37 Leftover Turkey Recipes Because Your Holiday Surplus Won’t Use Up Itself
While turkey breasts are great for small gatherings, we think it’s worth roasting a whole Thanksgiving turkey just to make these leftover turkey recipes. Cooked turkey lasts for a few days in the fridge or a few months in the freezer, which means you can have a towering sandwich stuffed with bacon and blue cheese and a cozy bowl of turkey posole. Build some epic post-Thanksgiving nachos and treat your family to shepherd’s pie. If you’re not sure what to do with leftover turkey beyond simmering some really good stock, scroll down to make a plan. Below you’ll find all of our best leftover turkey recipes so you can give that extra meat the second life it deserves.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni1/37Leftover-Turkey Melts
Maybe you’re thinking you don’t really need a recipe for a turkey sandwich. But this is no average assembly of leftovers and bread. Inspired by the tuna melt, it boasts punchy alliums and briny pickled peppers, plus the requisite molten American cheese. Begin your weekend’s journey into turkey leftover recipes with this one.
- Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by D'mytrek Brown2/37
Turkey Pozole Verde
This Mexican stew is usually made with pork and hominy. It can be clear (nothing much else added), red (dried chiles), or green (fresh chiles, tomatillos, and/or pumpkin seeds). Here, we swap out the pork for leftover turkey and go green to balance the rich turkey broth.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks.3/37
Turkey Etcetrazzini
Turkey tetrazzini is a great leftover turkey casserole, but etcetrazzini is even better than most leftover turkey recipes because it also uses up your other Thanksgiving bits and bobs: roasted brussels sprouts, sautéed green beans, et cetera. (Get it?) Grated Parmesan is a must here; it also likes a shower of freshly ground black pepper.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Maya Rossi4/37
Leftover-Turkey Pot Pie
Here’s another answer to the question of what to do with leftover turkey: Turn it into pot pie. Cut down on prep time by using store-bought pie dough or puff pastry.
- Elizabeth Cecil5/37
Turkey Congee With Crispy Shiitake Mushrooms
Repeat after us: always, always save that turkey carcass. It can be transformed into this soothing, nourishing, stick-to-your-ribs Chinese rice porridge, which one reader calls “sublime” and another calls “extremely delicious and comforting.”
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams6/37
Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Club
Three pieces of toasted bread, cranberry sauce, mustard (we like a combo of Dijon and whole grain), and crispy bacon are mandatory for this classic sandwich. Follow it up with slices of apple pie.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness7/37
Fiery Red Curry Turkey Salad
Reach for store-bought red curry paste to quickly spice up your post-Thanksgiving meal. This recipe was designed for shredded rotisserie chicken, but using leftover turkey makes it even better.
- Alex Lau8/37
Turkey Ramen
There’s the turkey soup recipe we make with egg noodles when we feel a cold coming on, and then there’s the turkey noodle soup we save for when all of our senses are fully awake: this savory, eye-poppingly good ramen.
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Chopped Dinner Salad With Crispy Chickpeas
If you’ve arrived at the day after Thanksgiving convinced that dinner NEEDS to be a salad, this is the salad that needs to be dinner. Crispy chickpeas add texture, peperoncini add tangy heat, and your turkey stands in for the chicken here, tossed with lots of crunchy romaine.
- Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio10/37
Mouthwatering Turkey With Glass Noodles
This leftover turkey idea, a nod to the Sichuan dish ma la ji pian that typically features chicken, is an acidic, bright, and spicy refresher.
- Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio11/37
Jerk Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
You can follow the full turkey method included in this savory pie recipe, but it’ll also work with leftovers from any of our Thanksgiving turkey recipes—you may want to brush them with the jerk butter for amped-up flavor before filling the crust. Leftover mashed potatoes can also find a home here, further cutting down on the cook time required.
- Ted Cavanaugh12/37
French Toast Turkey Sandwich
Thick-cut bacon and custardy bread take the usual leftover turkey sandwich recipe into brunch territory. (An after-meal nap is definitely happening, whether you like it or not.)
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Emily Eisen13/37
Chicken Cobb Salad
This meal-worthy weeknight salad calls for rotisserie chicken, but we recommend replacing it with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. The rest is the same: Crisp bacon, boil eggs, slice veggies, and dress.
- Gentl & Hyers14/37
Cornmeal Bao With Turkey and Black Pepper Sauce
These pillowy steamed buns get a touch of sweet flavor from cornmeal. Just use leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of the Pastrami-Style Grilled Turkey Breast listed in the recipe, and pile on the bread-and-butter pickles, shredded carrots, and fresh cilantro leaves.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams15/37
Halal Cart Salad
This is one of our best leftover turkey recipes because it truly revives the meat, dressing it in olive oil that's flavored with cumin, turmeric, oregano, garlic, and lemon. When you run out of turkey, you can go back to making it with shredded chicken.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua16/37
The Creamiest Turkey Pie With Puff Pastry Crust
This ultra-creamy turkey pot pie recipe will convince you that your freezer should always be stocked with store-bought puff pastry. Shorten the prep by using cooked turkey, but don't skip the American cheese.
