How to remake Thanksgiving leftovers into classic dishes

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and you’ve got a bunch of Thanksgiving leftovers.

That’s good news since you’re probably tired from all that cooking the day before

Americans consume 365 million pounds of turkey, 250 million pounds of all kinds of potatoes, and 77 million pounds of ham, according to Neilsen. That doesn’t include pies, vegetables, rolls and more. That leaves a lot of Thanksgiving leftovers.

For the day after Thanksgiving, you don’t want to run to the store and buy more stuff when your fridge is overflowing with … stuff. And you sure don’t want to do any heavy cooking. Been there, done that. 

But you will get hungry today and might want something different than a repeat of Thursday’s meals. So here are 10 ways you can transform Thanksgiving leftovers into hearty meals.

10 ways to transform Thanksgiving leftovers

Ham

Croque Monsieur

Chances are, you can make these Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches with what you have at home. If you’ve never made a Croque Monsieur, think of these as French toast sandwiches. You make the sandwich, coat it in an egg batter, and then cook on each side, just like French toast. You need bread, leftover ham, cheese, and mustard. The traditional sandwich uses gruyere cheese and Dijon mustard, but it’s OK to use whatever cheese and mustard you have at home.

Ham and cheese frittata

A frittata is a quiche without the crust. Why bake?  Make a simple frittata with eggs, ham, spinach, and/or mushrooms (if you have some), cheese, and cream. It’s easy. Cook down the vegetables in an over-proof pan, stir in six to eight eggs with a bit of cream, add the ham, and cook until the eggs start to set. Add the cheese on top, slide the pan in the oven, and cook until the eggs are completely set. 

A side of leftover vegetables or potatoes goes great with either dish. 

Turkey

Turkey risotto with mushrooms

If you can make a dish with chicken, you can make it with turkey. For the risotto, you need arborio rice, chicken stock, parmesan cheese, and cream. For mushrooms, shitakes have a rich taste that compliments the cream. For turkey, you can use white or dark meat. Cooking the risotto takes the most time, but once it’s done, you’ll have an amazing dish.

Turkey, cheese, and fresh cranberry sliders

These terrific little Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches will not last long. They’re that tasty. Remember, you need fresh cranberry sauce, not canned stuff. You can make these treats on any soft rolls you have from the day before. Spread a little butter and Dijon mustard on the bottom of one roll, then add turkey, cheese, and cranberry. Top with the other half of the roll. Make six to 12 of these at a time, wrap in aluminum foil and bake in the oven until the cheese gets nice and gooey. Leftover mac and cheese kills with these.

Sweet potato

Sweet potato waffles with leftover ham

There are so many things you can do with leftover sweet potatoes. Sweet potato waffles are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and they’re so easy. Just add some of the leftover sweet potatoes to your waffle batter and that’s it. If you don’t have a waffle iron, use your batter to make fluffy pancakes instead. (The batter’s about the same). Then, take a slice of the left-over ham, place it on top of the waffle, and drizzle with syrup.

Sweet potato patties

These delicate patties make the perfect side dish and are easy to make. You need egg and enough flour that the patties say together and don’t break. Use whatever seasonings you like, though cumin and cinnamon do well. If you want these crunchy, coat them in panko. Then, cook them on a stovetop in some oil until they’re warmed and browned, or cook them in the oven. Take a piece of leftover ham and some cranberry sauce, and you’re ready. 

Cornbread

Cornbread fritters

Most cornbread fritter recipes call for using the batter and making a fritter in the shape of a pancake. With these, you crumble up your leftover cornbread, add some cheddar cheese, and maybe a little milk so it forms into small balls. You roll the balls in milk and eggs and then in panko breadcrumbs. Panko’s great because you don’t have to deep fry these. You can cook them in a hot oven until they come out crunchy. These delicious fritters make a perfect day-after snack but could use a dipping sauce. That’s where the leftover cranberry sauce comes in. 

Johnny cakes

This is another dish you can eat throughout the day, though it’s best right out of the pan. Johnny cakes use cornmeal instead of all flour, which is the primary difference between the Johnny and a pancake. Take some of that leftover cornbread and crumble it into flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt, and cook just like a pancake. The Caribbean method calls for making a dough, letting it rest, and frying, which might be too much the day after Thanksgiving. Either way, all you need is a little cinnamon butter or preserves on top, accompanied by a piece of that leftover ham.

Cranberry sauce

Cranberry cream cheese spread

You can use jellied cranberries, but it’s best to use fresh cranberry sauce, which has a better texture. It’s easy. Take 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, gently fold in some of the cranberry (to taste), add in some orange zest or lemon juice, and that’s it. It’s a fantastic spread for those cornbread fritters. 

Other options: Cranberry muffins, cranberry barbecue sauce, and cranberry bruschetta.

 Mac and Cheese

Nacho Mac and Cheese

Remember that bad children’s joke? What do you call a cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho cheese! That’s still a bad joke. Nacho mac and cheese, however, is not bad. It’s good because it’s tasty and flexible. Start with tortilla chips. Then, add milk and cheese to the leftover mac and cheese to make it extra creamy. Pour it over the nachos and then build any way you want. A little black bean, some cilantro, maybe jalapenos and tomato, with a lime squeeze on top, sounds good. Since we don’t want to work too hard, chop up a little leftover turkey and use that, too. And if you want more cheese, go for it. Add it on top, and place the nachos under the broiler until you get melty goodness. And when someone sees how good it is and tries to get a bite, you can say, “Nacho cheese!”

Other options: Fried mac and cheese bites, mac and cheese in muffin cups, creamy mac, cheese and turkey

Never miss a beat: Get our daily stories straight to your inbox with theGrio’s newsletter