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20 Easy & Delicious Recipes That Will Transform Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

November 22, 2019 by Katja Vujic

It’s coming. The day when most of us with unite around a table laden with foods like turkey and ham and cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. Green bean casserole. Sweet potato casserole. Mac and cheese. Soft, warm rolls. Ahh.

I personally love stuffing my face with the vegan alternatives to these foods, and I hope you, too, will be stuffing your face with glee. But when the face-stuffing is done, there will be leftovers. And you will have food fatigue.

What am I supposed to do with all of these leftovers?! you’ll think. I can’t eat the same meal for five days straight! And you don’t have to. Because we at Workweek Lunch are here to help! These recipes will transform your Thanksgiving leftovers so they’re not only appetizing, but genuinely delicious. 

Before we dig into these creative solutions for your Thanksgiving leftovers and tips for storing them, I just want to say this: Thanksgiving is a holiday that, for many of us, brings up conflicting emotions. Its grand intentions are admirable: we should all practice gratitude and eat delicious food with people we love on a regular basis. But for some, coming together with extended or even immediate family can be painful and even traumatic. I want to acknowledge and send some love out to those people.

Thanksgiving is also a painful reminder that the United States is a country built on stolen land. I’m going to write a fun recipe roundup, but I can’t leave out the fact that Indigenous Americans have historically been and continue to be oppressed and ignored in this country. It’s important to remember the true history of Thanksgiving as we devour our feasts and transform the leftovers into entirely new dishes. 

Tips for storing Thanksgiving leftovers

Here are some fast facts about storing all the leftovers you’ll have to maximize their life in the fridge and freezer.

  • Cooked turkey: can be frozen for a year if wrapped tightly to avoid freezer burn. Ok in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Mashed potatoes and potato casseroles: can be frozen for up to 6 months. They freeze best with a good amount of fat in them (butter/oil). Ok in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Stuffing: can be frozen for up to a year. It works best if you freeze it in small portions. Ok in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Gravy: freeze in an ice cube tray for up to a year. Frozen gravy would be a great way to fix any accidentally overcooked meat! Ok in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • Green veggie casseroles: try to eat them! They don’t freeze well. Ok in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Cranberry sauce: ok in the freezer for up to a year and in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • Breads and rolls: freeze ’em! They all freeze well and are easy to revive after frozen.
  • Desserts: try to finish them off. They’re mostly good in the fridge for up to 4 days.

For Thanksgiving leftovers storage, I highly recommend these oven-safe glass containers.

These are 28 oz glass containers that are great for smaller portions! This pack of four is currently $20.

And for larger portions, I recommend these 36 oz oven-safe containers. Right now this pack of five is $24. 

Now… Here are 20 Easy & Delicious Recipes That Will Transform Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

Thai Coconut Turkey Soup — A Year At The Table

Image Credit: A Year at the Table

I’m obsessed with this recipe for a few reasons. First and foremost, it’s winter, or as I like to call it: Soup Season. Now is the time to eat truly SO much soup! And any iteration of a Thai coconut soup (this is a version of Tom Kha Gai, which is usually made with chicken) is absolutely going to make you and your tastebuds feel very warm and fuzzy. Also — I have a possibly blasphemous confession. Growing up, I never liked Thanksgiving turkey! It was always too dry, and putting it in a soup solves that problem. 

Next-Day Thanksgiving Pastries — The Woks of Life

Image Credit: The Woks of Life

Here at WWL, we are always all about the meal prep, and these are super prep-friendly — easy to pack in a container or grab on your way out the door. I also think it would work well and still be delicious with pretty much any dough, including more simple bready ones. Puff pastry is delicious but not the easiest to find/make! Either way, a big chef’s kiss to this work of Thanksgiving genius. It’ll transform your Thanksgiving leftovers all at once.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Lasagna — Delish

thanksgiving lasagna

Image Credit: Delish

Lasagna is such a satisfying dish, and one of my absolute favorites. As in, when my family collectively realized none of us really liked turkey, I suggested we make lasagna for Thanksgiving instead. Anyway, this is your Thanksgiving plate, but in lasagna form. And I firmly believe everything is better in lasagna form. It’s also easy to slice up and — you guessed it — pack up for meal prep. You can replace the turkey in this recipe with whatever your main dish was. Unless your main dish was lasagna? Woah … meta. 

Crispy Mashed Potato & Stuffing Patties — Taste of Home

Image Credit: Taste of Home

I mean, do I need to explain? This is ridiculously easy to make, and frying up the potatoes and stuffing will refresh the flavors and reintroduce moisture to anything that’s gone a bit dry. And there’s just nothing better than that crispy on the outside, soft on the inside bite of delight. 

