Thanksgiving Leftovers: 6 Great Recipes

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but is your leftover food still in the fridge? Here are six recipes that will use everything from the scrapped turkey bones to that half empty bottle of wine. 

Spinach and Turkey Phyllo with Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi "Fondue"

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Not sure what to do with those leftover bits of turkey? Grab some phyllo dough and a bottle of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Chardonnay and start making Spinach and Turkey Turnovers with "Fondue." These flaky bites, created by Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, are hearty and packed with flavor. The fondue itself has a bit of hot sauce, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire in it, so be prepared for a bit of a little kick. Another cooking tip? Splash a dose of white wine into your leftover gravy to transform it into something entirely new.

Makes approximately 12 turnovers

Turnover Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 pound leftover roasted Butterball turkey meat, dark and white meat, "flaked" into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup leftover (thick) turkey gravy
• 1 box spinach and feta phyllo appetizers
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parley

Fondue Sauce Ingredients:

Makes approximately 3 cups

• 2 cups Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Chardonnay
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
• 2 cups finely grated Swiss cheese
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Tabasco

Turnover Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. In a medium-size skillet, heat the butter and add the turkey meat.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 3-5 minutes or until the turkey is warm.
4. Stir in the gravy and cook until the gravy coats the meat, an additional 3-5 minutes.
5. Arrange the spinach and phyllo appetizers in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the center of the oven.
6. Bake until they are golden brown, an average of 12-15 minutes.
7. Turn the phyllo out onto a platter and arrange in a single layer.
8. Stir the parsley into the turkey and arrange a generous spoonful on top of each phyllo triangle. Serve immediately with the warm fondue sauce for drizzling and dunking.

Fondue Directions:

1. In a medium pot, reduce the Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Chardonnay over medium heat until the liquid measures about 1/2 cup, 5-8 minutes.
2. In the same pot, add the cream and the mustard to a simmer gently with a pinch of salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the Swiss cheese, parmesan, Worcestershire and Tabasco and continue stirring until cheese melts. Taste for seasoning.

Savory Stuffing Cakes

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If you have eggs and butter in the refrigerator, then you can transform your leftover stuffing into another hearty dish. Grab a frying pan and make Savory Stuffing Cakes. This Whole Foods recipe is easy, tasty, and you can even add mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes into the mix. This assures that your stuffing will remain moist and compact, rather than dry and flaky. Add a side of greens or turkey and you've got yourself the perfect post-holiday meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups leftover prepared stuffing
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp. butter

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together stuffing and egg until blended.
2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Shape 1/2 cup of the stuffing mixture into a ball, then flatten into a 3-inch patty.
4. Repeat with remaining mixture.
5. Place patties in skillet and cook about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and heated through.

The-Day-After Turkey Stock

One of the best things to do with a leftover turkey is make broth out of it. Zabar's is sharing their "The-Day-After" turkey stock recipe that you can use right away, or freeze and store for later. You'll definitely be able to taste the difference between this homemade broth and a store-bought stock or bullion. Plus, you can use this as a base for their Smoky White Turkey Chili Turkey Day leftover recipe. Soup's up!

Ingredients:

1 roasted turkey carcass
2-3 onions, quartered
4 carrots, chopped
4 stalks of celery
2-4 cloves garlic
About 4-8 sprigs of fresh herbs, including thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
Salt

Directions:

Pull off all the meat – save it to add back in to the stock for soup or just make post-Thanksgiving sandwiches with it!

Place the bones into a large stock pot. Cover with water. Different-sized turkeys will cover with different amounts of water, so a general rule of covering it will suffice.

Add onions, carrots, celery, herbs, garlic and pepper.

Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 3-4 hours. If the stock seems weak, just allow it to reduce by removing the pot lid. Add in salt 1 teaspoon at a time. Taste it and continue to add as needed. Don't be afraid of adding salt, much of the flavor comes out by seasoning.

Strain the stock into containers through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. Allow to cool, refrigerate or freeze. A tip about freezing: when I freeze stock I put it in into 2 cup containers. This makes it easy to pull out just the right amount for recipes or dinners. Also be sure to leave a little empty room at the top of the container before freezing – stock expands when frozen.

