Food and Recipes Holiday and Occasion Food 20 Leftover Turkey Recipes for the Days After Thanksgiving By Zoe Denenberg Zoe Denenberg As a professional baker, Zoe Denenberg has spent the past two years traveling across the country—from Alabama to Hawai'i—working in farm-focused pastry kitchens. She has written about food, travel, and culture for Southern Living since 2019. See more of Zoe's work at https://zoedenenberg.wixsite.com/portfolio and follow her on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 16, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Alison Miksch The big meal is over, but who says the feasting has to be? After the many hours that are spent preparing for such a huge spread, Thanksgiving leftovers are a given. We're not saying you have to give up the beloved leftover turkey sandwich, but why not explore a few new ways to enjoy your Thanksgiving leftovers? For the sake of your family's sanity, we've put together a list of recipes that will give your Thanksgiving leftovers a facelift. From breakfast casseroles to lunch to dinner, you can enjoy these dishes at any time of day. Turkey soups, salads, and casseroles are just a few of the dishes that are bringing new life to your dry leftover turkey. We're even upgrading the classic turkey sandwich with fresh, creative recipes like Turkey, Pesto, and Fresh Mozzarella Sandwiches and Turkey, Brie, and Fig Paninis.From Turkey Pot Pie to Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole, these Thanksgiving leftover recipes might just give your main feast a run for its money. So don't toss that turkey: These leftover turkey recipes will help ensure every bite of your Thanksgiving feast is enjoyed. 01 of 20 Turkey Pot Pie With Cranberry-Pecan Crusts Tina Cornett Recipe: Turkey Pot Pie With Cranberry-Pecan Crusts With a warm filling of roasted turkey and hearty spinach, this classic casserole goes above and beyond with a cranberry-pecan crust. This casserole may just be as stunning as yesterday's turkey centerpiece. Cut your cranberry-pecan pastry into festive leaf shapes for an extra-seasonal dish. 02 of 20 Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches Southern Living Recipe: Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches Drab, cold turkey sandwiches are a thing of the past. Blanketed in warm melty cheese, these signature open-faced sandwiches bring new life to your leftover turkey. Made with a smooth and creamy Mornay sauce, it's an indulgent mess of a sandwich that requires a knife and fork to eat. 03 of 20 Leftover Turkey Hash Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Leftover Turkey Hash When the family's starting to tire of those endless turkey sandwiches, change things up and sneak that leftover turkey into a crispy breakfast hash. Add a bit of bacon grease for double the flavor, as well as onions, bell peppers, and sunny-side-up eggs. This all-encompassing breakfast recipe delivers an entire meal in one skillet. 04 of 20 Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole When it comes to leftovers, our strategy usually involves tossing lots of ingredients into a casserole dish and letting it bake together. And more often than not, it's oh-so-good. Case in point: this Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole. 05 of 20 Turkey-Noodle-Poppy Seed Casserole Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Turkey-Noodle-Poppy Seed Casserole Every Southern grandmother has a poppyseed casserole in her Rolodex, but this Turkey-Noodle version may just be our favorite. The recipe uses 3 cups of leftover diced turkey blended with a creamy roux and spiced up with pimentos and red pepper. You can assemble the casserole a day in advance or even freeze it for a future dinner. 06 of 20 Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup Greg DuPree Recipe: Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup Bring big gumbo flavor to that leftover turkey with this simple soup. It'll be ready in just one hour. Serve with crusty French bread to sop up the broth. 07 of 20 Smoked Turkey-and-Andouille Gumbo Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Smoked Turkey-and-Andouille Gumbo If your family serves smoked turkey on Thanksgiving, this one's for you. Make a big pot of this warm, award-winning gumbo and you'll have leftovers of your leftovers. But trust us—nobody will be complaining. 08 of 20 Turkey, Apple, and Brie Sandwich Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Turkey, Apple, and Brie Sandwich This quick and easy sandwich is baked in about three minutes. Sweet apples meet creamy brie to perfectly complement that leftover turkey, along with spicy and sweet hot pepper jelly. Pack it up to take on-the-go for holiday adventures or road trips. 