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Texas Toast Turkey Sandwich
Toasting the bread with mayonnaise gives it a crisp outside and leaves it just soft enough on the inside that it can hold all of the ingredients. (And there are a lot of ingredients.)
- Peden + Munk19/37
Turkey and Mushroom Risotto
We know you’ve been in sweatpants ever since the work of Thanksgiving dinner has been done, but this mushroom risotto recipe calls for a light wool sweater and a glass of red wine—and it’s made even better with shredded turkey leftovers.
- Danny Kim20/37
Radicchio Salad With Turkey, Pear, and Pomegranate
Mildly bitter radicchio, crunchy hazelnuts, and pops of sweetness from pomegranate seeds and pears zhuzh up roasted turkey in this leftover turkey salad.
- Alex Lau21/37
Enchiladas Verdes
Tangy tomatillo sauce wakes up the shredded meat that snuggles into corn tortillas under a blanket of Cotija and crema here. Add thinly sliced red onion on top of these turkey enchiladas and dig in.
- Elizabeth Cecil22/37
Turkey Shawarma With Crunchy Vegetables
This is an overstuffed, saucy little turkey sandwich. A trick with the pita ensures that the pocket won’t implode while you’re eating it.
- Photograph by Tracy Nguyen23/37
Pancit Sotanghon
If Thanksgiving cooking has tired you out, this quick one-pot noodle recipe will step in to save the day—and transform your leftover turkey.
- Elizabeth Cecil24/37
Spicy Cabbage Salad With Turkey and Peanuts
Give your leftovers a bit of zing and freshness with a miso-lemon dressing, serrano chile, and cilantro.
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Grilled Turkey Cuban Sandwiches
Most of the classic components of a Cuban sandwich are here: melty Swiss cheese, ham, and, most importantly, a good griddle of the bread. But instead of pork, there’s leftover turkey, and instead of tangy mustard and pickles, there’s a sauce made with mayonnaise, fresh mint, and shallots.
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Turkey Panino With Cranberry Sauce
The ultimate grilled cheese gets a little help from cranberry sauce and fresh sage leaves. You don’t even need a panini press; just toast in a skillet until the cheddar melts.
- Matt Duckor27/37
Dark Meat Turkey Chili
Skip the browning and braising steps for this chili recipe and add in your leftover shredded turkey meat at the end. Bonus: Your total time standing in front of the stove will be significantly reduced.
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Grilled Turkey, Bacon, Radicchio, and Blue Cheese Sandwiches
We don’t use the word epic lightly, so believe us when we say that this sandwich—blue cheese, bacon, radicchio, country-style bread—is an epic leftover turkey idea.
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Barbecue Turkey Sandwich
Don’t even consider letting those leftover buttermilk biscuits go to waste. Your favorite bottled barbecue sauce is ready to make this sandwich a star.
- Christopher Testani30/37
Turkey Posole
We mentioned green pozole above; here’s a red version made with ancho or pasilla chiles, garlic, and tomato paste. This spicy, hearty number is great for a crowd.
- Ted Cavanaugh31/37
Cheesegiving
No, we’re not talking about all the Brie you ate before dinner. Cheesegiving is the name of this easy comfort food recipe because melted American and provolone cheeses will save last night’s turkey, no matter how dry it is. Thanks, Cheesegiving.
- Christopher Testani32/37
Turkey Salad With Cabbage and Herbs
The ideal day-after-Thanksgiving meal involves crunchy cabbage and carrots, fresh cilantro and mint, a nutty dressing, and all that turkey that you need to use up. You could throw in some thinly sliced bell peppers as well if you have any in your fridge.
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Turkey Torta
Look to the Mexican classic for a sandwich that’s brilliantly layered with pickled red onion, avocado, turkey, sour cream, crunchy shredded lettuce, hot sauce, cilantro, and crumbled Cotija.
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Day-After Turkey Stock
Even if you can’t face all the dishes, get that carcass in the fridge so you can spend the next day simmering it with chopped celery, onions, and a bunch of water, turning it into a rich stock while you scroll through Amazon hunting for Black Friday deals.
- 36/37
Barbecue Pulled-Turkey Sandwiches
You thought pulled pork or pulled turkey always required an outdoor smoker or at least a slow cooker? Think again: Just add shredded turkey to homemade barbecue sauce, bring it to a simmer, and then stuff any leftover rolls with it. If there were ever a day for easy recipes, it’s today. That last slice of sweet potato pie is waiting.
- Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott37/37
Gravy Mayo
Granted, this isn’t one of our leftover turkey recipes exactly, but it’s the condiment you should absolutely use on your leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwich. Miso pairs up with a bit of turkey gravy to add umami and ensure you’re making progress on the rest of your Thanksgiving leftovers too.
