Leftovers are as much a part of the Thanksgiving tradition as the meal itself. Although after a day or two, the turkey sandwich can lose it’s luster. Here are a few more creative and healthy ways to re-purpose your thanksgiving dinner.
If you don’t have leftovers (or are kind of upset that I just disrespected your beloved turkey sandwich) scroll down to the bone broth recipe at the bottom. If there was a turkey on your table, don’t miss this opportunity to make some immune boosting collagen broth!
Thanksgiving Stuffed Acorn Squash
The best thing about this recipe is that you can use any and all of the leftovers you have on hand. You can also take different combinations of everyone’s favorites to make a leftover treat that pleases everyone. Plus, it adds another great seasonal ingredient (acorn squash) to one of our favorite meals.
Photo credit & recipe: Lexiscleankitchen.com
Leftover Turkey Salad
Sometimes you a craving something a bit on the lighter side. The genius of this salad is that it still incorporates all of the Thanksgiving flavors without the heaviness of the full meal. They use leftover turkey, stuffing for crispy croutons, cranberry sauce as the base of the dressing and any leftover veggies you have on hand. It is equally creative and delicious!
Photo credit & recipe: EatingWell.com
Sweet Potato & Turkey Enchilada
Although this feels a little blasphemous to say, sometimes we get to the point that we are all Thanksgiving’d out. This is the time to turn to this incredible one-skillet enchilada from Ambitious Kitchen. They combine the turkey and sweet potato leftovers in a way that bursts with a completely different type of flavor. They also include vegetarian and vegan variations!
Photo credit & recipe: AmbitiousKitchen.com
Leftover Turkey Stew
Soup is really the go-to Thanksgiving leftover recipe, and my favorite. It is a great way to utilize pretty much all of the turkey and veggie leftovers and it freezes well so you can save them for later in the winter when time is at a premium. What I love about this recipe is that it adds gravy to the stew to add a depth and heartiness to the flavor.
Photo credit & recipe: EatingWell.com
Bone Broth
If turkey was on your table, I highly recommend making homemade bone broth. Not only can homemade broth be healthier, tastier and cheaper than store-bought – but using apple cider vinegar to pull minerals and collagen from the bones and connective tissue is where most of the immune boosting properties of broth come from.
If it’s too much to think of doing this after a big dinner, simply stick the bones and scraps in a freezer bag and pull them out when you have more time.
Photo credit & recipe: TaraColeman.com
