After roasting a big turkey and preparing a bevy of side dishes for Thanksgiving, chances are that you’ll have some leftovers.
From turkey to mashed potatoes to stuffing, these leftovers can fuel your meals for the next few days. There’s a couple tricks you can use to reheat them so they taste almost as good as on the big day. But there’s also ways you can use your leftovers in new ways that don’t require too much cooking.
Here’s a closer look at how you can use your Thanksgiving leftovers.
How long are Thanksgiving leftovers safe to eat?
If your leftovers are properly stored, then they can last three to four days before bacteria growth can spoil them, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. So, if you cook your food on Thursday, then by Monday it might be time to stop eating your leftovers.
Say you have more than three to four days worth of leftovers, you can always freeze your leftovers (just make sure to label them with the day). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that frozen leftovers will last anywhere from two to six months.
To optimize your leftovers, you can do a mix of refrigerated and frozen of what you have left. Create a couple plates and freeze them for when you want a hearty, homemade meal down the line and enjoy your other leftovers throughout the Thanksgiving weekend.
How do you save leftovers from Thanksgiving?
To maximize your Thanksgiving leftovers, you’ll want them to cool down and then you should store them in air-tight containers. According to Food Network, using multiple containers instead of one large container is the best way to store leftovers.
Using a series of airtight containers (labeled with the date), you can put them throughout your refrigerator, preferably not stacked, to save them.
How should I reheat Thanksgiving leftovers?
The microwave is one way to reheat Thanksgiving leftovers, but it isn’t the only way to do so. Here are a few tips to follow if you want to have fantastic tasting leftovers.
- Reheat your turkey in the oven with some turkey stock (chicken or vegetable would also work fine) and a teaspoon of garlic herb butter . You don’t need to use a lot of stock, just two or three tablespoons for each portion of turkey. It’ll help keep the turkey moist.
- Reheat your stuffing in the oven with turkey stock and butter or even on the stovetop if you want to crisp it up a bit. If you reheat on the stovetop, you can consider adding fresh herbs as you reheat to add some new life into it.
- For creamy mashed potatoes, take some butter and put it in a sauce pan. Add the potatoes along with a little bit of dairy (some milk, heavy cream or half and half) and stir until heated.
- Bread has a tendency to dry out. There are a couple of things you can do to combat this. You can spray the bread with a little bit of water before putting it in the oven to reheat it. Or you can forgo trying to have a pillowy soft roll and toast it and slather it with butter.
- Use gravy to your advantage. Turkey has a reputation for being notoriously dry. The reheating process often does not help it stay moist. Gravy can help you add moisture to your turkey and so it’s essential to keep it on hand after Thanksgiving.
10 ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers (besides just reheating them)
Reheating a plate or two of Thanksgiving food is delicious. There are other ways that you can use your leftovers to put a new spin on the food.
1. Roasted turkey and vegetable salads
Take your turkey and reheat it in the oven with butter and turkey stock (or you can eat it cold if you prefer it that way). Reheat your vegetables in the oven as well, and put both the turkey and vegetables on a bed of greens. You can whip together an apple-based or cranberry-based salad dressing to serve with it.
2. Turkey tacos
Add some olive oil to a skillet over medium heat and put in leftover turkey. Add freshly chopped bell peppers, onions and taco seasoning of your choice (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder are a good choice here). You can serve the tacos with just salsa and cilantro or you can make extras like beans, rices or a quick slaw to enhance the dish.
3. Potato pancakes
Take your leftover mashed potatoes and turn them into potato pancakes. Follow this recipe from the Food website if you haven’t made them yet.
4. Make a turkey pot pie
After making a big meal, you might not want to make more homemade pie crust, so store bought crust would work just fine here. Make a turkey pot pie by mixing together leftover turkey, vegetables (including mashed potatoes) and baking it in pie crust. You can even try to make this pot pie with green bean casserole if you’re feeling adventurous.
5. Turkey pizza
Grab some pizza crust and roll it out. Add some cheese and a sauce of your choice (traditional red sauce or pesto may be good options here). Put your turkey on top, along with some vegetables if you have them, and then bake it like you would any other pizza.
6. Turkey soup
If your turkey is on the dry side, this can be a great way to use it. Start with a soup pan and some olive oil. Add in your onions and celery, cook until translucent and then mix in some freshly minced garlic. If you have turkey stock on hand, use it now (though vegetable and chicken would also work). Season the soup, add in a bay leaf (don’t forget to take it out later) and put in your turkey. After the soup simmers, you can serve it over egg noodles (avoid adding directly to the soup until you are ready to serve) or even on top of some mashed potatoes.
7. Turkey grilled cheese
Make a grilled cheese with turkey, a smear of cranberry sauce and some brie for a new take on your leftovers.
8. Turn stuffing into muffins
Since turkey can be used as a substitute for chicken, it’s one of the easier leftovers to deal with, whereas stuffing might be trickier. Add some stock to your leftover stuffing along with some fresh herbs and a couple of eggs beaten together. Put this concoction into muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.
9. Stuffed mushrooms
Stuff some mushrooms with a mixture of your mashed potatoes and stuffing. Bake until golden brown on the top (you could also add cheese on top if that sounds good to you). You can serve this dish with gravy on top of it or with a side of sweet potato casserole.
10. Leftover casserole
Shepherd’s pie is something pretty specific, so I won’t call this idea shepherd’s pie, but it’s the same ballpark. Mix together your turkey, some gravy, stuffing and leftover vegetables and put at the bottom of a baking dish. Put a layer of mashed potatoes on top. Bake until the top is golden brown.