These are the 25+ Best Leftover Turkey Recipes. They're a great way to use up that extra turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas!
Download your free 7-day holiday leftovers menu
If you're looking for a full 7-day meal plan for using up leftover turkey, I've got you covered! Download my Holiday Leftovers Meal Plan complete with breakfast, lunch and dinner for the entire week. You can see how to make the recipes in my YouTube video in the recipe card, too! Click here to download your free menu.
Leftover Turkey Recipes
Leftover turkey can be a big problem when you no longer have a giant holiday crowd to help you eat it (check out my top Thanksgiving recipes here). You could just freeze any leftover turkey to save for future meals, or you could try some of these awesome leftover turkey recipes to help you make sure that nothing goes to waste!
There are so many creative ways to use turkey leftovers – you can turn your them into everything from turkey soup to pot pies, casserole, chili, pasta and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftover turkey is good for about 5 days, as long as you store it in the fridge in airtight containers. If you plan on storing it for longer than that, I’d freeze it.
If you can't use up that leftover turkey within 5 days, then you can always freeze it in glass containers with lids or in Ziploc bags for up to 3 months. Make sure you defrost in the fridge overnight or sprinkle some water over top and microwave for 5 to 6 minutes from frozen when reheating.
I'd recommend removing the turkey meat from the bone before storing it. This will ensure it stays as fresh as possible. It also makes it way easier when it comes to cooking with the leftovers, since you don't have to spend time carving the turkey!
Even though you should remove the meat from the bones, you can still use the bones to make bone broth.
Turkey is a great substitute for chicken, so you can definitely use it as a substitute in your favourite chicken recipes.
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Comfort Food Recipes
One of the best ways to use up those turkey leftovers is to create comfort food like pot pies! Try a classic casserole to a unique take on nachos.
Super Easy Mini Turkey Pot Pies
Healthy Crockpot Chicken and Rice Recipe
Mini Turkey Curry Pot Pies
Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole via Life Tastes Good
Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Nachos via Bless Her Heart, Y'all.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Shepherd’s Pie via Culinary Ginger.
Turkey Enchiladas via Creme de la Crumb
Sandwiches, Wraps & Breads
Looking for an easy way to use up leftover turkey? Throw it in a sandwich or wrap! It also makes a great pizza topping, too.
Kale Chicken Caesar Wraps
Turkey Sliders with Cranberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce via Carlsbad Cravings
Easy Turkey Roll Ups via Fit Foodie Finds
Loaded Turkey Panini (For Thanksgiving Leftovers) via Pinch of Yum
Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza via The Stay at Home Chef
Leftover Turkey Bombs via Carlsbad Cravings
Turkey, Cranberry, and Brie Crescent Braid via Spicy Southern Kitchen
Soups & Salads
If you want a lighter meal after indulging in all your holiday favourites, make these soups or salads! They are excellent healthy lunch ideas that you can bring to work.
Zucchini Chicken Noodle Soup Jars
Easiest Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Leftover Turkey Soup via Sweet Peas and Saffron
Leftover Turkey Chili via Salt & Lavender
Easy Turkey Noodle Soup via Pinch of Yum
Leftover Turkey Harvest Cobb Salad via Skinnytaste
Pasta & Noodle Dishes
Leftover turkey is an excellent addition to any of these pasta and noodle recipes! They're a great way to switch things up if you're tired of the same old boring leftovers.
Best Ever Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
Chicken Caprese Spaghetti Squash Boats
Easy Creamy Leftover Turkey Pasta via Salt & Lavender
The Best Healthy Turkey Lasagna You’ll Ever Eat via Ambitious Kitchen
Turkey Tetrazzini Casserole via She Wears Many Hats
Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry using Leftover Roast Chicken via Kids Eat by Shanai
Meal Prep Tools
- Don't forget meal prep containers to store everything – these are microwave-friendly for reheating food.
- Speaking of meat, I order my grass-fed turkey from Butcher Box!
- Mason jars are great for storing soups or salads where you're layering a bunch of different ingredients.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
25+ Best Leftover Turkey Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked leftover turkey
- 1 bag frozen fries
- 2 cups leftover veggies peas, carrots, corn, brussels sprouts, etc
- 1 cup cheese curds
- 2 cups leftover gravy
Optional toppings
- 2 tbsp Leftover cranberry sauce
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Add fries to a parchment-lined baking sheet in one even layer. Bake for 10 minutes each side.
- When fries are mostly cooked through, top with leftover turkey, veggies, cheese curds and gravy. Bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven, top with cranberry sauce and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Mark Mchale says
Turkey chili. Chunk up the meat you don’t eat and mix in with beef and your favorite recipe
Taylor Stinson says
Great idea!!
Crawdaddy says
Love the Curry Turkey, Chicken dish sub in the Turkey. Same for Butter Chicken or Tikka Masala