2021 Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole Recipes – 5 Comfort Food Ideas

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner is plentiful and consists of roasted turkey, turkey stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. In addition, you may have appetizers, side dishes, more than one dessert and usually everyone has a lot of leftovers. So, here are our Thanksgiving leftovers casserole recipes that will help you use what’s left.

Why leftovers recipes are useful? On the first place, food will not go to the wastebasket. Obviously, you paid for it, spent time cooking it, so it doesn’t make sense to discard something that is perfectly edible, right? All you need is a little imagination to combine the ingredients that you already have and turn them into the ultimate comfort food – a rich and creamy casserole!

What Can You Use In Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole Recipes?

Many people wonder how long is leftover turkey good for? You can keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days or for 2-3 months in the freezer. If you have a lot of leftover turkey meat, freezing it allows you to use it for many different recipes later.

The greatest about Thanksgiving leftovers casserole recipes is that you can combine the favorite tastes of your family and substitute any ingredient for what you already have. For example, if a recipe calls for green beans, you can use Brussel sprouts instead. Even if you do not have turkey meat, you can use chicken and it is certain that your casserole will be super delicious!

Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 cup turkey gravy
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 3 cups cornbread, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 3 cups chopped turkey meat, cooked
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped frozen green beans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and add the butter to a medium sized saucepan melting it on medium heat.

Add the flour to the pan and whisk well together for 1 minute before adding in the gravy, milk and mozzarella, whisking until smooth.

Add the cornbread, turkey, peas, carrots and green beans to a 9×13 pan and cover with the gravy before cooking for 20-25 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered.

Leftover Turkey and Mashed Potatoes Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups leftover prepared stuffing, divided
• 4 cups coarsely chopped leftover cooked turkey
• 3/4 cup Mayonnaise, divided
• 1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
• 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray an 8-in. baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Spoon in 1-1/2 cups stuffing, then top with turkey.

Combine 1/4 cup Mayonnaise with cranberry sauce and spread evenly over turkey.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup Mayonnaise, potatoes and cheese in large bowl. Evenly spread on turkey, then top with remaining 1-1/2 cups stuffing.

Bake for 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole Recipes – Quick Turkey and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3 cups precooked turkey, cubed
• 4 cups broccoli florets, steamed
• 2 cups long grain white rice, uncooked
• 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• ¾ cup cold water
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup french fried onions (or seasoned bread crumbs tossed with melted butter)

Directions:

Cook 2 cups rice according to package directions.

Steam broccoli by arranging florets on a microwave-safe plate, pouring 1/4 cup of water over the top of the broccoli, covering with plastic wrap, cutting a small hole in the top to vent and microwaving until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain if necessary.

While broccoli is steaming, whisk together cream of chicken soup with water. Add in salt and pepper to your liking.

In a large bowl, stir cooked rice, turkey, broccoli, 1 cup of cheddar cheese and cream of chicken soup mixture all together.

Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish.

Cover the top of your rice filling with remaining cheese and French fried onions.

Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until heated completely through.

Serve warm.

Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini Casserole

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp butter, divided
• 6 tbsp flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups half-and-half cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• ½ lb (250g) uncooked spaghetti, snapped in half
• ½ lb (250g) sliced cremini mushrooms
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 2 cups diced cooked turkey
• 1 cup frozen peas, unthawed
• ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly butter a 9×13-inch casserole dish.

In a small saucepan, melt 4 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth and cream, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is thick and silky, whisking constantly as you go. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the spaghetti as per package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

While the spaghetti is cooking, melt the remaining 1 tbsp butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and have released most of their liquid. Add the wine and continue cooking for 5 minutes longer, or until most of the liquid in the pan has cooked off.

Stir in the cream sauce, cooked turkey, peas, cooked spaghetti, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Test the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as desired.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle evenly with the panko crumbs and remaining ¼ cup parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until top is golden-brown and filling is bubbling and hot.

Serve immediately with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups leftover cooked turkey meat, shredded
• 1⁄2 cup onion, finely diced
• 4 -5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups enchilada sauce, divided
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 -3 jalapeno peppers, chopped finely
• 1⁄2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1⁄2 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2  teaspoon pepper, to taste
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 8 -10 small flour tortillas, warmed
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a skillet to medium, add some oil and saute the onions for a few minutes then add the peppers and garlic and saute until the onion become translucent.

Add tomatoes, seasonings and stir to combine.

Add turkey and 1 cup of enchilada sauce, stir and let simmer until some of the liquid has evaporated.

Add cream cheese and stir until well incorporated. Simmer for a few minutes longer.

In a 9X13″ pan add 1 cup of enchilada sauce and coat bottom of pan.

Add about 1/4-1/3 cup of meat mixture to each tortilla – roll tortilla and place seam side down in a baking dish.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas.

Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and sides are bubbling slightly.