Easy Sweet Potato Pancakes — The Worktop

Image Credit: The Worktop

I would’ve never thought to make pancakes out of thanksgiving leftovers. It’s genius! I love that this Thanksgiving staple can be transformed into a yummy breakfast. And the marshmallow sauce is a perfect companion! 

‘Thankful for Leftover Turkey’ Jambalaya — Food52

Image Credit: Food52

Another genius recipe I never would’ve thought of. I love the way a few simple spices can transform those classic Thanksgiving flavors (which, though delicious, you might possibly get a little tired of) into something totally different. And the easy one-pot situation makes this a really sexy option for someone who spent the past three days cooking up a storm and preparing more work-intensive dishes. The meal-prep-worthiness cannot be overstated!

Cranberry Shortbread Bars — Life Made Sweeter

Image Credit: Life Made Sweeter

It’s always a great idea to meal prep your desserts, so when the cravings hit you’re prepared to satisfy them. These cranberry bars, based on a lemon bar recipe, are super prep-friendly with super simple ingredients. And they pack a lot of tang, which I admire. 

Leftover Green Bean Casserole Frittata — Kim’s Cravings

Image Credit: Kim’s Cravings

I made green bean casserole for the first time last year, and WOW. Would very much recommend. This recipe gives you a very specific ingredient list for your green bean casserole, but I’m fairly certain this frittata will be amazing regardless of what brand of green beans you use. I think “When in doubt, add eggs” is a generally good rule to follow in cooking and in life, and I can’t imagine any better way to improve on an already incredible dish.

Best Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas From The WWL Community:

Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd’s Pie

Turkey Cranberry White Cheddar Quesadillas

Cheesy Mashed Potato Waffles

Turkey And Thanksgiving Leftovers Pot Pie

Thanksgiving Empanadas:

Stuffing Egg Cups

Thanksgiving Egg Rolls

Thanksgiving Pizza

Turkey Taquitos

Leftover Pie Smoothie

Turkey Tacos With Cranberry Salsa

Thanksgiving Stuffing Strata

Leftovers Breakfast Burrito

If you enjoyed this post, go ahead and Save it to your Holiday Meal Prep Board for next time!

Transform Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes


Thank you so much for reading! For content like this delivered right to your inbox, sign up to get on our email list here. When you sign up, you’ll get a free mini-meal plan, meal planning template, pantry list and more.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Recipe Roundups Tagged With: holiday, holiday season, thanksgiving

Previous Post: « Workweek Prepper Meal Plan – November 21st, 2019
Next Post: Cranberry Pumpkin Overnight Oats »

