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Charlie & Debbie

Leftover Thanksgiving Dishes That Go Beyond Sandwiches

By Debbie Nance

I love Thanksgiving food more than any other holiday of the year. However, no matter what I do, we always have way too many leftover Thanksgiving dishes. Don’t get me wrong. I love leftovers for one or two meals. But, after that, they have to go or be transformed. Sandwiches are easy and delicious. And, sending the bulk of leftovers home with guests is a great option. Of course, if like us, you didn’t have guests, you get to keep them all. So, besides sandwiches, what inventive ways can you transform all those leftover Thanksgiving dishes? Thrillist had a bunch of ideas for taking the leftovers to new heights. But, I have a few of my own ideas. Some of what I’ll share are recipes I created. Other ideas I found by doing a little research. It all adds up to some delicious and exciting new ways to use up the Thanksgiving feast without getting bored!

  • Thanksgiving Leftover Egg Rolls

    One of my favorite things I ever did with leftovers was turn them into egg rolls. If you’ve never used egg roll wrappers you can find in the store, I highly recommend them. They’re usually found in the refrigerator area near the produce. They come in a package of perfect little squares of dough. They’re so versatile. In fact, I use them for dumplings, potstickers and ravioli, too. For this recipe, I filled them with turkey, stuffing, green beans and corn. I stuffed, rolled and sealed them up before dropping them into some oil to fry. Then, I used some leftover cranberry sauce mixed with some soy sauce to make a yummy dipper. They were delicious.

    Thanksgiving Leftover Egg Rolls

  • Sweet Potato Casserole Waffle With Cranberry Syrup

    Another of my successful leftover Thanksgiving dishes was my Sweet Potato Casserole Waffle with Cranberry Syrup.  I just took my favorite waffle mix and added some of the leftover sweet potato casserole to it.  I made it in the waffle iron according to the mix instructions.  They cooked up beautifully golden and crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside.  Then, I added some leftover cranberry sauce to some syrup.  I warmed it up and poured it over the waffles!  They made a fantastic breakfast/brunch item.  You can even add a dollop of that leftover whipped cream you made for the pie.

  • Pumpkin Pie Parfaits

    A great way to use some of that pumpkin pie is to incorporate it into a parfait.  I took some help from my pantry, too.  I had some granola.  So, I layered granola, broken up pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce and yogurt in a pretty glass.  I topped it with whipped cream I had for the pie on Thanksgiving.  And, it was so amazing.  Plus, it only took a couple of minutes to throw together.

  • Cranberry BBQ Sauce Turkey Sliders

    Of course, if you do want a turkey sandwich, I found a super yummy one.  It’s a fresh new take on the typical fare.  It comes from Food Network Chef Giada DeLaurentiis.  Her Cranberry BBQ Sauce Turkey Sliders make use of the cranberries in the sauce.  And, it adds a crunchy bright slaw that helps use up some of that leftover apple and celery.  And, I love that it’s on a slider roll.  You can totally use some of the leftover dinner rolls if you happen to have any left!  But, we loved this.  So, give it a try.

  • Turkey Pot Pie

    A turkey pot pie makes perfect sense.  You have the turkey, plenty of veggies and maybe some unused pie dough.  Combine it all together, and you have a delicious turkey pot pie.  The great thing about doing this is that it’s so flexible.  Depending on what you have left, the recipe can be adjusted accordingly.  There’s plenty of recipes out there.  But, again, Food Network is very reliable, so try this one out from Pioneer Woman.  Or, another, from Pillsbury.

  • Shepherd's Pie

    Another way to go similar to the pot pie, is to make a shepherd’s pie.  Instead of using pie dough as a topper, you can use up your leftover mashed potatoes.  It would even be good with mashed sweet potatoes.  I love the idea of using a bunch of different leftovers all in one dish. I found one from Rachel Ray that sounds really yummy.

     

  • Pizza

    And, what could be better than turning that leftover feast into a delicious pizza?  Think about how easy that would be.  And, it would taste completely different than the Thanksgiving meal.  Grab a pre-made dough, some turkey and veggies.  If you had a charcuterie board at any point during the celebration, you probably have some leftover cheese and maybe even pepperoni or salami.  Presto!  You have pizza.

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