Turkey and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Chef Michael Armstrong, of Dream Downtown, makes it easy to turn your leftover turkey into spicy enchiladas. Wrap up all your favorite sides in with your white and dark meat and some chilies, chicken broth, cheese, and chili powder and just hit the bake button. Top with sour cream to help cool down your mouth. Your taste buds will be quite happy.

Ingredients:

• 12 each, flour or corn tortillas
• 3 cups, leftover turkey meat, white and dark, diced
• 2 cups, leftover roasted sweet potatoes, diced
• 2 cups, pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup, leftover cranberry sauce
• 1 cup, leftover gravy
• 2 each, canned chipotle chilies, diced
• 1/2 cup, chicken broth or water
• 1 Tbsp., chile powder
• 1/2 cup, sour cream

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine cranberry, gravy, chipotles, broth/water, and chile powder together, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Mix turkey, sweet potatoes, and half of the cheese together with 1/2 cup of sauce, divide evenly and wrap in the tortillas and place in a baking dish.

Cover with the rest of the sauce and the other half of the cheese and bake for 30 minute at 350°

Remove from oven and divide among four plates (garnish with sour cream if desired)

Day After Turkey Reuben

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The folks from Stew Leonard's know a thing or two about great recipes. Try making their "Day After" turkey reuben with a surprise addition: brussels sprouts! The trick to making this a memorable sandwich is by buttering both slices of bread and cooking it over the stove. This mega sandwich will certainly keep you full until the next meal, thanks to its base of leftover turkey meat, Muenster cheese, stuffing, gravy, cranberry, and Not Your Mama's Brussels Sprouts (see recipe below). The other surprise? Swap out traditional mayonnaise for Thousand Island dressing. You can thank us later.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsps. Thousand Island Dressing
• 1 slice Muenster cheese
• ½ cup Stuffing
• ¼ cup Not Your Mama's Brussels Sprouts
• 2 tbsps. Gravy
• 1 slice Jellied Cranberry
• 4 oz. Leftover turkey meat

Directions:

1. Take 2 slices of rye bread and lightly butter one side of each slice.
2. Place both slices butter side down in a frying pan and cook over medium/medium-high heat.
3. While the slices fry:
         Spread 2 tablespoons of Thousand Island Dressing on each slice of bread
         Top with 1 slice of Muenster cheese on each slice of bread
         Add ½ cup of stuffing spread on one piece of bread
         Add ¼ cup of Not Your Mama's Brussels Sprouts to the opposite side
         Pour 2 tablespoons of gravy on top of the stuffing
         Add 1 slice of jellied cranberry on top of the stuffing/gravy
         Top with 4 oz. of sliced leftover white meat turkey

Cook until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.

Turkey Mac n' Cheese

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Hungover? Don't worry, we know how to make you feel better. Grab some macaroni and start making Chef Michael Ferraro of Delicatessen's Turkey Mac n' Cheese. This recipe is sure to make you feel better in no time. The addition of garlic, sweet potatoes, onions, peas, grated cheddar cheese, Mascarpone cheese, Fontina cheese, milk, and butter will soak up any alcohol that's still left in your system. Plus, you can throw in your leftover turkey and stuffing (and even cranberry sauce) into this delicious dish. And if you think a little "hair of the dog" will do the trick, pair it with a glass of bubbly.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Cooked elbow macaroni
1 lb. Shredded turkey meat
1 cup Leftover stuffing (optional)
3 Medium size sweet potatoes, cut into small dices and cooked in salted water until tender
1 cup Cooked peas
1/2 onion, chopped
5 sage leaves, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup leftover cranberry relish (optional)
1/2 quarts milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup Mascarpone cheese
1 cup grated Fontina cheese

Directions:

1. In a large pot add butter, onion, sage and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
2. Add flour, whisk and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add milk and continue to whisk till milk comes to a boil and thickens.
4. After milk in thicken whisk in the mascarpone, fontina and one cup of the cheddar cheese.
5. Once cheese in melted and sauce in smooth fold in the turkey meat, sweet potatoes, peas and pasta
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Place in a 3-inch baking dish, cover with remaining cheddar cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes till hot and brown.
8. Serve with a tablespoon of cranberry relish.

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Carly Petrone is the founder of Petrone on the Rocks, a lifestyle site about food, drinks, beauty, travel, and more. She lives in New York City.