How to Eat & Enjoy Leftovers
remember, anything can be a crouton
We hosted a Thanksgiving potluck at the office yesterday and everyone brought their favorite dishes. I made a big salad (recipe here, I topped it with fried onions for the occasion) and there was everything from stuffins and sweet potato casserole to mac and cheese and Scandinavian swimmers.
There were also a LOT of leftovers. With Thanksgiving next week and a season of warm dishes ahead, now’s the best time to find your favorite way to eat leftovers as a treat to yourself the next day. You can do so much better than microwaving.
Here’s what’s on the menu to inspire your feast’s leftovers:
Leftovers Soup - The best way to use up leftover turkey and grains
Leftovers Bowl - My #1 favorite meal
Mac & Cheese Croutons - The most delicious way to get rid of that container in your fridge
Sweet Potato Snack - In case you bought too many
Stuffins - Unique to Thanksgiving leftovers (unless you eat stuffing year-round?)
Leftovers Soup
For extra bonus points, use the turkey (or chicken) bones from Thanksgiving to make an incredible broth. My aunt just recommended these soup socks and it makes homemade broth SO EASY. Almost easy enough to consider making homemade stock the day after Thanksgiving like a crazy person. I love them. Add the bones, onions, and carrots to the sock, put it in the stock pot, cover with water, and let it simmer for a few hours. When the stock is finished, you can just remove the sock. Like I said, SO. EASY.
You can save the stock for soups all month long, or you can save a few cups and make soup for everyone with what you have. Add in turkey meat, leftover grains (or just add uncooked rice, it will cook in the soup), chopped broccoli, etc. It’s the perfect dish to cozy up with after a long week.
Leftovers Bowl
Bowls are elite. They’re 11/10 my favorite way to eat leftover veggies, salads, and sides. Add a grain if you want, but it’s not necessary. Here are a few of my favorite bowl combos perfect for WFH lunch or a quick dinner, plus ideas for Black Friday bowls.
My go-to:
Base: Cottage cheese
Veggies: Leftover salad (this one specifically), jammy eggs, Castelvetrano olives, roasted beets, sliced carrots…really anything in my fridge!
A seasonal spin:
Base: Cottage Cheese (or mashed potatoes, or sweet potatoes)
Leftovers: Salad, any veggie sides—steamed broccoli, green beans, roasted beets, carrots
Any veggies you bought but didn’t end up needing: Sliced carrots, rogue cucumbers, extra red peppers, scallions, greens
Protein: Throw on leftover turkey or make a jammy egg, depending on what the rest of your bowl looks like. And you can always drizzle with gravy, also depending on the rest of your bowl!
Mac & Cheese Croutons
I made these a couple weeks ago with my kids’ leftover Kraft. You can use any mac & cheese you have! Serve it over leftover salad or make a quick new one. The salad doesn’t need to be fancy; everyone’s there for the mac & cheese.
A Sweet Potato Snack
Bought too many sweet potatoes? I got you. This is my favorite way to eat sweet potatoes for an extra boost of energy during the day. (I added a sweet and a savory option for you!)
Stuffins
Turn yesterday’s stuffing into today’s muffins. Cheese is optional, but will give you a great cheese pull.
Love these ideas! I’ve got a leftover mashed potato pancake in the archives that fits the bill! And on Friday I’m sending out a leftovers cobbler with a cornbread topping. Leftovers = the best part IMO!