No-Man-Left-Behind Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich

When it came to this year’s Thanksgiving my stepmom was deemed the head chef of all the major dishes you’d find on this day of gratitude. She was in charge of the turkey and a majority of the classic side dishes. My stepmom tasked my other family members to bring additional dishes to add to our Thanksgiving feast. There was a bounty of leftovers after we all had filled our stomachs to their capacities. Looking at the mountains of leftovers that were left, I wondered what I could do with them so they didn’t end up at the bottom of my trash can. So I came up with the idea to use leftovers and elevate each dish to make them “new” for a creative new recipe.

After lots of searching on the internet for pre-existing recipes I thought of using the leftovers to create my own take on a grilled cheese sandwich. Although I didn’t get the chance to share my recipe with anyone, creating this recipe reminded me of my experience volunteering at my sleepaway camp in 2022 and 2023. For that week, one of my many responsibilities was to help in the kitchen by assisting in prep for each meal the camp would serve to the campers. During my time assisting in the kitchen I learned the importance of helping give back to the community by cooking for the campers, much like the previous junior counselors had done and continue to do for generations.

This is all connected to the theme of grilled cheese because depending on the week I attended I would have either a regular grilled cheese or a more fancy ham and grilled cheese sandwich on pretzel buns. Grilled cheese is pure comfort food and something I’m thankful for so making it for a post-Thanksgiving meal with my favorite elements from my previous Thanksgiving feast made it all the more better. Taking inspiration from that and the leftovers I had from Thanksgiving here’s what I made. I ended up making a grilled cheese sandwich with the addition of mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, mozzarella cheese, turkey and an addition of roasted red peppers and a side bowl of the red peppers and leftover green bean casserole. I was initially hesitant about whether the flavors would all work together but it surprisingly left my taste buds wanting another bite. The mashed potatoes were a bit weird texturally but the flavors were a nice addition overall. Each ingredient was able to stand out on its own while also uniting to bring a whole new experience with flavors that I’ve never experienced. The side dish added to the overall dish by adding a nice overall fresh and lightness to the dish.

Ingredients:

1. Mashed potatoes
2. Mac and cheese
3. Turkey
4. Mozzarella cheese
5. Two slices of bread
6. Butter for toasting the bread
7. Green beans
8. Roasted red peppers

Directions:

1. Turn on the stove to medium low heat.

2. Add butter to the pan and let it completely melt. Once melted add a slice of bread to the pan. While the bread is toasting, heat up your leftover mac and cheese in the microwave until it’s reheated and place on bread that’s toasting in the pan.

3. On top of the mac and cheese add turkey, roasted red peppers, and cheese to top it off.

4. On the other slice of bread spread your reheated mashed potatoes onto the second slice of bread.

5. Place the slice of bread that contains the spread of mashed potatoes on top of the second slice of bread that is in the pan. Add some more butter to toast the other side of the leftover grilled cheese sandwich.

6. Continue to let each side of the sandwich cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted to a medium brown.

7. To make your side dish just take some green beans and roasted red peppers and heat up

8. Enjoy!