Some quirky ideas for repurposing those Thanksgiving leftovers

So you’ve arisen the day after Thanksgiving, perhaps feeling a little groggy and still recovering from the turkey coma — yes, I know, I’ve also read the studies that it’s not the tryptophan that makes you sleepy. Agree to disagree.

Anyway, the question now becomes, what to do with the leftovers?

Fret not, friends. The first thing you can do is mix up an egg with enough leftover stuffing to fill your Belgian waffle maker (see the photo above), and crank out the best — and easiest — post-Turkey Day breakfast your family has ever seen. Approximately 65% of my Thanksgiving leftover hoard is stuffing, so this is an easy lay-up.

But I’m certainly not the only one with ideas. Here are some more creative ways to free up some space in the refrigerator.

Let’s start things off cranked all the way to eleven, with some utter insanity by “Chef Keith” (NOTE: By his own admission, not a trained chef. You can tell.):

It’s Chef Keith’s annual reminder that you can make turbo gravy out of all your Thanksgiving leftovers. pic.twitter.com/SpSGuJT5Gr

— Found Footage Fest (@foundfootage) November 24, 2023

Crispy turkey nachos? Yes I will, thank you:

What should you do with all that leftover turkey....Make these Crispy Turkey Nachos!!
Crispy fajita-spiced #turkey, beans, and a ton of melted cheese!!!
What's really great about this recipe, is that you can use those little shreds of #leftoverturkey.
⁠https://t.co/XvR0Ke5yXA pic.twitter.com/8KOroKIkQg

— Kitchen Sanctuary (@KitchenSanc2ary) November 24, 2023

Food Network is going Tex-Mex with a recipe for ancho-rubbed turkey chili:

Tomorrow's turkey = the next day's Ancho-Rubbed Leftover Turkey Chili ???? Get the recipe: https://t.co/SeZC7coZEe pic.twitter.com/1S77ARIDsg

— Food Network (@FoodNetwork) November 22, 2023

YouTube and Twitter content creator Jerry James Stone has four recipes for leftover cranberry sauce:

Tomorrow's turkey = the next day's Ancho-Rubbed Leftover Turkey Chili ???? Get the recipe: https://t.co/SeZC7coZEe pic.twitter.com/1S77ARIDsg

— Food Network (@FoodNetwork) November 22, 2023

It’s not all about turkey. Here’s a ham salad recipe from The Southern Lady Cooks:

Recipe➡️ https://t.co/EHvt1TJl6j
This ham salad is the best ever for sandwiches and the perfect recipe if you have leftover ham. Easy and delicious anytime. #salad pic.twitter.com/KrwypgMUW9

— The Southern Lady Cooks (@SouthLadyCooks) November 24, 2023

I’m going to be honest. I’m having difficulty imaging 14 different kinds of turkey sandwiches. But that’s why Martha Stewart is a multi-millionaire and I’m not. Well, one of the many reasons.

14 Turkey Sandwich Recipes That Make the Most of Thanksgiving Leftovers. Click the image for more info. https://t.co/SnHdfanbzb

— Martha Stewart Living (@marthaliving) November 24, 2023

Finally, the leftover hoagie is a pretty solid post-Thanksgiving staple. But the Barstool Sports chef has a great spin on it with leftover dumplings:

The Thanksgiving "leftover sandwich" is a staple of the holiday that isn't talked about nearly enough, but @chefdonnyy's got a new twist on the old classic, Thanksgiving Dumplings.

Subscribe for more recipes: https://t.co/X3EcbpVvHr pic.twitter.com/vEYnbVr4MH

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 22, 2023