Thanksgiving Day is the one day a year that requires (and allows) people to eat their body weight in turkey. However, we all know that turkey isn’t the only food we eat on T-Day, and it certainly isn’t the only food leftover when we’re done.
So what do you do with your leftover turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and much, much more? Below is the ultimate guide to making delicious meals out of all your T-Day leftovers.
The Turkey
First things first, let’s start with Turkey. The wonderful thing about leftover turkey is you can literally use it in anything. Here are some ideas that let you get get the most out of your left-over bird.
First on the list: turkey salad, a great combination of protein and yummy veggies and so easy to make. Chop up your turkey, add your favorite lettuce, walnuts, and drizzle some of that leftover cranberry sauce, and you have the leftover salad of your dreams.
Next up, turkey chili. A tasty combination of leftover vegetables combined with your turkey meet. You are going to need to add a few non-leftover ingredients to this meal like cheese, chili powder, and tomato paste.
Last but not least, turkey pot pie. Everybody loves a good homemade chicken pot pie, so why not use your leftover turkey instead? Aside from your bird day leftovers, the only major ingredients that are needed are chicken broth, chopped celery, and a pie crust!
The Side
Now, onto to the delicious, and never ending, sides. For the sake of directness, I’ll only touch on the most commonly known sides. However, if your favorite side is not listed here, by all means get creative and reuse it any way that you see fit. Without further ado, wtf to do with your leftover sides.
For mashed potatoes: Potato pancakes, these are a personal favorite and could not be easier to make. Gather all of your mashed potatoes, add salt and pepper, vegetable oil, an union, 3 beaten eggs, and 2 1/2 cups of dry pancake mix and blend it all together. From there, pour out individual cake like you would with your normal pancakes.
For vegetables, mashed sweet potatoes, and turkey—a Sweet Potato Shepherd Pie is just want you have been looking for. By using your sweet potatoes, vegetables, and turkey all the main ingredients are covered.
Dessert
Last but certainly not least, wtf to do with you Turkey Day dessert leftovers? The real beauty in T-day desserts is their simplicity and ability to just go with the flow. Your Monday after Thanksgiving will be 100X better when you pair your turkey sandwich with a piece of that leftover pie. In a time crunch? Try this chocolate pecan pie!
The key to making the most of of your Thanksgiving feast is to reuse the food. By following the recipes listed above, you can’t go wrong. Happy Turkey Day.