for 24 hours or frozen up to 3 months.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton16/37Easy Green Curry
Usestore-bought green curry pasteand your leftovers to make an easy Thai-inspired turkey curry with bell peppers and sugar snap peas—or whatever other vegetables you have in the crisper drawer or freezer.
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Christopher Testani17/37Turkey Pozole
This soothing, spicy soup recipe is one of the more delicious ways to turn your Thanksgiving spread into pure comfort food. Top yourpozolewith a fried egg and avocado for breakfast or a smattering of crushed tortilla chips, crema, and cilantro for dinner.
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Lara Ferroni19/37Turkey Croquettes
In addition to turkey, these croquettes can be packed with leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes. Serve with scrambled eggs for breakfast, and addhot sauceor chile peppers to bump up the heat.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton21/37Grain Bowls With Chicken, Spiced Chickpeas, and Avocado
Use your leftover turkey instead of store-bought rotisserie chicken in this satisfying dinner that’s packed with flavor. Don’t skip the crispychickpeas, which add texture and protein.
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Lara Ferroni22/37Turkey Ramen
Chef Edward Lee is known for blending flavors found in East Asian cooking (specifically that of Korea) with the flavors of the American South and this warming noodle soup is a testament to that: savory turkey broth emboldened with country ham, daikon, and ginger, loaded with shredded turkey, scallions, tofu, watercress, and even a dusting of Parmesan cheese.
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Photo by Romulo Yanes25/37Turkey Reubens
Few easy recipes are as satisfying as a Reuben. Dress up your turkey meat with sauerkraut, cheese, and relish, and then butter some rye (orhomemade beer bread) for the skillet.
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26/37Homemade Turkey Stock
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Photo by Ted Cavanaugh28/37Turkey Pho Dip
To enjoy the flavors of pho in the palm of your hand, consider this banh mi–inspired sandwich recipe that’s partFrench dip, part Vietnamese comfort food, and all-out delicious.
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Photo by Yunhee Kim34/37Shepherd’s Pie
For a post-Thanksgiving spin on shepherd’s pie, swap out the lamb here for shredded turkey meat and use your leftovermashed potatoesfor the topping.
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Photo by John Kernick35/37Monte Cubano
If this year’sThanksgiving recipesincluded both a turkey and aholiday ham, you’re even better poised to take on this riff on a classicCuban sandwichthat’s got Swiss cheese, pickles, and sliced meats, and gets dipped in an egg batter and fried like a Monte Cristo.
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36/37Turkey Soup
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