Dinner is over, and everyone has pushed back from the table, but one look tells you that you barely made a dent in your Thanksgiving feast. Looks like leftovers for days.
And sure, on Black Friday, those leftovers are a godsend (and still really tasty), but by Monday? Yeah. It's too much.
I've been there, even after sending every guest home with a generous plate of food for later. So here's another thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend... every element of your feast can be transformed into something new and tasty, so you're not stuck reliving Thanksgiving dinner (minus the family tension) over and over again.
We have all sorts of ideas for you about how to store Thanksgiving foods, how long they last in the fridge, how well they freeze, and how to transform a little or a lot into something delicious that everyone will be delighted to dive into long after turkey day has passed.
Turkey
Turkey is tasty right after it comes out of the oven, and even the day after Thanksgiving. But over the course of a few days, it dries out and starts to feel a whole lot less special. But we have ideas to use every bit of your turkey (innards aside) in the tastiest ways possible.
The trick to keeping turkey from drying out is to seal it well in zipper bags or a reusable air-tight container. It'll keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and freeze well for up to 6 months. Use our reheating guide to keep it moist if you're serving a second day of turkey.
If You Have a Few Ounces
If you only have a few ounces of turkey left (and truly, when does that ever happen?), you can give it new life in a panini or grilled cheese. I like to spread the bread with pesto (or, if you have some cranberries leftover, cranberry sauce), and add a few ounces of grated smoked gouda. Brush some melted butter on the outside of the bread and pop it in a pan or panini press for an ooey-gooey sandwich that does justice to turkey.
If You Have 1-2 Cups
If you have one or two cups of turkey left, you have enough to do all sorts of things.
- Grab some phyllo dough and make these turkey phyllo rolls from The Flavor Bender.
- You can also put it in a few cups of pre-made broth with some veggies for a quick soup.
- Chop it up for your favorite salad (I'm a big fan of making Cobb salad or a chopped salad with leftover turkey instead of chicken).
- You can also combine a few cups of leftover turkey with leftover dinner rolls sliced in half to make fun sliders. Mix the turkey with BBQ sauce for a pulled turkey vibe, put it between the dinner rolls, brush the top with butter, and heat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes to warm them up.
If You Have Two or More Cups
If you have more than two cups of turkey leftover (and who are we kidding, most people do), then you can make a full family meal.
- Try one of these tasty turkey soup recipes from allrecipes.
- Cook up a comfort food classic with one of our three turkey casseroles.
Don't waste that turkey carcass. You can make stock for your soup by adding the carcass, a few carrots, a peeled and chopped onion, a few celery stalks, and the herbs (I use herb stems leftover from cooking Thanksgiving dinner) and seasonings of your choice to water and simmering it, uncovered, for a few hours. It's a tasty way to reduce food waste.
Stuffing
Stuffing is my absolute favorite post-Thanksgiving leftover. I'm a fan of just reheating it with some gravy to keep it moist, but that's not your only option.
Stuffing stores well. It'll keep in a sealed container or bag for up to 4 days and in the freezer for six months. Reheat in a 350°F oven covered in foil for 20-30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes if you prefer it crispy.
If You Have Less Than 1 Cup
Make leftover stuffing into your breakfast by shaping it into two patties (add a beaten egg if the stuffing is super dry, otherwise it should hold its shape pretty well) and frying it on the stovetop in your favorite fat until it's browned on both sides. Serve topped with a poached or fried egg, and, if you're feeling fancy, some hollandaise sauce like this no-fail version from Downshiftology.
If You Have 1-2 Cups
Stuff some peppers (or anything else you want to stuff). Stuff the peppers tightly with stuffing and put them in a 350°F preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until the peppers are soft and the stuffing is cooked through.
If You Have More Than 2 Cups
Make meatballs. Soak the leftover stuffing in about a half cup of milk, and add 2 pounds of your favorite ground meat. Add any seasonings you want, plus an egg, and form it into one-inch meatballs. Stick them in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours for an easy supper.
Mashed Potatoes
Boy, do I love mashed potatoes. They are my comfort food, so I'm always thrilled to see them last beyond Thanksgiving.
You can refrigerate or freeze mashed potatoes, tightly sealed. They'll hold for up to 4 days in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. To reheat, add a little butter or milk and heat them on the stovetop on medium, stirring, until warmed through.
If You Have Less Than 1 Cup
Mashed potato bowls make a yummy meal for one. Add a few ounces of your favorite meat, some gravy (if you want), and a cooked veg. Then, heat them in the microwave until warmed through, usually 1-2 minutes. It's a delicious way to finish up your mashies. My mom used to cut up hot dogs in them, add a little canned corn, and some grated cheddar. So good!
