Give Leftovers New Life
Continue enjoying your holiday feast with reinspired meals
During the holidays, we deck our halls and our homes with festive decor, and we fill our tables with an overabundance of indulgent foods.
But on the weekend following Thanksgiving and in the meandering days between Christmas and New Year’s, we often find we can only eat so many slices of spiral ham and helpings of Aunt Linda’s sweet potato casserole.
Your taste buds may be craving something new, but don’t be so quick to chuck the lingering leftovers in your fridge. Instead, repurpose and reimagine that tired turkey by combining leftovers with a few kitchen staples to create entirely new meals.
Turkey Pot-Pie
Photo by Saige Roberts
A warm and cozy dish ideal for fall and winter, featuring leftover turkey and vegetables tucked cozily into pastry.
Ingredients
» 1 tablespoon olive oil
» 2–3 cups of leftover vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces (carrots, green beans, broccoli, peas, etc.)
» 1 onion, chopped
» 2 cloves minced garlic
» 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
» 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
» 1 cup of gravy
» 1 cup mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes
» 1 pound shredded turkey
» 1 pie crust
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F. While heating, add olive oil to a large pot or skillet on the stove. Add in desired vegetables, onion, garlic, thyme and parsley, and cook to a simmer. Reduce heat and add potatoes and gravy to the pot, stirring gently. Add shredded turkey, stirring all ingredients together to reach a heat that simmers the gravy. Reduce heat and roll the bottom layer of pie crust onto an oven-safe pie dish. Spoon filling evenly from pot into pie dish. Cover with the top layer of pie crust. Bake at 400 F for 35–40 minutes or until golden.
Turkey on White
Photo by Saige Roberts
I’ve had many sandwiches in my life, but the day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich is always unparalleled in my mind. There have been variations over the years, but there are two that have stuck which always satisfy consumers; two recipes so simple in nature, I hesitate to call them recipes.
Each is always best served on classic white bread and piled high with turkey. The first is savory — mayonnaise, hot sauce, salt and pepper. The second is sweet — butter and cranberry sauce.
These sandwiches are not a culinary revelation, but they are something I look forward to every year because those exact combinations seem to only make sense during the holiday season.
Ham and Turkey Sliders with Gravy Dipping Sauce
These sliders are ideal for post-Thanksgiving game days, nights gathered around the fire or a New Year’s Eve fete.
Photo by Saige Roberts
Ingredients
» 12-count pack of Hawaiian rolls or dinner rolls
» 12 slices of your preferred cheese
» 8 ounces sliced turkey
» 8 ounces sliced ham
» 2 cups of stuffing
» 5 tablespoons of butter
» 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
» 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
» 1 cup cranberry sauce
» 1 cup gravy
Instructions
Cut rolls in half and place in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place slices of cheese on top of rolls. Top cheese with sliced turkey and ham. Spread stuffing and cranberry sauce on top. Replace top half of the rolls. Melt the butter then combine with Worcestershire sauce. Spoon or brush butter and Worcestershire sauce mixture over tops of rolls. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Heat gravy. Place gravy in a bowl for dipping.
Lucky Soup
Ring in the New Year with luck, good fortune and tasty soup. Don’t forget to serve with cornbread.
Photo by Saige Roberts
Ingredients
» 1 tablespoon olive oil
» 1 large onion, diced
» 1 clove minced garlic
» 10 cups of chicken broth
» 1 pound diced ham
» ½ pound of precooked black-eyed peas
» 8 ounces precooked rice
» 3 cups of your preferred greens (collard, mustard, etc.)
» 1 tablespoon thyme
» 1 tablespoon parsley
» Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth. Add in ham, black eyed peas and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add greens, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook on low for at least one hour and up to two.
