Recipes to Help You Make the Most of Thanksgiving Leftovers

After the final glass of wine has been drained and the final remnants of dessert cleaned from your plate, one thing remains from the Thanksgiving feast: leftovers. Tender pieces of turkey, pillows of mashed potatoes, and scoops of green beans populate your fridge. Instead of recreating your Thanksgiving plate, transform your leftovers into something brand new with one of these recipes.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole [Brown Eyed Baker]
Leftover green beans and mashed potatoes? Check. Stuffing? Check. Turkey? Check. If you have these four basic ingredients in your fridge (pro tip: any leftover veggies will work, not just green beans), you’re ready to make this tasty casserole. All you need to add are a few tablespoons of butter, eggs, cheddar cheese, fresh onion, and a can of cream of mushroom soup. The result is a casserole as over-the-top as the original Thanksgiving feast.

Turkey and Cranberry BBQ Sauce Pizza [Recipe Runner]
This creative pizza strikes the perfect balance between sweet and savory, and it’s a great way to use up that extra turkey and cranberry sauce. Just grab some pre-made pizza dough or a crust, load it up with a blend of cranberry and barbecue sauce, and toss on top the leftover turkey, sliced red onion, and Monterey Jack cheese (or your other favorite cheese).

Cranberry Crumble Bars [Martha Stewart]
You can also repurpose any remaining cranberry sauce into a sweet and unique dessert, like these cranberry crumble bars. First, you create a sweet filling out of the cranberry sauce and craft dough from oats and other ingredients you probably have in your pantry. Then, layer the dough in the bottom of a 9-by-13 pan, add the cranberry concoction, and top it off with another layer of dough. Bake and enjoy the crumbly treats.