5 Okayest Ways to do Thanksgiving Leftovers
- OkayestMom
- Nov 24, 2021
- 4 min read
My kids and husband may be the pickiest eaters I've ever met. Don't tell them, they are in denial about the whole thing. Whereas I could eat a Thanksgiving turkey dinner every day for week, after Thanksgiving (most likely because that's what we did when I was a kid) they enjoy theirs on Thanksgiving and IMMMEDIATELY want to move on! (but I'm not bitter). I've had to get creative and find ways to eat the leftovers while changing the flavor profiles just enough that the family doesn't get bored. My OK advice is to plan ahead while you are shopping for thanksgiving, pick up a couple items while you are already at the store, that you will need to transform your turkey into the leftovers your family will devour.
This is a list of my FIVE favorite ways to put a spin on Thanksgiving leftovers. They're just OK, but they'll do. AND at the end of the day, if your kids are fed then you're not going to jail. BONUS, they have another great memory of you trying in the kitchen. If it goes well, great; everyone eats and is happy. If it doesn't go well, everyone has a funny story to tell for Thanksgivings to come about the year mom tried to make a casserole out of leftovers that tasted like dirt and looked like Burt Bacharach. But why were there crushed Doritos on top? We will never know.
5. Homemade Pizza
This post is mainly about ideas, not recipes so if you need a basic recipe just google it and you will find a million ways to make a pizza. Since you're using leftovers look for items you can substitute with a leftover. We have done this before and this is what we did. We ended up buying a pre-made crust and going with traditional red sauce. We added left over ham and turkey chopped small. The ham had pineapples on it so yes we added pineapple. I should have put bits of cranberry sauce on mine for even more tart flavor(I'll try that next time). We usually have a ton of cheese on thanksgiving so instead Mozzerella I used jack cheese.
The goal is to use your leftovers so look at what leftovers you have and make it work. Even the crust! Leftover pie crust? Turn it into a pizza. Too many rolls? Use a roller pin and flatten them out into one large pizza crust. We have even used tortillas for crust and every person makes their own pizza. Sure, it may not be leftover from the Holiday but perhaps its something you already have in the fridge, or is that just me? I would even try to use gravy instead of pizza sauce. If you try this let me know how it goes. Pizza is so different from the big meal that its a nice respite from those heavy foods.
4. Pasta
My favorite to make is Turkey Ziti (seriously just google a few recipes)
If you can't find a recipe for turkey ziti, just replace the meat with turkey. I chop mine small and season it like its beef and it helps enhance the flavor so it doesn't taste like Thanksgiving (as if that would be horrible?!?). Any pasta will do, you add turkey to the sauce and its hard to tell the difference from other pasta days.
3. Chili
As you can tell I mostly have recipes that use the meat. I wonder what a tofurkey can be used for? Probably all these recipes but since I've yet to try it Im not sure. IF you've never made chili that doesn't come from a can, do not be intimidated. The basic ingredients are meat, onion, tomato, water and beans (or no beans). What Im trying to say is there's really no wrong way to make leftovers as long as they are edible, you done good. For chili, I chop turkey small and season it. In fact we have a special chili seasoning in our cabinet at all times, if you don't there's packages that are inexpensive you can pick up when you're shopping for your turkey.
If you've never made chili it wouldn't hurt to google a recipe and replace the meat with turkey.
2. Turkey Salad
I love chicken salad. Chicken shredded in mayo with celery bits or relish. I have yet to try this but I think it would be wonderful. Shred turkey and mix it with mayo, bits of whole berry cranberry sauce, celery, and serve it on a leftover thanksgiving roll. It will be the best tastes of thanksgiving with enough of a spin those picky eaters won't feel like you're feeding them the same food over and over.
1. Pot Pie
Of all the ways I've used thanksgiving leftovers, making pot pie was my favorite. I made pies for dessert and ended up with too much crust. I used the turkey and some of the vegetables we already made and a few new frozen ones (so it wasn't too pricey). We boiled our turkey carcasses and made turkey broth. So I used that broth to make the pot pies. Serve it with a side of cranberry sauce and other leftovers. I made enough to freeze for later and it was so nice to have that pot pie from frozen around Christmas, to pull out and bake while we were wrapping gifts, shopping and stuff.
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