Ok, you’ve enjoyed a big turkey dinner, but that probably means you still have some leftover to use. With that in mind, we are sharing our collection of the Best Leftover Turkey Recipes for 2024! This is an updated version of a leftover turkey recipe collection we shared before — but we have added several new favorite recipes for leftover turkey.
This best leftover turkey recipes collection includes a combination of Cooking Chat recipes and some selections from my fellow bloggers. Let me know if you have some more ideas for using leftover turkey!
Jump to:
Leftover turkey pasta recipes
Adding some leftover turkey to a pasta dish is one option we go for regularly. Check out some of our favorite leftover turkey pasta recipes. Follow one of these, or get inspiration to cook up your own!
Orzo with Leftover Turkey and Sweet Potatoes
Savory leftover turkey and cheese contrasted with the flavors of sweet potatoes to make this delicious Orzo with Leftover Turkey and Sweet Potatoes.
Leftover Turkey Pasta with Mushrooms
Mushrooms are another ingredient that combines well with turkey. You’ve heard of turkey tetrazzini, right? Our Leftover Turkey Pasta with Mushrooms is a lighter version of the turkey with mushroom pasta concept, as it doesn’t use cream. But the mushrooms and cheese bring plenty of flavor to the table!
Leftover Butternut Squash Pasta with Turkey
This recipe starts with another potential Thanksgiving leftover — butternut squash that remains after the feast. Don’t worry, there is turkey, too, in this Leftover Butternut Squash Pasta recipe.
Leftover Turkey Linguine with Red Cabbage
Red cabbage is great when sautéed, another way to enjoy the healthy vegetable. We put that cooked cabbage to good use in our Leftover Turkey Linguine with Red Cabbage. Our red cabbage risotto is another recipe that features cooked red cabbage in a savory dish.
Cheesy Turkey Noodle Casserole
Soups and stews
Making a soup or a stew is certainly a classic way to use leftover turkey. Making a turkey stock with the remains of carcass is a particularly good way to reduce waste, while providing a rich flavor base for soup. Here are some tasty options for leftover turkey stew and soup.
Turkey and Butternut Squash Stew
I’m going to lead off with one of my favorites from here on Cooking Chat, Turkey and Butternut Squash Stew. First you make stock with leftover turkey bones and part to serve as a great base for this hearty stew. The recipe calls for peeling a butternut squash for this stew, but if you already have something like roasted butternut squash leftover, just add that.
Peruvian Turkey and Veggie Soup
Give your leftover turkey some international flair with this Peruvian Turkey and Veggie Soup, known as Aguadito de Pavo. From My Gluten Free Miami, so as you might suspect, it is gluten free.
White Turkey Chili in the Instapot
While we’ve got a spicy theme going here, check out this tasty leftover turkey recipe for White Turkey Chili in the Instapot! Convenient idea from Merry About Town.
Here’s a nice hearty soup to try with your leftover turkey — this Turkey and Sausage Gumbo from Syrup & Biscuits.
Leftover turkey sandwich recipes
We actually first made this Turkey Pesto Panini with sliced deli turkey. But later we figured out that it also is a great way to use leftover turkey!
Leftover Turkey and Cranberry Sandwich
This Leftover Turkey and Cranberry Sandwich from Savory Tooth is certainly a classic! Beautifully executed and some healthy avocado added for good measure.
Turkey Cranberry Sandwich with Mozzarella and Goat Cheese
Here’s another twist on a classic, a Turkey Cranberry Sandwich with two types of cheese. Yum! From Girl Heart Food.
More dinner ideas with leftover turkey
Pasta, soup and sandwiches covers a lot of ways to use leftover turkey! But as you can see from the recipes below, there are still more things you can do with leftover turkey.
I love potpies, but I usually think of chicken as the filling. What a great idea from Sugar Spun Run to use leftover turkey in a turkey potpie!
Why not jump right on those turkey leftovers and make this Leftover Turkey Strata?!? Great idea from The Flavor Bender!
Yum! Buffalo Turkey Pizza definitely earns a spot on our tasty leftover turkey recipes list! From Erica’s Recipes.
Feeling fancy? This recipe from Wine Lover’s Kitchen is a creative and elegant way to use up those little bits of turkey.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Risotto
I’m a huge fan of risotto, so there was no doubt I’d be including this Thanksgiving Leftovers Risotto from Three Olives Branch in our Tasty Leftover Turkey Recipes roundup!
I love this idea of turning leftover turkey into an Indian flavored curry dish! From the Supergolden Bakes blog.
Sometimes after all the savory and sweet tastes of Thanksgiving, I’m hungry some spice later in the weekend! This Cheesy Turkey Enchiladas from What A Girl Eats could be just the thing!
We enjoy the pasta and leftover turkey combo, add in a nice amount of cheese and we are all over it! Definitely trying this Cheesy Turkey Noodle Casserole from Taste and See.
Australian Pie — Leftover Turkey Pie
Here’s another tasty pie idea, Australian Pie — Leftover Turkey Pie with some raisins and bechamel for a creative flavor. From Caroline’s Cooking.
I lived in Kentucky for 5 years, plenty of time to develop an appreciation for hot brown! So I had to include this Bubble Up Hot Brown Casserole from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures in this roundup!
Paleo Turkey Taco Spaghetti Squash
Here’s a healthy way to to combine leftover turkey with taco spice, served in a spaghetti squash. This recipe from My PCOS Kitchen earns its spot on the Tasty Leftover Turkey Recipes list.
Chinese Five Spice Turkey Tacos
Sticking with the tacos theme, but with some fusion going on, we have the Chinese Five Spice Turkey Tacos from Recipes From a Pantry
Do you have a favorite leftover turkey recipe? Let me know about it in the comments!
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats
Thank you for including me in this great collection of tasty leftover dishes!
Cooking Chat
Sure, that’s a good idea to make enchiladas!
Holly
These’s so many yummy turkey creations here! Not sure how to decide which one to make since they all look so delicious!
Cooking Chat
Thanks for sharing a recipe for this Holly!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
Such a tasty collection of recipes, thanks for including my tacos!