What to Make With Thanksgiving Leftovers, According to Chefs

Thanksgiving is a two-day event. There’s day one: a feast of freshly made turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and whatever other sides you can manage to fit on your table. Then there’s day two, a challenge to clear out whatever leftovers are stocked in your fridge. Of course, you can microwave and eat them the same way you did the day before, or stack them together for an epic sandwich. Or you can give your leftovers new life.

We asked professional chefs around the country what they make the day after Thanksgiving. From pot pies to porridge, here are eight ideas for creating an entirely new meal out of Turkey Day scraps. 

Chilaquiles

“We always have green tomatoes at the end of the growing season that we preserve and turn into salsa verde,” says 2007 F&W Best New Chef Paul Virant. He uses the tangy sauce the morning after Thanksgiving for chilaquiles — an easy, Mexican-inspired breakfast with tortilla chips cooked in warm salsa, topped with leftover shredded turkey.

Shepherd’s pie

2019 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Glover uses the majority of her Thanksgiving leftovers in a shepherd’s pie. For the base, she combines the turkey, gravy, and any leftover vegetables — like green bean casserole or buttered carrots — in a baking dish, then tops it with leftover mashed potatoes and shredded cheese. She bakes it in the oven until it’s hot and golden brown. “It’s so easy, and you have all the ingredients on hand,” she says. 

Larb

“Making a turkey larb is one of my favorite uses of leftovers,” says 2014 F&W Best New Chef Ari Taymor. The spicy, herb-forward Laotian salad can be made with any type of meat, so why not Thanksgiving turkey? Taymor sautés leftover turkey meat in turkey fat until it’s warm, then tosses it in a bowl with lime juice and zest, ginger, serrano chile, sliced red onion, cucumber, fish sauce, and cilantro. Served with a side of coconut rice, “it’s a great way to break up what can sometimes be a monotonous holiday flavor profile.”

Hand pies

Justin Chapple’s recipe for Buffalo Turkey Hand Pies has become the go-to post-Thanksgiving meal for 2018 F&W Best New Chef Michael Gallina. Diced leftover turkey, tossed with punchy buffalo-style hot sauce, becomes the filling for flaky puff pastry along with mozzarella cheese. These tasty appetizers are the best way to have some game day flavors while using up what’s left of your bird. 

Porridge

“When I was growing up at home, my mom would use the leftover turkey carcass and any leftover turkey to make rice porridge,” says 2011 F&W Best New Chef Viet Pham. “She would add lots of ginger and scallions, and I found it so comforting and delicious that I would often look forward to the porridge more than the Thanksgiving dinner itself.” Now as an adult, Pham makes nearly the exact same dish. “The only difference is I jazz it up by adding various mushrooms and topping it off with chili crisp.”

Pot pie

1989 F&W Best New Chef Debra Ponzek uses her family’s leftover turkey for individual pot pies. To make the base, she sautés carrot, celery, and onion with thyme until they’re soft, then adds slightly thickened turkey stock (you can thicken it with flour or a cornstarch slurry). She combines it with diced leftover turkey and English peas, then portions the base into pie pans. Ponzek makes the pot pie topping out of her leftover sausage and brioche stuffing, but piecrust, puff pastry, or a biscuit will also do the trick. “Then I can freeze them and bake as needed,” she says. “They’re perfect for a weeknight meal during the busy holiday season.”

Long rice

2018 F&W Best New Chef Brady Williams’ favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipe is a variation of chicken long rice, a fragrant Hawaiian soup with bean thread noodles. “I make [my] turkey stock with extra ginger,” says Williams. “It’s become a family favorite.”

Straight from the fridge

For 2025 F&W Best New Chef Kelly Jacques, there is only one correct way to eat Thanksgiving leftovers: “Straight from the container while standing in front of your fridge in your pajamas after midnight.”