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food

47 Leftover Turkey Recipes You’ll Actually Want to Make the Day After Thanksgiving

By: Taryn Pire
Published: November 17, 2022

The only thing tougher than making Thanksgiving dinner without ending up with a dry turkey? Finishing the leftovers. What the heck are you supposed to do with pounds of leftover meat and a seemingly endless supply of stuffing? Well, we have a few ideas. Here, 47 leftover turkey recipes that will make you actually crave the holiday bird all over again.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling Erin McDowell

1. Spicy Turkey Enchiladas With Pumpkin Seeds

The Monterey jack, jalapeño and red enchilada sauce are expected. But the roasted pepitas are a seasonal surprise.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling Erin McDowell

2. Turkey Stromboli

Eight ingredients, eight servings, one hour. Go ahead, call your local pizzeria and brag away.

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What’s Gaby Cooking

3. Turkey Spaghetti Bake

Our favorite thing about this crowd-pleaser? It’s made with pantry staples you likely already have.

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Damn Delicious

4. Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Pesto Panini

Psst, it’s basically a caprese sandwich with lots of extra bells and whistles…including avocado.

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Half Baked Harvest

5. The Thanksgiving Leftovers Croque Madame

You’ve done it before: turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and a drizzle of gravy on bread. This time, do it right with a ton of cheese, Brussels sprouts…and a fried egg.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

6. Cranberry, Brussels Sprouts And Brie Skillet Nachos

All these beauties are missing is a pile of shredded turkey on top.

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Dinner at the Zoo

7. Turkey Pasta Carbonara

Sorry, not sorry. We’ll never get over this bacony dish, starring a creamy Parmesan sauce.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

8. White Turkey Chili With Avocado

Shredded turkey breast is our go-to after Thanksgiving, but a pound of ground turkey can fill in during the off-season.

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Pinch of Yum

9. Loaded Turkey Panini

This sandwich is loaded with goat cheese, Muenster and sage. Throw in some leftover sweet potatoes if your bread is sturdy enough.

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Foodie Crush

10. Turkey Avocado Tetrazzini

Never had tetrazzini? It’s basically white wine cream sauce, meat, mushrooms and pasta, so it’s pretty much bound to be delicious.

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The Endless Meal

11. Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Ground beef so doesn’t have dibs on this St. Patrick’s Day classic.

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Damn Delicious

12. Leftover Thanksgiving Sliders

Because literally *everything* tastes good on sweet Hawaiian rolls. Especially tangy cranberry sauce and Dijonnaise.

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Detoxinista

13. Leftover Turkey Soup

Baby, it’s cold outside. Luckily, this recipe will warm you up in 30 minutes.

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Half Baked Harvest

14. Thanksgiving Turkey Gumbo

Complete with Creole seasoning and Andouille sausage.

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Spend with Pennies

15. Turkey Cranberry Pasta Salad

Think summer is pasta salad season? You’re about to eat your words.

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The Creative Bite

16. Cheesy Cranberry Turkey Baked Sliders

These sammies are finished with Worcestershire-Dijon butter. So yeah, we’ll take three.

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Spend with Pennies

17. Turkey Roll Ups

This might be a great way to get rid of thin-sliced leftover turkey, but deli slices will work too.

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The Recipe Critic

18. Leftover Turkey Casserole

Every Thanksgiving side makes a cameo here, from the cornbread to the green beans.

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Foodie Crush

19. Turkey Pot Pie Soup

Come on. How can you resist those adorable pie-crust stars?

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Half Baked Harvest

20. One-pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie

Pomegranate salsa, cotija cheese and avocado make for a gorgeous finishing touch. Go ahead and throw some crumbled tortilla chips on top, too.

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Two Peas and Their Pod

21. Leftover Turkey Cranberry Melts

Have Havarti, will travel.

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Half Baked Harvest

22. Thanksgiving Turkey Hot Dish

Finish this festively-stuffed croissant skillet with a few runny eggs and voilà: You’ve got brunch.

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Carlsbad Cravings

23. Turkey Sliders With Cranberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

They have apple slaw, cranberry sauce and shredded turkey, but screw it. We’re making ’em no matter what season it is.