09 of 20 Turkey Salad Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Turkey Salad Trade out the chicken for leftover shredded turkey in this new cult-favorite Turkey Salad. The pleasant tang is provided by sour cream and apple-cider vinegar. If you're feeling adventurous, try one of our creative variations, like Golden Curry Turkey Salad or Pickle-and-Dill Turkey Salad. 10 of 20 Turkey Tortellini Soup with Greens Greg DuPree Recipe: Turkey Tortellini Soup with Greens Forget rice: We're adding three-cheese tortellini to our soups from now on. This Turkey Tortellini Soup is the grown-up version of chicken noodle soup, and we're making it all winter long. (Plus, it'll be ready in just 25 minutes.) 11 of 20 Turkey Tetrazzini Tina Cornett Recipe: Turkey Tetrazzini Tetrazzini is a staple on our dinner tables during the school year because it is delicious and filling, but we also think it's a great dish for implementing after Thanksgiving leftovers. You can make this rich and creamy casserole with leftover turkey, and you can either eat it that night for Thanksgiving day dinner, or you can freeze it for a busier day (aka: when school is back in session and you're pressed for time). 12 of 20 Mini Hot Browns Southern Living Recipe: Mini Hot Browns Hosting a holiday cocktail hour or dinner party? These miniature Hot Browns will be gone in a flash. The Southern dish originally gained popularity in the 1920s at Louisville's Brown Hotel, and since then, countless variations of the iconic meal have been made, including this version you can just pop in your mouth. 13 of 20 Turkey Grilled Cheese with Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Turkey Grilled Cheese with Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food, but this recipe puts a sophisticated spin on the classic sandwich with the addition of turkey, gruyère, and caramelized onions. To caramelize onions, saute in a skillet until they turn a deep golden brown. 14 of 20 Slow Cooker Turkey Chili Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow-Cooker White Chili with Turkey Break out the slow cooker: It's chili time. And this isn't just any chili. In this white chili recipe, the dry leftover turkey stews low and slow in chicken or turkey broth to bring moisture and succulence back to the meat. 15 of 20 New Turkey Tetrazzini Alison Miksch Recipe: New Turkey Tetrazzini Spinach and mushrooms update the classic turkey tetrazzini to make it a bit more modern and a bit healthier. This recipe also makes good use of that extra box of stuffing mix in the cupbooard. 16 of 20 Tortilla Turkey Soup Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe:Tortilla Turkey Soup Forget the bland, day-after leftovers pulled begrudgingly from plastic Tupperware containers. Instead, with a few steps, you can create something everyone will love. This Mexican-inspired turkey soup has crunchy tortilla strips, creamy avocado, and fresh cilantro for a zesty day after Thanksgiving dish. And with those dropping temperatures, you'll love to have a big bowl of steaming soup to warm you up. 17 of 20 Leftover Turkey Casserole Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Recipe: Leftover Turkey Casserole This comforting casserole is like a warm hug. The list of ingredients is as familiar as your favorite tuna casserole, but enhanced with herbs and spices. Top with a delicious, crunchy mixture of panko breadcrumbs, butter, and cheese. 18 of 20 Leftover Turkey Rice Soup Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Leftover Turkey Rice Soup You'll want to roast turkey all the time just to make this flavorful rice soup. Wild rice and mushrooms add a heartiness you can really sink your teeth into—add more broth if you prefer a thinner consistency. This one is full of vegetables and herbs that you probably already have in your refrigerator after the Thanksgiving holiday. 19 of 20 Slow Cooker Turkey and Dumplings Soup Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow Cooker Turkey and Dumplings Soup Imagine old-fashioned chicken and dumplings, but better. Leftover turkey and vegetables simmer in a slow cooker until tender and succulent in a simple, well-seasoned broth, but the real star of the show here is the dumplings. The buttermilk dumplings are dropped into the simmering broth at the end, along with a spoonful of leftover gravy. 20 of 20 Turkey Tamales Alison Miksch Recipe: Turkey Tamales Follow an old Tex-Mex custom of turning leftover turkey into tamales. Wrapped in cornhusks and steamed to soft, flavorful perfection, these tamales offer a savory blend of cultural traditions. Top them with leftover cranberry sauce, and you'll never think of Thanksgiving leftovers the same way again. 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