Just like stuffing is a crowd-pleaser, we would say that Thanksgiving leftovers are one of the best parts of Thanksgiving dinner. We know that you have the optimal proportions for that cranberry sauce stuffing – mashed potato – turkey sandwich topped with gravy the next day. These are other grand ideas for your leftover feast, where you’ll look forward these Thanksgiving leftover recipes. We would go as far to say, almost as much as the Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving Pot Pie

The Leftovers: Turkey, Stuffing, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

For the Filling:

3 cups leftover turkey, shredded or chopped
1 cup leftover green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
Fleur du sel and pepper to taste

For the Crust

2 sheets puff pastry, like Dufour

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 5-7 minutes. Next, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well to coat. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.

Gradually whisk in the turkey or chicken broth, followed by the milk. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

Now it’s time to add the filling. Add the shredded turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, peas, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine all the ingredients evenly. Simmer for an additional 5-7 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let the filling cool slightly.

Roll out one sheet of puff pastry and line the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan with it. Trim any excess crust hanging over the edge. Next, pour the turkey filling into the prepared pie crust.

Roll out the second sheet of pie crust and place it over the filling. Trim the edges and crimp the edges of the crust to seal the pie. Cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking. Place the pie on a baking sheet (to catch any potential spills) and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Allow the turkey pot pie to cool for a few minutes before serving. You can also make this a vegetarian pot pie by leaving out the turkey and substituting the chicken broth for a vegetable broth. Either way it’s a nice crowd-pleasing casserole-type dish to place on the buffet.

Vegetarian Popover Sandwiches

The Leftovers: Popovers, Sweet potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Salad + Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

The beauty of this Thanksgiving leftover recipe is that the ingredients are your actual leftovers. Line up those popovers, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, mushroom gravy, salad  & Brussels sprouts and get ready to assemble.

Directions

Warm up the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushroom gravy and cranberry sauce in separate pots on the stove over medium to medium low heat. The key is to warm, not to cook the leftovers. Also warm up your popovers in the oven at around 200 degrees for about 5 minutes.

Create an assembly line of your leftovers, placing the pots of the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry right on the countertop. The Brussels sprouts and salad should be place in nice serving dishes too. The popovers can be placed in a large bread basket and covered with a towel to keep them warm. This makes for the perfect open house brunch for guests to make that perfect Thanksgiving leftover sandwich. We would say this is the most classic of the Thanksgiving leftover recipes you can make this season. We’ve known family members to even make these for a second round of food the day of Thanksgiving. Either way it’s a crowd pleaser.

Turkey Wild Rice Soup

The Leftovers: Turkey, Crudite including carrots and celery

The purpose of these Thanksgiving leftover recipes is to keep them simple and reduce food waste by using the beautiful food your prepared. This turkey wild rice soup recipes introduces some new ingredients like the rice but is still simple to prepare. Also the veggie platters go great chopped up in this soup, if you want to add zucchini or other leftover crudite to taste. I personally like fennel in this recipe too.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked turkey, shredded or diced
1 1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup carrots, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3 shallots, finely chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
Fleur du sel and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to create a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.

Gradually whisk in the turkey or chicken broth, ensuring there are no lumps. Add thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add shredded turkey and cooked wild rice to the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the milk and heavy cream. Heat the mixture until it’s warmed through but not boiling. Gradually add the milk and cream mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Continue to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes until the soup has thickened slightly. Adjust the seasoning with the fleur du sel and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf. Serve the soup hot, garnished with fresh parsley.

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