Thanksgiving is a holiday where families and friends gather together to feast on a rather large meal. Foods that are quite popular during Thanksgiving include turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and more. The first Thanksgiving dates back to 1621, when English colonials of the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts celebrated the end of a successful harvest. But what is surprising about this is that the feast lasted for three days. They must have had a whole lot of leftovers! If your family has ever hosted Thanksgiving, you would know that there is a lot of food left over. While some people reheat their food and eat it the way it was the night before, there are more delicious and creative alternatives. 

The first alternative is to make a Thanksgiving quesadilla. I found this recipe off ‘The Cookie Rookie’, and it looks absolutely delicious! A Thanksgiving quesadilla is basically a quesadilla with turkey, cranberry sauce, sage, and of course cheese. A Thanksgiving quesadilla consists of 4 whole-wheat tortillas or wraps, 2 cups of turkey(shredded or chopped), 1/2 cup of cranberry sauce, 2 cups of shredded cheese (preferably cheddar, asiago, or pepper jack), 1/4 cup of fresh sage leaves, and vegetable oil. This recipe is great because it is quick and easy. You can prepare this meal over a stove or microwave. 

The next alternative that you can make with your Thanksgiving leftovers is to make a panini. I found this recipe off ‘Food Network’ and it looks quite appetizing! A Thanksgiving panini consists of dijon mustard, sourdough bread, swiss cheese, leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, leftover dressing, and gravy. The proportions of a Thanksgiving panini include, 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard, 2 slices of sourdough bread, 2 slices of swiss cheese, 1/3 cup of leftover turkey (preferably shredded), 3 tablespoons of cranberry sauce, 1/3 cup of leftover dressing, 2 tablespoons of gravy, and 2 tablespoons of butter. This recipe is great because while there are a lot of ingredients, it doesn’t take a whole lot of time to prepare. I would recommend this dish to someone who has a lot of food leftover.  

Another recipe that you can make out of your Thanksgiving leftovers is to make  Thanksgiving waffles. I found this recipe off ‘Shared Appetite’ and it looks scrumptious! A Thanksgiving waffle is basically a waffle made out of stuffing, with mashed potatoes, shredded turkey, and cranberry sauce on top. You could even add a poached egg if you wanted to. The measurements for a Thanksgiving waffle include, 4 1/2 cups of leftover stuffing (for 4 waffles), 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley, vegetable oil (for waffle iron), and as much turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce as you would like. This recipe is great because it is fun and it doesn’t take a whole lot of time to prepare. I would recommend this recipe to all breakfast lovers. 

My final recipe that you can make out of your Thanksgiving leftovers is to make a Thanksgiving casserole. I found this recipe off ‘Favorite Family Recipes’, and it looks delightful. A Thanksgiving casserole is essentially a casserole made out of food that you would typically eat on Thanksgiving. The ingredients of the Thanksgiving Casserole consist of, 1 1/2 cups of turkey, 3/4 cup of cranberry sauce, 2 cups of mashed potatoes, 1 cup of corn, 1 cup of gravy, 2 tablespoons of milk, 2 cups of stuffing, and chicken broth. Although this dish is delicious and fun to make, the casserole will take around 40 minutes to prepare, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this dish to a beginner. But, I would recommend more experienced cooks and individuals from large families prepare this dish.

For next Thanksgiving, I will for sure be testing out these recipes and even experiment with them on my own. I highly recommend you do so as well, as many of them are delicious and easy to prepare.