Thanksgiving Leftovers Uncovered

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Creative Recipes to Repurpose Your Feast

After spending countless hours in the kitchen or shelling out a small fortune for all of the Thanksgiving fixtures, you may find yourself with a fridge full of leftovers — and wondering what to do with all that extra food. Don’t throw it out and don’t feel like you have to eat the same Thanksgiving meal over and over again. We spoke with 10 talented chefs who gave us their most creative recipes to re-purpose your leftover turkey meat, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and other ingredients for some truly tasty culinary creations.

Birria Turkey Tacos with Cranberry Salsa

Ingredients (Serves 8):

• 1 large turkey carcass plus skin and any vegetables or herbs stuffed in the cavity (meat removed and reserved)
• 3 large chiles guajillos, stemmed and seeded
• 2 large chiles pasillas, stemmed and seeded
• 4 chiles de árbol, stemmed (and seeded for mild)
• 1/2 medium white or yellow onion
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1.1 oz/30 grams), plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 3 dried or fresh avocado or bay leaves
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 small stick canela or cassia cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram or Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger
• 1 cup leftover cranberry sauce
• 1/4 chopped white onion
• 1 to 3 chopped jalapeños
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice (optional)
• For serving: chopped onion, cilantro, lime wedges, warm corn tortillas

Instructions:

1. Cover turkey carcass, skin, any vegetables or herbs stuffed in the cavity, chiles guajillos, chiles pasillas, chiles de árbol, onion, garlic, and salt with water in a large stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, toast the spices.
2. Strain stock through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl, reserve stock and chiles. If you want to reserve any of the vegetables, herbs, or spices, you will be adding lots of flavor to the broth but it is completely optional.
3. Chop or shred any leftover turkey meat. And add to the simmering stock. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the meat is very tender. Taste and season with salt if necessary.
4. Stir cranberry sauce, onion, jalapeño, garlic, orange zest, and orange juice in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Taste and season with salt or lime juice if necessary.
5. Divide the meat among shallow bowls and pour the consommé over. Top with the chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing, cranberry salsa, and tortillas to make tacos.

Congee with Leftover Turkey and Garnishes

Ingredients (Serves 6-8):

• Reserved skin and bones from 1 turkey or 2 chicken carcasses
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups long-grain white rice (such as jasmine), washed
• 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken (about 1 pound)
• 3 teaspoons glutinous rice flour (optional)
• Optional toppings: thinly sliced scallions, soft- or hard-boiled eggs, pickled bamboo shoots, kimchi, chili oil, preserved chili radish, any sweet-pickled vegetable, additional shredded roast meat (duck, rotisserie chicken, roast goose), gan lan cai (Chinese preserved olive vegetable)

Instructions:

1. Put the carcass(es) and 6 quarts (24 cups) water in a large (preferably nonstick) pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for an hour (don’t bother skimming, as the clarity of the broth is not a priority). At this point, the broth should have a recognizable, if mild, roast turkey flavor. If not, simmer until it does.
2. Season the broth with salt to taste, starting with 1 teaspoon at a time; you should end up with a flavorful, slurpable broth. Strain the broth and return it to the pot (discard the solids). You want to end up with 18 cups of broth; if you have more, save the extra for another use; if you have less, make up the difference with water or chicken stock.
3. Add the rice and ginger to the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shredded meat and reduce the heat so the broth is at a brisk simmer. If using glutinous rice flour for a creamier congee, put it in a small bowl and whisk with ½ cup cold water to form a slurry, then add this to the broth and stir to incorporate. Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning, until the congee is creamy, the water has been completely absorbed by the rice, and the rice has broken down.
4. To serve, ladle the congee into bowls and garnish as desired with the optional toppings.

Thanksgiving Leftover Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 9×13 Inch Baking Dish (We love this one from Lodge Cast Iron!)
• You may end up with a bit extra, toss it in an 8×8 inch baking dish and enjoy the next day!
• Serve with cranberry sauce to garnish.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Make the filling: Combine leftover mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, turkey meat, and vegetables in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Make the topping: In a separate bowl, combine leftover cranberry sauce, orange zest, and orange juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Assemble the shepherd’s pie: Spoon the filling into the baking dish, then top with the cranberry sauce mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the topping is bubbly.

Turkey Soup with Dumplings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ghee
• 2 medium-sized onions, cut
• 4 spears celery, cut
• 2 carrots, cut
• 1 leftover Turkey carcass, pick and reserve the meat
• 2 knorr bouillon cubes
• 8 quarts water
• 1 bunch sage stems, reserve sage
• 1 bunch parsley stems, reserve parsley
• 1 tbs black pepper
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large stock pot, melt the ghee.
2. Sweat the vegetables in the ghee.
3. Add the Turkey carcass and the bouillon cubes.
4. Add the water, stems, and black pepper.
5. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.
6. Cook for two hours.
7. Remove the carcass and stems from the broth.
8. Remove the peppercorns, strain and season with salt.

For the bread dumplings:

• 2 lbs. leftover stuffing
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

1. Combine the leftover stuffing, milk, and egg.
2. Wrap in plastic and roll tightly.
3. Poach the bread dumpling mixture in broth till set firm (25 minutes).
4. Cool the bread dumplings and slice into rounds.

For the finished soup:

1. Pour the soup atop the bread dumplings and enjoy.
2. Garnish with chiffonade of parsley and sage.

Cranberry Sangria Shortcakes

Ingredients:

• 3-4 leftover Buttermilk Biscuits
• 1 1/2 cup leftover cranberry sauce (straight out the can won’t work for this recipe)
• 1/2 cup sangria
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon spiced rum
• Tastic sweet, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Make cranberry compote. Combine cranberries and sangria in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until some of the sangria has absorbed and thickened. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. Make whipped cream. In a cold bowl combine cold cream and rum. Using a whisk or immersion blender, whisk or blend until cream whips thick. If you’ve never made whipped cream, understand over whipping will turn the cream to butter.
3. Assemble. Slice open biscuits. Add compote to bottom of biscuit and top with whipped cream. Top with biscuit top or leave open faced and sprinkle on some Tastic sweet for garnish and flavor.

Conclusion

These creative recipes will help you repurpose your Thanksgiving leftovers and enjoy a delicious meal without having to cook an entirely new dish. From birria tacos to congee, shepherd’s pie, and cranberry sangria shortcakes, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Don’t let your leftovers go to waste – get creative and make the most of your Thanksgiving feast!

FAQs

Q: Can I use leftover turkey carcass for the birria recipe?
A: Yes, you can use leftover turkey carcass for the birria recipe. Simply pick and reserve the meat, then proceed with the recipe.

Q: What can I use instead of glutinous rice flour for the