10 Ways to Use Leftover Turkey After Thanksgiving

Turkey can be put to use in tetrazzini, casserole and pot pies, to name a few.

It’s a dilemma Americans face year after year. After Thanksgiving, what’s the best way to put leftover turkey to use? The good news is that your family doesn’t have to eat turkey sandwiches for a week straight after the holiday. There are a number of dishes turkey leftovers are perfect for—from tetrazzini to tacos.

Turkey Tetrazzini: If you have three cups of cooked turkey, whipping up this dish will be a cinch. The other key ingredients are spaghetti, cream, mushrooms and green onions. Cooking time is only 30 minutes. Check out Cooks.com for the full recipe.

Turkey Tacos: You don’t need ground turkey meat to make tacos. Use the strips of meat from your Thanksgiving turkey to follow this shredded turkey tacos recipe from the Cooking Channel. In addition to the turkey shreds, you’ll need tortillas as well as tomatoes, onions, lettuce and spices such as cumin and chile powder.

Turkey Casserole: Got four cups of turkey? Five cups of leftover mashed potatoes? Then you’ve got the core ingredients to make the Taste Like Thanksgiving Casserole featured in Taste of Home magazine. To give the casserole kick, you’ll need chicken broth, celery, onion and a few more items.  

Turkey Soup: Chef Michael Chiarello puts both turkey meat and the turkey’s carcass to use in his Next Day Turkey Soup recipe. You can even use three leftover Thanksgiving veggies, such as green beans, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, to fill out this hearty stew.

Turkey Pot Pie: Ree Drummond, better known as The Pioneer Woman, has the perfect way to put Thanksgiving turkey to use in a pie. If you’ve got a pie crust and at least two cups of turkey, along with celery, onion, carrots, cream and broth, you’ve got the basics for Drummond’s Leftover Turkey Pot Pie recipe.

Turkey Empanadas: Put your leftover turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy to use in this About.com Southern Food recipe for turkey empanadas.

Turkey and Linguine: With broccoli, linguine, turkey and stuffing, it’s easy to make CD Kitchen’s Linguine and Turkey Saute.

There’s no shortage of ways to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. In addition to the seven meals featured above, you can make turkey quiche, turkey chili and even turkey pizza! Most turkey recipes require celery, onion and broth, so make sure your kitchen is stocked with these items.

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