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Workweek Lunch | Talia Koren
Instagram post 18034586200225443 Would you eat a chili with beans, lentils, tomatoes and chocolate?! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m obsessed with this one pot, freezer friendly vegan Rocky Mountain lentil chili I made last week and the recipe is coming to the WWL Program TOMORROW! Learn more or sign up today in my bio link.
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👉🏼Couple things: the kidney beans and soyrizo didn’t actually make it into the chili. And it made 3 servings, not 2. I just ate one before snapping the “after” pic. To make this a meat recipe, simply use your favorite ground meat instead of lentils. Done.
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🙏🏼This is a perfect lazy Sunday meal prep recipe that’s super cozy and filling as a lunch or dinner! Can’t wait for you to try it this weekend on the new meal plan.
Instagram post 17988759484286314 Last week’s prep was perfect! Not pictured are some of the servings we ate before I snapped this pic but I ended up with 13 meals from 4 different recipes.
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Deets👇🏼
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🍳Breakfast tortilla bake! The vegetarian version is already available in the WWL Program - vegan version is coming.
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🥗Crunchy spinach apple carrot salad with chicken! Recipe is already in the WWL Program
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🌶Vegan Rocky Mountain Chili - recipe coming to the WWL Program this week
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🍔Spinach feta turkey burgers with lemon dill rice (this was a winner) - recipe is already in the WWL Program!
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👉🏼If you’re not a member of WWL yet, you can join to get access to all of these tested meal prep recipes + 300 existing ones in my bio link!
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✅Reheating: in the microwave as needed
✅Storage: in the fridge until we eat them
✅Calories: don’t know, don’t count, don’t care
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❓Got questions about this prep or meal prep in general? Drop them below!
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🌞Today is our last full day in Mexico and I’m feeling so inspired to cook when I get home tomorrow!! I always look forward to meal prep after a vacation because it helps my body get back in its regular feel-good groove.
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Have an amazing Monday!!
Instagram post 18119875405011786 I don’t count macros or calories! That’s one of many reasons why I don’t include them in my recipes, my program or my IG posts. (All recipes in this pic are featured in the WWL Meal Prep Program and are for members only- sign up in my bio link!)
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👇🏼Other reasons why I don’t include them:
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1️⃣ macros tell us nothing about flavor, taste or satisfaction when it comes to meals. These are factors I’d rather focus on.
2️⃣ counting macros is still a form of dieting! As an intuitive eating advocate with an anti-diet approach to food, counting macros doesn’t align with my mission.
3️⃣ including macros makes us second guess our food decisions instead of listening to our gut/intuition
4️⃣ even if I included macros in recipes there’s NO WAY you’d replicate the recipe exactly the same in your kitchen, thus making the count inaccurate and kind of irrelevant
5️⃣ including macros would be very triggering to those who are dealing with or recovering from an ED or disordered eating. I want my page to showcase meal ideas in a way that’s safe for those who struggle(d) with this.
6️⃣ counting macros is simply too time consuming!! I’m meal prepping to save time, why would I add macro counting to the process?
7️⃣ I want people to see beyond the numbers. Does the meal look or sound appealing? What are the ingredients and are would they taste good? Is this easy to cook at home? Is this affordable? These factors matter.
8️⃣ even though I don’t count macros I still make sure there are macronutrients in each prep: protein, carbs and veggies as micronutrients. I don’t spend as much time on the fat aspect- but fats are there too if we look close enough. There’s a way to make sure all the macronutrients are present without counting.
9️⃣ my philosophy is... we simply have more important things to worry about in life than macros
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🤘🏼I get this question a lot but haven’t been able to fully explain it. If you do count and it helps you- that’s great. I’m not here to bash you. I’m just explaining my position on this topic - we don’t have to all agree here. As always I welcome discussion in the comments, but remember that there’s no right or wrong here!
Instagram post 18028238254244227 🙅🏻‍♀️Me: I don’t want to travel so much this year
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✈️Also me: *takes 7 plane trips in 2019*
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👈🏼Swipe left to see all my plane food grams! Not sure why, but you guys seem to love them. And yes, ALL of this food got through security (which is different than customs - this food was eaten on the plane not taken into other countries).
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🌏Travel is a big part of my life and it’s one of the reasons I started meal prepping in the first place (to save money to use for trips). When I started prepping, I saved $260/month and all of that went toward travel and savings. It’s why I keep doing it!
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☀️This year I went to California 3 times, Turks and Caicos, Toronto and Israel. And now I’m headed to Cancun with my amazing mom for a few days! Next year? Japan and maybe Spain or the UK with my partner.
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🍌Why do I bring food on the plane? Having food I know I will enjoy makes my travel experience better AND I don’t have to spend so much money at the airport.
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👇🏼Products I travel with:
@stasherbag reusable bags
@gocontigo water bottle
@stojo collapsible cup
Containers vary, but I stick with plastic for plane travel because they’re lighter and won’t break.
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Have an amazing Friday!
Instagram post 17890277281433577 These spinach feta turkey burgers with lemon dill rice were a hit! 💯The recipe for these and the vegan/vegetarian version is in the WWL Program for members as of today!!
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✅If you’re a member, a new meal plan is already waiting for you in your inbox with this recipe in it.
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👉🏼And if you’re not a member yet, you can sign up in my bio link for $7.99/mo to get weekly meal prep plans that change every week, a library of 300 tested meal prep recipes and access to our INCREDIBLE private Workweek Preppers FB group. Cancel anytime if it’s not for you.
