Give Thanksgiving leftovers new life in soup, sandwiches and more

Leftovers are a way of life in my house. Without them, I’m not sure how I’d get through a workweek filled with long commutes, parenting, after-school activities and pet care. In that context, extra food is a necessity. Around Thanksgiving, it feels like a luxury.

The days after the holiday are not just the typical “cook once, eat twice.” They’re more like “cook once, eat three or four times.” How can you not love that? A lot of the hard work is already done, and now you can reap the benefits.

Of course, you can put as much or as little into reinventing leftovers as you want. Re-create your Thanksgiving plate with a protein and a few sides. Tuck some of this and that into a bounteous sandwich, whether on rolls, focaccia or a savory loaf. (If the fillings aren’t falling out, you’re doing it wrong.) Put more thought, and a few extra ingredients, into the meal and you can whip up enticing soups, pot pies, hashes and more.

Below you’ll find some of our favorite uses for leftovers from our recipe archives to help you make the most of surplus turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

Before we start, some reminders: Perishable Thanksgiving dishes (turkey, many sides) should not sit out at room temperature for more than two hours. (Less is better!) Eat or freeze leftovers within four days.

Leftover Turkey Chili

Pictured above. I made this Aaron Hutcherson recipe at least a half-dozen times last year with the individual containers of turkey I stashed in the freezer. Canned green chiles add oomph, while canned white beans and frozen green beans fill things out, though you can use what you need to finish up or have around the house. Get the recipe.

Thanksgiving Soup

While this recipe was written with ground turkey as the primary ingredient, Daniela Galarza offers tips for how to make it with leftover turkey, too. Have extra dried stuffing? Use that for the topping. (Don’t miss our rankings if you’re looking to snag a box on postholiday discount.) A variety of surplus greens and vegetables would work here as well. Get the recipe.

Grilled Cheese With Turkey and Cranberry Sauce

I’m a big proponent of adding fruity jams or spreads to grilled cheese sandwiches, which is exactly what Aaron does with this simple recipe that helps you use up not one but two Thanksgiving staples. Get the recipe.

Turkey Pot Pie With Stuffing Topping

In this recipe from Daniela, you’ll need cooked stuffing, which is moistened and bound with a little extra liquid to turn it essentially into dumplings that top this skillet pot pie. Surplus turkey and green beans, or whatever vegetables you have, go into the dish, too. Get the recipe.

Turkey Stroganoff on Toast

Coat turkey in a bold and creamy sauce featuring garlic, smoked paprika and sour cream, then pile onto crisp pieces of toast. Or serve on top of your favorite starch or grain. (Mashed potatoes? Sure!) Get the recipe.

Southwest-Style Turkey Hash With Creamy Avocado-Cilantro Sauce

If you’re the kind of person who immediately wants to pivot away from the standard flavors of the Thanksgiving meal, consider this zesty hash, which ensures you will eat a ton more vegetables along with that leftover turkey. Get the recipe.

Turkey Tetrazzini With Butternut Squash Sauce

Use two types of leftovers — turkey and butternut squash — in this lightened-up dish that features whole-wheat spaghetti and eliminates the typical butter and cream from the sauce. Get the recipe.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Po’ Boy

This sandwich is designed for leftovers, specifically cornbread dressing, gravy, turkey and cranberry sauce. Get the recipe.

Chicken Pot Pies With Phyllo Crust

This individual pot pie recipe, written with chicken and frozen vegetables in mind, is easy to adapt to leftover Thanksgiving turkey and sides. Get the recipe.

Turkey and Pea Cottage Pie

Similarly, replace the ground turkey with cooked meat here, use whatever extra vegetables you have and top with leftover white or sweet mashed potatoes. (For a meatless option, see this farmer’s pie.) Get the recipe.

Monte Cristo Sandwich

This classic combo of French toast and grilled ham and cheese comes together “for an over-the-top, battered and fried sandwich,” former recipes editor Ann Maloney says. For post-Thanksgiving meals, fill the sandwiches with roast turkey and substitute cranberry sauce for the raspberry jam. Get the recipe.

Turkey, Cranberry and Sriracha Strata

Use leftover bread (or cinnamon-raisin bread as the recipe suggests), spinach or kale, cranberry sauce, turkey and cheddar for this tasty strata. Get the recipe.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

You can use up leftover turkey and turkey broth in this quick soup. (Don’t forget to make a fantastic turkey stock from leftover bones). Get the recipe.

Any Vegetable Instant Pot Soup

As the name indicates, the beauty of this recipe is how many different vegetables you can use in the soup because it’s all pureed in the end. Crisped-up stuffing (with or without meat, depending on your needs) would be a fantastic topping, too. Get the recipe.

Pumpkin Cranberry Waffles

You can have leftovers for breakfast! Use any remaining pumpkin puree from pie-baking and add to the batter for these waffles. Dollop cranberry sauce on top. (You can also go the waffle route with leftover stuffing: Just put it inside your waffle machine, press down and presto, stuffing waffle.) Get the recipe.