Transform Thanksgiving Leftovers into Delicious Meals

Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes

By the day after Thanksgiving, most kitchens look the same: a tray of turkey, a tub of mashed potatoes, some stuffing, and a jar of cranberry sauce that barely got touched. This collection turns all those components into new dinners—soups, sandwiches, casseroles, patties, and a quiche—so nothing goes to waste.

If turkey is all you have left, check the dedicated Leftover Turkey Recipes roundup for even more ideas. Each chicken-based recipe below includes a clear turkey swap note so you know exactly what to change.

Why You’ll Love These Recipes

• Every leftover finds a use. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn, and even ham are put to good work.
• Simple swaps. Recipes that call for cooked chicken work equally well with turkey—each entry tells you what to skip or adjust.
• Beyond sandwiches. You’ll find soups, hot pockets, casseroles, patties, and a quiche so leftovers feel like brand-new meals.
• Quick weeknight options. Several dishes come together in 45 minutes or less for a fast, satisfying dinner.
• Make once, eat twice. Many soups and casseroles make large batches you can freeze for busy nights later in the season.

How To Use Thanksgiving Leftovers

A few simple guidelines will help your leftovers shine in new recipes.

• Swap turkey for chicken one-to-one. Chop or shred the turkey and measure it the same way the recipe calls for chicken.
• Add turkey at the end. Since it’s already cooked, it only needs to be warmed through—long simmering will dry it out.
• Skip raw-chicken steps. If a recipe has you sear or smoke raw chicken, omit that step and start with the cooked turkey.
• Restore moisture. A splash of broth, a spoonful of gravy, or a little cream prevents reheated turkey from drying.
• Mix white and dark meat. Dark meat brings extra flavor and juiciness to dishes.
• Reheat safely. Heat leftovers to 165°F before serving.

Featured Recipe: Turkey Cranberry Sliders

If you try only one recipe, make these Turkey Cranberry Sliders. Layer turkey, cranberry sauce, and Swiss cheese on Hawaiian rolls, top with a poppy-seed butter glaze, and bake until melty. They take about 35 minutes and make a dozen sliders. You can assemble them ahead and bake later—deli turkey works if you’ve already used the roasted bird.

Recipe: Turkey Cranberry Sliders with Swiss and Hawaiian Rolls

Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup

Perfect for the day after Thanksgiving: simmer the turkey carcass into a rich stock, then add wild rice, carrots, celery, handmade noodles, and the shredded meat. This is a slow-cooked comfort project—about 4 hours 20 minutes—but the reward is a deeply flavored soup.

Recipe: Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

A one-pot, restaurant-style soup with pillowy gnocchi, baby spinach, carrots, celery, and cream. Ready in about an hour and easily adapted for turkey.

Turkey swap: Stir chopped turkey in with the stock and cream near the end so it just warms through.

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Chicken Bacon Ranch Hot Pockets

Flaky puff pastry filled with cooked chicken, crispy bacon, cheddar, and ranch dressing. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle poppy seeds, and bake at 400°F for a handheld lunch that reheats beautifully.

Turkey swap: Use chopped leftover turkey instead of chicken; everything else stays the same.

Recipe: Chicken Bacon Ranch Hot Pockets

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Classic comfort: carrots, celery, and onion simmer in stock, then add cubed chicken and soft dumplings in the final minutes. It’s warm, filling, and takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.

Turkey swap: The recipe already uses cooked chicken, so cubed turkey is a direct substitute.

Recipe: Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

The quick option: pressure-cooks in 2 minutes and is done in about 30 minutes total. It includes carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and basmati rice for a fast, comforting bowl.

Turkey swap: Use diced leftover turkey—the recipe accepts cooked poultry.

Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

A rich, thick soup with wild rice, mushrooms, and a butter-and-flour roux. It makes a large pot and takes about 2 hours 20 minutes to develop deep flavor.

Turkey swap: Stir shredded turkey in with the cream at the end so it stays moist.

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Traeger Chicken Dumpling Soup

This weekend project begins with a smoked spatchcocked bird and turns the carcass into stock; dumplings cook directly in the pot. Plan on about 4 hours 20 minutes.

