Are you looking for something delicious to make with your tasty Thanksgiving leftovers?
Well, the big day is over and you got to take some tasty Thanksgiving leftovers home. Or you were the hostess with the mostest and you have ALL the food leftover. Plus all the family for the whole weekend.
You need some ideas for Thanksgiving Leftovers – Something warm for them to eat when they come back from hunting or black Friday shopping. You know, more than just filling a plate with cold food and backing up the line of the microwave.
I want to encourage you to be creative with your leftover food. Any of the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, dressing, etc can be made again into a brand new wonderful meal.
In this post, I’m going to let you in on:
– Some really great ideas for tasty Thanksgiving leftovers that will be delicious.
– Ideas for reusing the main dishes of your Thanksgiving meal to create a brand new sit-down meal with family.
– Also, ways you can preserve your Thanksgiving leftovers and how long they will last.
I know you’re dying for the details, so let’s dive in.
Turkey/Ham
There’s so many great ways to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey besides just warming it up and eating it again. You can easily make more delicious meals for the rest of the time your family will be on break.
Turkey & Noodles
Ham & Beans
Chili
Nachos
Pizza
Turkey pot pie
Sliders – Checkout these Turkey & Cranberry Sliders
Stuffing
Leftover muffin cups with Turkey & Veggies
Stuffed Peppers with Turkey
Breakfast Casserole – Get the Recipe Here
Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes
Find your favorite recipe for:
Shepherd’s Pie
Breaded Mashed Potato Balls
Potato Pancakes
Pancakes
Pie
Bread
Gravy
Use extra leftover gravy as a tasty base in soup and as a way to moisten casseroles.
Rolls
My mother in law is an amazing baker and she always makes her own seasoned croutons with leftover bread. She uses different seasonings and just enjoys playing around and experimenting.
Here’s a simple recipe for homemade croutons for you
Cooked or Raw Vegetables
It’s pretty easy to add vegetables into just about any recipe or idea I’ve shared today.
For raw vegetables, roast them in the oven or boil them first before using them in recipes.
Cranberries
Add in cranberries to casseroles for something a little more sweet. You can also dry them in a dehydrator to eat as a tasty snack.
For leftover cranberry sauce, make this recipe for Leftover cranberry sauce crumble bars
Also heat it up with a little pectin and make Cranberry Jam.
Pumpkin Pie
Milkshakes or Blizzards – This would work best if you let the pie dry out a little bit uncovered in the fridge. Drying it out will help the pieces of pie be a little more concrete.
Mix with ice cream in a mixer or simply top with the pieces. Yum! Better than whipped cream!
Truffles – Similar to cake balls or brownie bites, pumpkin pie can be rolled up and dipped into something wonderful.
Get the recipes for both of these here
Freezing For Later
Everything can definitely put into freezer bags and frozen for later. You could definitely batch cook Thanksgiving dinner and use leftovers again for Christmas dinner.
But how long is everything safe and fit to eat for? Here’s the specs:
* Cooked Turkey and other meat: Freeze for up to 2-3 months. It’s good in the refrigerator covered for 3-4 days.
* Gravy: You can freeze gravy for up to 2-3 months. Refrigerate after the big meal for 1-2 days.
* Cranberry Sauce: Freeze the sauce and cranberries for 1-2 months. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
* Cooked stuffing with or without meat: Freeze for up to 1 month. Refrigerate 3-4 days.
* Potatoes: Freeze for up to a year. Refrigerate 3-5 days after the first meal.
* Cooked Vegetables: Freeze up to 3 months and they are good in the fridge for up to four days.
* Finally, pumpkin pie can be frozen up to 2 months and refrigerated up to 4 days.
Compost it!
You don’t have to reheat and eat Thanksgiving leftovers. Another option is to throw it into your compost bin.
Before you do, though, read this:
With composting, you can turn your waste into garden soil! However, there are a few things that probably shouldn’t go into your bin but that answers are in the post above.
Waste Isn’t Always The Answer
There are other more practical ways to enjoy tasty Thanksgiving leftovers. Enjoy them again as they are or make them into more delightful dish as something a little bit different.
Or, if you’re so stuffed and you don’t think you could ever eat another bite, you can add it into your compost pile to be turned into soil.
Whichever way you choose, just know that you’re practicing being a less wasteful human being in a couple of wonderful ways.