What To Do With Thanksgiving Leftovers

Some of my favorite recipes with Thanksgiving leftovers, as well as ideas for incorporating leftovers into lunches and dinners for the coming days!

We made it! To the day before Thanksgiving, in the middle of a pandemic, after a very stressful election season.

AND THEN, we get to plan what to do with our Thanksgiving leftovers! I know lots of people prefer to repeat the meal a few times, which I'm fully on board with, but I also like doing different things without wasting anything.

So, with no fanfare, here are my suggestions for what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers. Enjoy! (PS, I love these glass containers for leftovers, and I bet they'll be on sale a bunch of places this week!)

1. Cranberry sauce and Turkey: Cranberry Turkey Salad. My absolute favorite! I love having a batch of this with crackers or on sandwiches or salads for a few days after Thanksgiving.
2. Ham: Sandwiches, sure, or chop it up, fry it like bacon (crispy ham, omg), and make a super simple basic quiche. Roasted veggies are great chopped up in this, too! Or, a big batch of Ham Delights keep really well in the freezer for football watching afternoons!
3. Roasted Veggies: if you have a lot of roasted veggies leftover, chop them up and make a dressing (peanut dressing or lemon vinaigrette are my pics), then add some greens, goat cheese, toasted nuts for a big salad. This is a great use up for any roasted veggies AND salad stuff!
4. Mashed Potatoes: Mashed potato cakes for breakfast! A big day-after brunch with these mashed potato pancakes sounds very, very yummy.
5. Turkey: Shred it and throw it into a cheesy noodle casserole! Stick it in the freezer for a gift to your future self, or eat it one night next week for a welcome-to-December happy cozy meal.
6. Casseroles: I know there are big nutso leftover Thanksgiving casseroles out there, but I'm not here to suggest that. Instead, use up casseroles and other sides by making a fresh protein. Green bean casserole is different with marinated grilled chicken, asparagus casserole is a regular dinner with easy pan seared salmon, that sort of thing.

OK, that's it. I love getting creative with things like this because it helps so much in reducing waste OR getting sick of the same old thing (and one can for sure cause the other). Plus, once you practice leftover-ing a little bit, it gets easier and easier to think about how to use up what's in your fridge.

Are you team "eat the same thing over and over again until it's over" or new recipes with Thanksgiving leftovers?