Life

18 Leftover Turkey Recipes You'll Actually Want to Eat

Congrats! No more hosting the in-laws, no more freaking out over place settings, no more holiday stress in general (for another 3 weeks, anyway). Everyone's favorite day to gobble up gobblers — and then lie face-down on the floor in a delirious tryptophan coma — has come and gone. If you're lucky, you'll still have a gigantic bounty of food for making cranberry sauce cocktails; giving yourself a luxurious pumpkin facial; getting crafty with sweet potato stamps; and powering through Black Friday by snacking on leftover biscuits...or pelting competing shoppers with them.

But what about all that remaining bird? The obvious thing to do would be to remake the reliable leftover classics, like turkey sandwiches and...more turkey sandwiches. Let's face it — the standard turkey re-mixes can get boring pretty quick. But turkey ravioli? Turkey tacos? Turkey hash? You’ll be just as excited to chow down on these inventive, economical concoctions as you were at the main event. Click on for 18 fresh, easy, inspired recipes — including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas — to get the most out of fall’s number one fowl.

— By Kara Freewind and Emily K. McDonald

Image: How Sweet It Is

by Kara Freewind

Breakfast Biscuits

Just add egg to these delectable morsels from How Sweet It Is (after all, you probably already have the biscuits, cranberry sauce, turkey, and mashed potatoes).

Image: How Sweet It Is

Turkey Breakfast Hash

For a healthy breakfast option, mix in some broccoli, onions, apples, and cashews to make this filling morning stir-fry from The Healthy Foodie.

Image: The Healthy Foodie

Noodle Vegetable Soup

Here Good Life Eats incorporates turkey into a savory, minestrone-style stew.

Image: Good Life Eats

Snugglebum Soup

This aptly-named stay-home-and-sip-on-a-rainy-day soup from Healthful Pursuit epitomizes cozy fall food.

Image: Healthful Pursuit

Turkey Cranberry Sandwich

Okay, okay...it's a "boring" leftovers sandwich, but this spin-on-a-classic sammy from Savory Sweet Life jazzes things up with cream cheese and sprouts.

Image: Savory Sweet Life

Turkey and Swiss Panini

Damn Delicious offers another zesty version with this turkey pesto panini. Yum x1000.

Image: Damn Delicious

Turkey Salad

Craving tuna salad? Sub in some turkey for a creamy lunchtime spread. Thanks, Table for Two.

Image: Table for Two

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Use a cupcake pan to bake these spicy little turkey-loaves from Little Leopard Book.

Image: Little Leopard Book

Turkey Ravioli with Gravy

Inject some Italian into the leftover routine with A Spicy Perspective's DIY turkey, sweet potato and cranberry sauce ravioli, with gravy serving as a perfect sauce.

Image: A Spicy Perspective

BLT Turkey Tacos

BLT Turkey Tacos (presented by How Sweet It Is). The ultimate couldn't-be-easier snack.

Image: How Sweet It Is

Thanksgiving in a Jar

Family Fresh Cooking layers leftover turkey with quinoa, mashed sweet potato, cranberry sauce, greens, and gravy. Adorable and delicious.

Image: Family Fresh Cooking

Hawaiian BBQ Turkey Flatbread Pizza

There is absolutely no reason to keep things completely traditional. Mix it up with this flatbread pizza from Damn Delicious. You can save the stuffing and mashed potatoes for dessert.

Image: Damn Delicious

Turkey & Cranberry Panini with Goat Cheese Aioli

Sure, there are lots of different ways to make a turkey sandwich, but this recipe from The Messy Baker elevates leftover turkey and cranberry sauce by adding a smear of smooth, herby goat cheese aioli and grilling to crispy, wonderful perfection.

Image: The Messy Baker

Turkey Empanadas

These Thanksgiving-inspired empanadas from Bon Appetit are the ultimate in comfort food.

Image: val sv on Flickr

Eggs Baked in Thanksgiving Leftovers

Keep your Thanksgiving leftovers breakfast-relevant with this recipe from The Gouda Life. Because cereal is for sad people who don't have turkey.

Image: The Gouda Life

Turkey and Wheatberry-stuffed Carnival Squash

The Healthy Foodie's stuffed winter squashes call for uncooked turkey meat, but after Thanksgiving, you'll be able to cross that step right off the list. Toss it with wheat berries, mushrooms, spinach, a ton of herbs, and top with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. This dish might be too good to be true.

Image: The Healthy Foodie

Turkey Reuben

This sandwich from Big Girls, Small Kitchen will be sure to remedy Gobbler sammy boredom. In between two slices of buttery rye, layer your turkey with Swiss cheese, fresh sauerkraut, and homemade Russian dressing. Whoa.

Image: BGSK

Turkey Banh Mi

Yes, it's another turkey sandwich idea — but it's a good one! Martha Stewart's turkey banh mi takes spicy mayonnaise, crisp vegetables, and fresh cilantro, and stuffs it all into a baguette. Use a long enough baguette and this sandwich can easily double as a weapon against Black Friday shoppers.

Image: avlxyz on Flickr

Turkey, Mushroom and Potato Soup

Sure, we've all done the turkey soup thing (snooze), but never like this. This recipe, from Never Enough Thyme, is a revelation. With turkey, potatoes, mushrooms, and melty Fontina cheese, it'll make you regret everything you've ever said about turkey soup.

Image: Never Enough Thyme

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