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Damn Delicious

24. Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Pot Pie

You may want to stock up on frozen corn, carrots and peas. Your kids will be begging to have this for dinner again, like tomorrow.

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Yellow Bliss Road

25. Creamy Turkey And Stuffing Casserole

The two most important dishes on your holiday table in one ooey-gooey dish.

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Half Baked Harvest

26. Turkey Enchiladas

Excuse us, we have a date with butternut squash and homemade cranberry salsa.

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Ambitious Kitchen

27. Slow Cooker Black Bean Quinoa Pumpkin Chili

Just swap the chicken thighs for leftover shredded turkey and you’re in business. A side of cornbread won’t hurt either.

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Floating Kitchen

28. Turkey Tacos With Brussels Sprouts And Cranberry Sauce

TBH, we’ll eat anything that’s topped with cheese and wrapped in a tortilla.

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Salt and Wind

29. Shredded Turkey Cranberry Waldorf Salad

All you need is 15 minutes to tackle this pecan- and apple-speckled gem.

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Averie Cooks

30. Easy 30-minute Turkey Noodle Soup

Bust this recipe out every time one of your kid’s catch cold. It’s just like grandma’s chicken version.

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A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

31. Creamy White Turkey Lasagna

Anything ground turkey can do shredded turkey can do better.

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Half Baked Harvest

32. Turkey And Wild Rice Pot Pie

Sure, you can make one pot pie in a giant skillet. But minis baked in ramekins or tiny skillets are so much cuter.

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Half Baked Harvest

33. One-pot Creamy Turkey And Potato Dumplings

There’s no cure for a blustery November night like a soul-warming bowl of this stuff. BTW, the dumplings are made of airy mashed potatoes instead of traditional dough.

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Damn Delicious

34. Turkey Cranberry Grilled Cheese

Sourdough and tangy cranberry sauce are the ideal pair for cheese and savory roast turkey.

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Foodie Crush

35. Pasta With Turkey Sausage And Peas

Meet orecchiette’s new best friend. Swap ground turkey for shredded—it can definitely handle all that fennel.

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Yellow Bliss Road

36. Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl

Believe it or not, homemade teriyaki sauce is a lot easier to whip up than you might think. It’s mostly made from pantry staples, like garlic and ginger.

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Damn Delicious

37. Hawaiian Bbq Turkey Flatbread Pizza

That’s right, pineapple on pizza. Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it, folks.

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Yellow Bliss Road

38. Easy Turkey Taco Stuffed Peppers

OK, this is a wild idea. But the filling is just right for burritos if bell peppers aren’t your thing. Just saying.

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Yellow Bliss Road

39. Cranberry Chicken Puffs

The recipe calls for chicken, but cranberries are pretty much turkey’s bae at this point. So, we’ll definitely be trading one bird for another.

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Yellow Bliss Road

40. Turkey Taco Stuffed Shells

For those times when you can’t decide between taco night and pasta night. Trade tortillas for shells and go all in with the fixin’s.

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Foodie Crush

41. Curry Turkey Pot Pie With Homemade Butter Pie Crust

Curry powder gives this masterpiece an extra dose of warm, fall-inspired spice.

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Grandbaby Cakes

42. The Best Authentic Southern Mustard Greens With Smoked Turkey

Sick of turkey? The leftover Thanksgiving ham hock also wants in on this soul food staple.

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Two Peas and Their Pod

43. Turkey Havarti Bagel Sandwich

Never underestimate the power of a pretty lunch.

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Spoon Fork Bacon

44. Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich With A Moist Maker

Friends fans, this one’s for you. In case you don’t know, a moist maker is a leftovers sandwich with a gravy-soaked slice of bread in the middle. You can thank us later.

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Grandbaby Cakes

45. Turkey Empanadas

We honestly wouldn’t blame you if you served these for a Thanksgiving entrée instead of a whole bird.

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Spend with Pennies

46. Turkey Sandwich

OK, this staple gets a bad rap. This recipe will remind you why you packed turkey sandwiches for lunch in the first place.

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Cooking with Janica

47. Thanksgiving Leftovers Pizza

The leftover goat cheese from Thanksgiving cocktail hour is ready for its second life.

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RELATED Your Go-To Guide on How to Cook Turkey Breast

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