What to Do With Every Thanksgiving Leftover in Your Fridge Right Now

You put in the work, now reap the rewards. With a little guidance, your Thanksgiving feast can stretch far beyond the holiday.

Thanksgiving leftovers don’t have to automatically translate to reheated side-dish casserole and pie. How does a turkey bánh mì or comforting winter panzanella sound? Take a long-term approach to remixing your leftovers. We’re not just covering a few post-holiday dinners. Let’s turn your hard work into a constellation of reheat-ready go-tos for weekday dinners all month long. A few tweaks can help you take care of meals throughout the week without putting the family on an all-stuffing diet.

Stale bread is your friend.

Did last night’s bread basket get lost in a sea of side dishes? In the world of leftovers, stale bread is a magical workhorse.

• Winter Panzanella: Transform stale bread into an easy winter panzanella (aka bread salad). You can use your other dregs here too: roasted brussel sprouts, green beans, or roasted root vegetables all work well in this salad. Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces, toss with whatever vegetables are left over, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and vinegar.
• Bread pudding: Banish pie and Christmas cookie ennui with a pan of bread pudding. It’s so easy to throw together and a nice way to use up wilting fruits, which get jammy when baked with stale bread, milk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla. You can also fold in leftover cranberries or fruit that didn’t make it into a pie, like apples and pears.
• Homemade croutons: Just rip up leftover bread (no need to cube, the rough edges actually make croutons feel more luxurious and take way less time), then toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Use these for a big day after Thanksgiving salad that can also include leftover roasted veggies, cheese, olives, or shredded turkey. If you have any croutons leftover, save them in an airtight container and they’ll stay fresh for a few days.

Dinner for the week.

Remixed Thanksgiving dishes will curb any leftovers-for-dinner boredom, and make sure not a scrap of your remaining food goes to waste.

• Shepherds Pie: Combine shredded turkey and leftover veggies and gravy under a blanket of mashed potatoes. It also freezes well for future dinners.
• Turkey Bánh Mì: Why make that sandwich that tastes like Thanksgiving when you’ve just maxed out on Thanksgiving foods? Turn to the bánh mì, which makes these flavors feel new and fresh.
• A Healthier Twist on Mac and Cheese: Add some nutritional heft to a pan of macaroni and cheese by substituting part of the cheese with mashed butternut squash, canned pumpkin, or unsweetened mashed sweet potatoes. Toss in leftover roasted veggies or sauteed greens for a splash of color and texture.
• Roasted Root Vegetable Salad: Toss leftover roasted veggies and sautéed greens with cooked grains,, and a simple vinaigrette for a quick grain salad.

What to do with those last lingering scraps:

• Future Stock: Carrot peels, onion scraps, cheese rinds, the last dregs of red wine, the turkey carcass — this is all waiting to become a stock, aka the framework for a winter’s worth of soups. You can let the stock bubble on the stove one day during the long weekend, then freeze it in portions so you can easily get soup on the table in no time at all.
• Milkshakes: Combine leftover pumpkin pie, ice cream, and milk to create pumpkin milkshakes. You can customize this to any pie you have, and apple pie works particularly well as a replacement.
• Leftover Wine: Freeze those last gulps of wine that are leftover. You can use them for future pastas, soups, and roasts so you won’t have to crack open a bottle when all you need is one cup.
• Portion and Freeze: Thanksgiving side dishes freeze pretty well. Create your own future fast food by portioning side dishes and freezing them for future meals.