Turkey swap: Use your turkey carcass for stock and the leftover meat in place of the smoked chicken—skip the smoking step.

Recipe: Traeger Chicken Dumpling Soup

Smoked Chicken Pot Pie Soup

All the classic pot pie flavors in a bowl: carrots, celery, peas, green beans, and cream, finished with pie crust on top. About one hour to make.

Turkey swap: Omit the smoking and stir cooked turkey in with the cream at the end.

Recipe: Smoked Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Traeger Chicken Pot Pie

A hearty pot pie with sherry cream sauce, potatoes, peas, carrots, and a golden crust, finished on a pellet grill at 350°F. Allow roughly 2 hours 20 minutes.

Turkey swap: Add cooked turkey to the sauce once it thickens and skip the stovetop cooking step for raw chicken.

Recipe: Traeger Chicken Pot Pie

Easy Traeger Broccoli Chicken Divan

A creamy casserole of egg noodles, broccoli, and chicken baked on a pellet grill. It’s an efficient way to use leftover turkey and a head of broccoli in about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Turkey swap: Use chopped turkey instead of sauteed chicken breast and omit the chicken-cooking step.

Recipe: Easy Traeger Broccoli Chicken Divan

Leftover Mashed Potato Rolls

Turn the last spoonfuls of mashed potatoes into soft homemade dinner rolls—an excellent way to stretch the mash into a new fresh-baked item.

Recipe: Leftover Mashed Potato Rolls

Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes

Cold mashed potatoes are shaped into savory cakes filled with cheese and toppings—great as a side, quick lunch, or breakfast with eggs.

Recipe: Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes

Traeger Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is a classic way to use extra mashed potatoes—spread cold mash over the filling instead of making a new topping and bake until golden.

Recipe: Traeger Shepherd’s Pie

Leftover Stuffing Patties

Press leftover stuffing into patties and pan-fry until crisp for a crunchy side, a sandwich topper, or a base for a fried egg.

Recipe: Leftover Stuffing Patties

Leftover Stuffing Quiche

Use stuffing as a savory quiche crust and turn a side dish into a hearty brunch centerpiece.

Recipe: Leftover Stuffing Quiche

Leftover Stuffing Hash

Fry stuffing with other leftovers in a skillet for a savory hash you can top with an egg for a complete meal.

Recipe: Leftover Stuffing Hash

Sweet Potato Patties

Form leftover sweet potatoes into patties and pan-fry until caramelized for a sweet, crispy side dish.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Patties

Cheesy Mashed Sweet Potato Cakes

Combine mashed sweet potatoes with cheese and form into cakes—serve warm as a side or snack.

Recipe: Cheesy Mashed Sweet Potato Cakes

Corn and Potato Chowder with Wild Rice

A hearty chowder with corn, baby potatoes, wild rice, and half-and-half in a butter-and-flour base—about 1 hour 20 minutes to make.

Leftover tip: Add leftover corn and diced potatoes toward the end to avoid mushy texture.

Recipe: Corn & Potato Chowder with Wild Rice

Corn Fritters

Mix leftover corn into a simple batter and fry until golden for crisp fritters—quick and crowd-pleasing.

Recipe: Corn Fritters

Fresh Corn Chowder

A classic corn chowder that highlights extra sweet corn from the holiday table—simple and comforting.

Recipe: Fresh Corn Chowder

Instant Pot Cornbread

Make cornbread in about 40 minutes without using the oven. The recipe includes optional corn, cheddar, and jalapeño add-ins—an ideal place to use leftover corn.

Recipe: Instant Pot Cornbread

Ham and Potato Soup

If ham was part of your feast, this thick, cozy chowder is a top choice. Diced ham, hash browns, carrots, celery, and cream come together in about 45 minutes.

Recipe: Ham and Potato Soup

How To Store Thanksgiving Leftovers

• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of serving.
• Use shallow containers for turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes so they cool quickly.
• Eat refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days.
• Freeze portions you won’t eat in that time frame; for best quality use frozen leftovers within 2–3 months.
• Reheat all leftovers to 165°F before serving.

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