There’s never a shortage of food on Thanksgiving. Chances are that after sending everyone home with a Tupperware full of turkey, mashed potatoes, and veggies, you still have enough Thanksgiving leftovers to last you through the weekend.
But eating the same ole stuff day after day can become unappetizing. We get it. That’s why we asked professional chefs for ideas to transform some of the classic scraps into tasty new dishes. Check out three fresh recipes below.
Mashed Potato Cups
Instead of just reheating your mashers as a static side, dress them up with some cheese and pancetta and bake them. This recipe from Colavita is perfect for preparing the leftover starch sans microwave. You can even change the toppings to include, well, anything!
Cranberry Cornbread Trifle
Here’s where your leftover cranberry sauce and cornbread come back into play. Equal parts sweet and savory, the recipe, courtesy ofcelebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson, calls for one piece of cornbread and ¼ cup of sauce per serving; all you need to add is the creamy filling (1 cup heavy cream, ⅛ cup sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract will fill four portions). After whipping the cream, vanilla extract and sugar into soft peaks, layer the ingredients and serve it up.
“This is a no-cook dessert recipe that is as easy as it is delicious using leftover cranberry sauce. Perfect for a sweet ending the day after Thanksgiving,” writes Samuelsson on his website. For beautiful and colorful presentation, he says to use clear water glasses or martini glasses.
Ramen with Turkey Broth
Samuelsson told us his favorite Thanksgiving dish is actually this turkey ramen. “After Thanksgiving, most people opt to just use the leftover meat for sandwiches and casseroles. But in my house, I like to go 360 degrees on the bird, which means using the bones and carcasses to make a rich turkey stock that’s the perfect basis for a hot bowl of ramen the next day,” he says.