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🍋This recipe is bomb because the flavors compliment each other and it’s made with very simple, easy to find ingredients.
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ℹ️It’s not freezer friendly but it can last in the fridge for up to 4 days. It reheats well in the microwave or on the stove. I have no idea what the calories are because we don’t count here at WWL!
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🤘🏼Can’t wait for you guys to try this one. Have a kickass Thursday!
Instagram post 18076894759154473 We all screw up in the kitchen! Here are just of a few of MANY epic meal prep fails from this year:
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🍕Pizza quesadillas with a side salad - might come back to this. The quesadilla was just sad, not filling or flavorful enough. Side salad and dressing too much work for what it was.
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🍳Hashbrown egg cups - just wasn’t into this greasy mess of a meal at all! Everything about it was weird.
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🤨I think I attempted curry noodles and it all just clumped together. Super ugly meal, terrible texture, will probably try again because I love the flavors.
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🥘Quinoa sausage butternut squash skillet - these flavors go well together but not in skillet form. Was going for a one pot meal but it turned to mush. Might try again!
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🍠Turmeric tofu Thai stir fry. This combination of ingredients literally came to me in a dream 😂 and might try again because I loved it, it just needs a sauce!
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🍔Vegan, GF black bean burgers. Guys I tried these 4 times with no luck. Bland, bad texture, just the wrong ingredient combos. Will definitely come back to it, but needed a break after so many failed trials.
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🥞Not pictured: French toast. I tried sooooo many meal prep French toast recipes but they were all awful. Great in theory, terrible in practice.
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🥦Also not pictured: the epic broccoli soup fail you may have seen on stories 2 weeks ago
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🤘🏼I’m not here to be perfect. If you watch my lives and stories, you know that I screw up often, laugh it off and embrace it. It’s part of cooking. It’s impossible to learn how to cook without screwing up many times. 👉🏼The only way to learn is by DOING. Each “failure” is a lesson. Time and time again, mistakes lead to something awesome if we keep going.
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☺️Can’t wait to see what failures I come up with next year
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✅And if you want access to my meal prep success recipes, you can join the WWL Program in my bio link!! All the recipes that work out (Over 300) end up there for members only.
Instagram post 18078789757183769 Introducing the MVP of the week: this breakfast tortilla egg bake! 😍I had it for breakfast this morning and I can’t wait to eat it again tomorrow and the next day (and the next!).
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👈🏼Swipe left to see what it looks like inside 👀🤤🤤 I added black beans at the last minute
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✅ This breakfast is kind of like lasagna but with tortillas. It can last in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for 3-6 months (it’s all about how you store it!). I’m reheating it in the microwave, but the stove or oven (or toaster oven) would work just fine!
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🙅🏻‍♀️Dont know what the calories or macros are because I don’t count and don’t encourage counting. We eat food, not numbers!
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🤘🏼Recipe, including the vegan version, will be in the WWL Program this week! To get access to new and existing meal prep recipes, join the WWL Program in my bio link for just $7.99/mo (less than the cost of 2 takeout breakfast sandwiches!!)
Instagram post 18082525816142755 So I’m going to Tulum on Friday. Before I ditched diet culture, I used to try to change my eating habits to “look good” before a vacation or big event where photos will be taken. 😪Now? You couldn’t pay me to restrict food before an event or vacation.
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🙋🏻‍♀️Anyone else do this or used to do this? The focus was never on ENJOYING myself or reducing stress, it was on my looks. I regret doing that to myself in my teens and early 20’s when I could have been in the moment.
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🌮How I look or feel in a bikini won’t make or break my trip to Tulum. It’s going to be AMAZING regardless of my cellulite, belly rolls and all. I seriously can’t wait to eat all the tacos and get out of the cold!!
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🍕RECIPE for the pizza enchiladas (bottom left) is in the WWL Program for members only- learn more in my bio link!
Instagram post 17994246034301484 Throwing it back to this prep from January... how is 2019 almost over?!
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🤘🏼All recipes for the meals you see here are in the WWL Meal Prep Program! If you’re not a member yet, you can sign up for $7.99/month to get access to all of these recipes AND my entire archive (over 300 meal prep recipes), plus get weekly meal plans with grocery lists and more. 👆🏼Learn more in my bio link!
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Meals in this prep:
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🍓Breakfast (just for me): baked oatmeal cups 3 ways! Strawberry, banana chocolate chip and apple walnut. I got 6 breakfasts total from this- only 3 are pictured.
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🌶Meal option 1: General Tso’s chicken and tofu with rice and mixed veggies
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🥕Meal option 2: carrot ginger soup with curried tofu (vegan, GF)
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🍔Meal option 3: salmon sweet potato burgers with green beans
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🥬Meal option 4: spinach Alfredo pasta bake with mushrooms/chicken
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👉🏼All of these meals can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Some are freezer friendly. I reheat them in the microwave but they can also be reheated on the stove/oven depending on the meal. I don’t count calories and I have no idea what the macros/calories are!
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❓Got questions about this prep? Drop them in the comments. Hope this gives you some inspiration to get it done this week!
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About Workweek Lunch

Hey! I'm Talia Koren, founder of Workweek Lunch. Here are the basics: I'm 27, I live in Queens, NY with my boyfriend and I've been meal prepping vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian and ...

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