If You Have 1-2 Cups
Make potato croqueetes using our delicious recipe. For two cups, halve all the ingredients in the recipe and start with step five. For one cup, quarter all the ingredients.
If You Have 2+ Cups
Shepherd's pie is a great way to use up leftover potatoes (and you can even add leftover turkey meat to our shepherd's pie recipe if you want). You can also use them in place of tater tots in the classic casserole recipe.
Related: Spud Lovers' Guide to Making Perfect Potatoes Every Time
Sweet Potatoes
For mashed sweet potatoes, you can use them the same way you would use regular mashed potatoes above (unless they have marshmallows on top. Then, maybe just reheat them). If you have roasted sweet potatoes (my favorites!), you have lots of options. Try one of our leftover sweet potato ideas, or one of the ideas below.
Sweet potatoes can be refrigerated and frozen just like potatoes, and you can reheat them on the stovetop in a little bit of butter or oil until they're crispy.
If You Have Less Than a Cup
Make sweet potato hash for breakfast. In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of oil or fat and add the cut-up sweet potatoes and a little chopped onion. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are browned and crisp. Serve topped with a fried or poached egg.
Have the marshmallow kind of sweet taters left over? Add a cup to a smoothie!
If You Have 1-2 Cups
If you have a cup or two of sweet potatoes, add them cold to your favorite salad or stir them into soup (they're really good in corn chowder) or your favorite chili recipe about five minutes before serving.
If You Have 2+ Cups
Need to make sweet potatoes the star? Add them to a sweet potato curry (like this one from Jessica in the Kitchen) for a warming and hearty supper everyone will love.
Cranberry Sauce
I know, I know. Cranberry sauce means different things to different people. To my dad, it was a tube of cranberry jelly straight out of the can, laid sideways on a plate that everyone sliced. To me, it's homemade and flavored with oranges and warm spices. But whether you favor homemade or the stuff in a can, you have plenty of options for leftovers.
Homemade cranberry sauce lasts quite a while in the fridge and freezer, so you can dole it out over time if you have a ton leftover. It'll keep for up to two weeks in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer as long as you tightly seal it.
If You Have Less Than One Cup
If you've never tried it, let me introduce you to one of life's little pleasures: warm, gooey brie cheese topped with cranberry sauce. It couldn't be easier. Use our guide to brie cheese to warm it up, and then top it with the cranberry sauce when you pull it out of the oven. It's an elegant and totally yummy way to use cranberry sauce.
It's also delicious layered with yogurt and granola in a breakfast parfait. Trust me!
If You Have 1-2 Cups
Make a glaze for turkey or beef. The sweet-savory combo is utterly mouthwatering. To make the glaze, cook 1 tablespoon of minced shallot in oil or butter until soft, and then add the cranberry sauce and a teaspoon of fresh or dried rosemary. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat. Cook, stirring, until it's halved in volume. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
If You Have 2+ Cups
Make a delicious dessert like the mini cheesecakes with cranberry sauce in our set of four Thanksgiving desserts. Not into baking after all that turkey day meal prep? Pick up a plain cheesecake at the grocery store and top it with cranberry sauce. Easy peasy.
Pie Crust
Wait! Don't throw those pie crust trimmings away! While you probably won't have a ton of leftover pie crust, that doesn't mean you can't use it to make something terrific. Try one of our 15 ideas for leftover pie crust and use every flaky bite!
To store leftover pie crust, wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to three months.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
Once you check out our 10 sweet ideas of things to do with leftover pumpkin pie filling, you may make extra just to ensure you have some left over. From popsicles to pancakes, extend pumpkin spice season by whipping up something marvelous.
Pumpkin pie filling will store in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to a year.
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Whipped Cream
I'm going to guess that you probably won't be at a loss over what to do with extra whipped cream (put it on all the things, from hot chocolate to pancakes). But what a lot of people struggle with is storing the homemade stuff, because it gets a little watery and starts to separate over a few days. To store the whipped cream, put a wire colander in a bowl, put the whipped cream in the colander, cover it with plastic, and refrigerate. It'll last for up to seven days, and all the water will go into the bowl and not the cream.
If you're making homemade whipped cream and want it to last beyond the dessert, replace the granulated sugar with an equal amount of powdered sugar to stabilize it.
Wine
Okay, so we seldom have leftover wine at my house, but I've heard a rumor that it can happen! Wine starts to oxidize quickly after it's open, so you'll want to use it up in 3 days or less. That's why we have 12 ways you can use up leftover wine, from craft projects to tasty desserts. I'm partial to poached pears.
Sandwiches Are Tasty, but You Have Options
You can always make a sandwich with all your leftover Thanksgiving fixings, but sandwiches get old after a while, too. So shake it up with one of our delicious turkey day leftovers ideas that won't have you reliving Thanksgiving over and over.
