20 awesome leftover turkey recipes for Thanksgiving magic

21 leftover turkey recipes will ensure you use up every bit of that delicious Thanksgiving dinner! Many of these easy turkey leftover ideas use up more than one of your Thanksgiving leftovers: the mashed potatoes, cranberries, and dressing all have recipes here.

Every Thanksgiving my husband and I have the same exact argument over what to do with all the leftover turkey:

Me: Honey, which of these amazing and delicious turkey recipes that I’ve painstakingly collected for weeks do you want me to try with all the leftover turkey?!

Him: <jaw drops in horror> A sandwich. On white bread with mayo.

Me: . . . <heart sinks with disappointment, quietly files away the recipes for next year>

Every. Dang. Year.

Y’all. I’ve been desperate to do something super fun with all the leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. THIS might be my year. We bought an insanely huge bird on Saturday so that there will be oodles of leftovers for Tim to get his white bread + mayo sandwich and for me to still have enough to try something more unique next weekend!

I. Can’t. Wait.

Now that leaves just one big question . . .

What to do with leftover turkey:

There are just So Many Options for what to do with leftover turkey I honestly don’t even know where to begin! I’ve already purchased a big fat chunk of brie to try a grilled brie and cranberry sandwich with my favorite cranberry sauce. It is most likely that the leftover turkey will end up in at least one soup and one turkey casserole, too.

I’ve been stockpiling turkey leftover recipes forEVER so here are some of my favorites rounded up to share with you!

21 leftover turkey recipes for the easiest holiday weekend ever:

Leftover turkey soup recipes:

Soup is the perfect place to use leftover turkey, especially if your bird turned out a little dryer than intended. Some of these are rich and creamy, some fall on the healthier scale of things. All look like amazing and delicious leftover turkey recipes:

Our favorite Turkey wild rice soup
Fiesta turkey soup from Your Homebased Mom
Turkey gnocchi soup from Wholefully
Turkey stew from What Should I Make For
Turkey barley soup from The Food Charlatan

Leftover turkey casseroles:

Casseroles are one of the most classic leftover turkey ideas for a reason. You can use multiple Thanksgiving leftovers like the mashed potatoes, cranberries, and dressing/stuffing to whip up a delicious Thanksgiving inspired casserole. Or you can use the leftover turkey in a whole new way like the spicy turkey enchiladas!

Southwestern turkey quiche
Turkey pot pie from Damn Delicious
Turkey and dumplings from Completely Delicious
Turkey shepherd’s pie (great because it uses leftover mashed potatoes, too!) This one from Baked by Rachel looks great.
Turkey enchiladas from Stuck On Sweet
Poppyseed turkey casserole from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Leftover turkey pasta dishes:

I will never forget the turkey scaloppine my dear friend Moira’s mom made for me when I was living in Italy and away from my family for the first Thanksgiving ever. Turkey and pasta go hand in hand, so these leftover turkey pasta dishes seem like a perfect fit.

Turkey tetrazini
Turkey taco Mac (it calls for ground turkey, but you could easily sub fresh turkey breast
Turkey stroganoff from Rock Recipes
Turkey broccoli pasta toss from Dizzy Busy and Hungry
Turkey pasta skillet from An Italian In My Kitchen

Leftover turkey sandwiches:

Tim can keep his white bread and mayo, if I turn my leftover turkey into a sandwich, you can bet it is going to be one of these amazing leftover turkey ideas:

Turkey club wrap from Tastes Better from Scratch
Grilled brie, cranberry and turkey sandwiches from Heather Christo
Turkey salad sandwiches from Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen
Turkey sliders from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen
Turkey handpies from Reluctant Entertainer

And quick, before you go . . .

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I love sharing seasonal recipes and ideas for celebrating the holidays. This recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving. If you’d like more ideas for the coming holidays, be sure to get on my weekly email list where I share the latest ideas for making the season special:

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