These delicious leftover turkey recipesare so good, you’ll wish you had turkey leftovers every day.
Wondering what to do with leftover turkey now that your holiday meal is over? It’s always a challenge using up those leftovers after Thanksgiving and Christmas, isn’t it? I mean, there are only so many turkey sandwiches you can eat in a week, right?
Thankfully, I have 15 fabulous recipes to make with leftover turkey, and they’re the best you’ll find anywhere. From Turkey Cranchiladas to Turkey Shepard’s Pie and everything in between, you’ll find loads of traditional and not-s0-traditional recipes with leftover turkey as the main feature here.
15 Leftover Turkey Recipes
I’m not gonna lie. One of my favourite things about hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas is that I get to keep the leftovers from our turkey dinner.
I always make abig pot of turkey soupright away and we eat turkey sandwiches, piled high with stuffing and cranberry sauce, for a couple of days.
A few of my go-to dinners to make with leftover turkey are turkey pot pie (SO GOOD) and hot turkey sandwiches for a couple of dinners as well. Everyone in my family loves those turkey classic, but aside from those, I’ve never gotten overly creative with my turkey leftovers.
Until recently.
The other day, a friend was telling me about the Turkey Shepard’s Pie she makes with her Thanksgiving leftovers every year.
Basically, she layers all the leftovers from her turkey dinner – the turkey, stuffing, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and even the gravy, in a baking dish and she just heats it all up in the oven.
It sounded amazing, and got me thinking I’ve been a little boring and predictable with my turkey leftovers all these years.
I decided to hit the internet, and see what others are making with their leftover turkey, and oh my goodness. Let’s just say these recipes have me wishing Thanksgiving Day rolled around a little more often.
15 Leftover Turkey Recipes Your Family will Love:
Click on the links provided below to see the individual recipes.
Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes:
If you like twice-baked potatoes, try these Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. I’m sure you could make this dish with regular potatoes if you’re not big on the sweet. I love sweet potatoes though, so my mouth is watering at the thought of these babies. – Beyond the Bite
Turkey Chili:
Turkey Chili! Who knew? You make it in the slow-cooker with only 6 ingredients, so you know it’s going to be super easy. – Passion for Savings
Turkey a la King:
When I was a kid, my mom always made “Creamed Turkey on Toast” with our turkey leftovers. I discovered years later, that my husband’s mother made “Turkey a la King”. It’s the same basic idea, but it’s WAY better! Those little flaky pastry cups beat the pants off a piece of toast any day! – Kiss of Swiss
Turkey Tetrazzini:
Turkey Tetrazzini is a classic. It’s soeasy! You just boil your pasta, and all the rest can be mixed together in one pot. Our Canadian Thanksgiving has passed, but I’ll definitely be trying this recipe with our Christmas dinner leftovers! – She Wears Many Hats
Creamy Turkey and Rice Soup:
I always make a traditional broth-based soup with my turkey leftovers, but I LOVE the look of this Creamy Turkey and Rice Soup! I like how she says she had a hard time NOT licking the bowl when she was finished. THAT is the sign of good bowl of soup.– The Skinny Fork
Leftover Holiday Turkey Wrap:
I could totally get into this Leftover Holiday Turkey Wrap. Apparently, it’s an Earl of Sandwich (Disney, Orlando) copy-cat recipe. It’s like someone wrapped up turkey dinner, and topped it with a scoop of gravy. Oh yum! – Wishes and Dishes
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Pizza:
Yep. You heard me.Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Pizza. I’m not even kidding. You load an entire turkey dinner on to a pizza crust – a homemade pizza crust at that. Sweet mother! I may have just died and gone to heaven. – Baked By Rachel
Leftover Turkey Tacos:
Leftover Turkey Tacos: these would be a hit with everyone in my house because we love a turkey dinner and we love tacos. And check out the fresh and zesty Cranberry Salsa! It looks divine! – Simple Recipes
Leftover Turkey Stacks:
Ok, I want to cook a turkey right now just so I can make these leftover Turkey Stacks. Crispy potato patty on the bottom, and all the fixin’s on top. Yep. I can see this becoming a traditional post-turkey snack at our house. – Spend with Pennies
This Turkey and Cranberry Salad:
This Turkey and Cranberry Salad hasall the makings of my dream salad. Apple, pecans, gouda… and it’s drizzled with a maple syrup dressing. Mmmmm! To-die-for! –Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Turkey Pot Pie Soup
How about this rich and creamy Turkey Pot Pie Soup?! Check out the “croutons”! They’re mini buttermilk biscuits! So cute! So yummy! – Cooking and Beer
Leftover Turkey Cranchiladas!
Put a Mexican twist on your turkey leftovers with these Cranchiladas! Don’t you just love that name? You just toss the ingredients, roll them up, top them, and bake. They’d be great to take to a pot-luck or get-together! – Pink Parsley
Leftover Turkey Biscuit Pie:
Ok, I loves me a pot pie, and I loves me a casserole, so this Leftover Turkey Biscuit Pie looks like a winning combination. Bet you could cheat on the biscuits and use a mix if these ones intimidate you. – Damn Delicious
Turkey Sheperd’s Pie:
Here we go! This is what started it all! Remember I was telling you about the turkey shepherd’s pie?
Well, here’s a recipe for Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie, and I’ll bet it’s every bit as delicious as the one my girlfriend makes. – The Kitchn
Turkey Mac’n Cheese:
Turkey Mac ‘n Cheese: oh yeah. Everyone loves homemade mac ‘n cheese. Toss some roast turkey in there, and take yourmac to a whole new level. – My Mommy Style
Turkey Pot Pie:
If you’re looking for a more traditional way to use up your holiday leftovers, there’s Turkey Pot Pie by Amanda’s Cookin’.
Sweet Turkey Treats:
Lastly, if you’re looking for a turkey treat that’s sweet to eat, check out these Adorable Turkey Treats by The Idea Room.
There you go! 15 delicious meals made with your holiday turkey leftovers! Isn’t it exciting to have some new ideas! I think I’ll be buying an extra large bird for Christmas so we can give some of these awesome recipes a try!
More recipes for you to enjoy:
25 Holiday Breakfasts your Family will Enjoy
6 Desserts your Family will Love
Get the 3-5 Playful Preschool e-Book!
25+preschool activities by 25 bloggers, 10 printables, 50 links to activities not featured in the book all for $8.99!
Follow the Hooligans on Facebook
Jackie Currie
Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
