20 Leftover Turkey Recipes for the Days After Thanksgiving

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.