Holiday Leftovers Recipe
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Let’s make good use of the extra food with these leftover Thanksgiving food ideas. In almost a split second, our Thanksgiving meal will be eaten, and many of us will move on to football or Black Friday. And, the leftovers from the big dinner sit in the fridge.
Some of the leftover Thanksgiving dinner food may end up forgotten and shoved to the back of the shelf until decades later. Someone in your house may even have the nerve to ask, “What’s to eat?”
I have included three recipes that turn the leftover Thanksgiving food ideas into a brand-new creation! Your family will not even know that they are eating leftovers from the holiday meal!
3 Holiday Leftovers Recipes
Shepherd’s Pie Made with Turkey or Meatless Alternative
Do you have leftover protein, mashed potatoes, and gravy? If so, you have the ingredients to make this holiday leftover recipe! If you don’t have leftovers, you can make up a batch of mashed potatoes, a small pan of gravy, and use turkey, hamburger, or a meat alternative like sauteed Smiling Hara’s tempeh. I used leftover nut loaf from my Thanksgiving dinner!
Makes 6 servings.
1 1/2 cups leftover Thanksgiving turkey or meat alternative
1/2 cup leftover gravy
1 small onion chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces of mushrooms sliced
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a medium-sized skillet and add olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the onion and carrots. Cook them until they are soft and almost begin to brown. Add mushrooms and cook them until they become translucent. Add turkey, ground beef, or a meat alternative.
Sprinkle in thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss in the frozen peas. Add gravy at the end and mix well. Transfer the veggie and protein mixture to an “oven-proof “baking dish. Add a thin layer of mashed potatoes and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Winter Squash Stuffed with Dressing
If you have leftover stuffing/dressing and a small pumpkin or winter squash left, this recipe can just hit the spot! 1/2 squash is a serving. The serving that this makes may vary due to how many leftovers and squash you have.
1 cup leftover Thanksgiving dressing
Sprinkling of dried cranberries
Chopped Apple (optional)
You could also add chopped pecans
Water to dampen the dressing so that it does not dry out in the squash
Cut the pumpkin or winter squash in half and remove the seeds. It is best if the pumpkin is sliced horizontally. Stuff the pumpkin with the stuffing/recipe. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for about 10 more minutes.
If you don’t have leftover squash and you would like to use a sweet potato, you can make a twice-baked sweet potato. Bake the sweet potato first, cool, scoop enough of it out to add the stuffing, and bake again about 15-20 minutes!
Cranberry Fruit Crisp
If you have leftover cranberry sauce left and try mixing it with some sliced apples or pears to make a delicious fruit crisp! Here is the recipe.
Make Your Delicious Leftover Thanksgiving Food Ideas
Now that you’ve seen some leftover Thanksgiving food ideas, let your creative juices flow to make more creative ideas out of what you have. And you don’t have to wait until the holidays to dress up a leftover. It can be a creative way to use what’s left in your freezer to reduce food waste and stretch your food dollars. Soups, protein bowls, salads, and casseroles are a great way to use up leftover food ingredients.
One important thing to consider is how long you can wait before you eat your leftover Thanksgiving dinner.
How Long Will Holiday Leftovers Keep?
I hope that you enjoy making these ideas for the leftover Thanksgiving meal. Or if you like leftovers as they were originally intended, you can eat them up that way. But be cautious not to keep the leftovers too long because they can spoil.
Here is a resource that provides information on how long you can keep certain foods. Food poisoning: How long can you safely keep leftovers? – Mayo Clinic
Enjoy making these leftover Thanksgiving meal ideas, or use them to create your own leftover recipes for Thanksgiving!
As a registered dietitian nutritionist living in Asheville, NC and I love helping people improve their health by making changes in their food choices! I specialize in working with women in midlife, and I am a Monash-trained low-FODMAP dietitian working in GI health and plant-based eating.
During the holidays, many people find working with a registered dietitian can help them stay on track! And I offer online courses and an online support group. You can find out more about me here!
