You’re probably spending Thanksgiving sharing dinner with lots of friends and family, but it’s the truest friends that stay to help you clean up. Most likely, you’ll have lots of leftovers from that holiday feast, too. So, why not invite your BFF over to create new dishes with them because November 25thalso happens to be National Eat With a Friend Day.
It’s a perfect way to cut down on food waste and at the same time, you may as welllet your bestie know how much they mean to you. So get ready for some leftovers. But, not just any warmed-up leftovers – no, we have 15 incredible recipes that take those Thanksgiving leftovers and turn them into brand new meals you’ll love sharing with your treasured friend.
1. Thanksgiving Leftovers Tacos With Cranberry Salsa
Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches are kind of legendary. We mean, the best part about Thanksgiving is getting to put all those leftovers in a sandwich, right? Well, why not try it in a taco? You can make these Thanksgiving Leftover Tacos With Cranberry Salsa by using your holiday leftovers, but if you don’t happen to have a refrigerator full of leftovers, you can easily whip up some Thanksgiving tacos from scratch. Top them off with some cranberry salsa and a drizzle of tahini, and you have yourself one glorious taco.
2. Shepherd’s Pot Pie With Tofu
This Shepherd’s Pot Pie With Tofu is a real “meat and potatoes” kind of dish. It’s hearty and filling and delicious. Use whatever “meat” and potatoes you have leftover plus veggies and gravy and you’ve got a comforting mash-up of two favorite recipes.
3. Simple Mashed Potato Waffles
If you made too much mashed potatoes, turn them into these fun Simple Mashed Potato Waffles. They’re moist and crispy on the outside, warm and deliciously creamy on the inside. These potato waffles also go great with salsa, vegan cream cheese, and caramelized onions. They’re like a beautiful medley of mashed potatoes, rösti, and hash browns – three all-time favorite potato creations all rolled into one vegan-friendly recipe!
4. Curry Gravy Vegetable Pot Pie
Take your leftover veggies and gravy and turn them into this amazing Curry Gravy Vegetable Pot Pie. The vegetables in their thick curry gravy are tender and delightful. The pie crust makes the whole meal so special and inviting. Welcome the chill in the air with this warm scrumptious dinner.
5. Sweet Potato Cranberry Pancakes
Take your leftover sweet potatoes and your leftover cranberries and turn it into breakfast or breakfast for dinner with these Sweet Potato Cranberry Pancakes. These light and fluffy pancakes are topped with a generous drizzle of maple pecan syrup. More, please!
6. Minestrone Pot Pie With Biscuit Topping
Got leftover biscuits? Make this Minestrone Pot Pie With Biscuit Topping. It’s got a golden brown encasing of bread and a deliciously savory and chunky filling. Specifically, this pot pie has a minestrone soup filling – broth, diced tomatoes, beans, onions, veggies – and a wheat biscuit-like crust that is flavored with coconut oil and a touch of rosemary. Talk about comfort food!
7. Thanksgiving Burgers
This year, celebrate all of the deliciousness of the holidays between two toasted burger buns. This Thanksgiving Burger has it all – freekeh-stuffing patty, cranberry sauce, decadent gravy, sauteed green beans, and crispy fried onions. All of the best flavors of the season are in every single bite.
8. Loaded Hash Browns
Leftover potatoes have a new purpose. These Loaded Hash Browns combine two of the most beloved breakfast items: hash browns and waffles. First, potatoes are shredded and combined with diced red pepper and onion, green onions, shredded cheese, and plenty of seasoning. Then the savory mixture is loaded into a waffle iron and pressed into glorious waffle form. Top these with anything you want – we suggest vegan sour cream, salsa, bacon bits, and extra green onions. Yum!
9. Green Bean Casserole Pizza
If you’ve got leftover green bean casserole, it’s about to get a fun makeover. This Green Bean Casserole can be made fresh but it’s a great way to use up extra veggies. Just top a pizza crust with the casserole, add vegan cheese if you want, and definitely sprinkle some extra fried onions on top.
10. Sweet Potato Quesadillas
Kick up the spices and use your leftovers to make these Sweet Potato Quesadillas. The combination of crispy and creamy texture, as well as the sweet, cheesy, and smoky flavor profile with a bit of spiciness, makes these quesadillas a total crowd pleaser. They’re especially great because they can be whipped up in just 10 minutes! Serve with fresh veggies, salsa, baked beans, or vegan sour cream.
11. Cherry Tomato and Kale Bread Pudding
If you didn’t use all your bread to make stuffing, use the rest to make this Cherry Tomato and Kale Bread Pudding. This particular bread pudding has bright cherry tomatoes, crispy kale, crunchy walnuts, a cheesy flavor from nooch, and of course, fluffy bread pieces that tie everything together. Add more bread if you’d like a thicker, more stuffing-like consistency or bake it for longer to get a similar effect.
12. S’mores Sweet Potato Brownies
Your leftover sweet potatoes just got sweeter because they are now S’mores Sweet Potato Brownies. These vegan brownies are best enjoyed straight out of the oven, with a cup of cocoa and good friends to share it with. You totally can’t taste the sweet potato. But man, it makes these brownies good. Ooey gooey good.
13. Pumpkin 3-Cheese Pasta
Got some pumpkin leftover? Turn them into this Pumpkin 3-Cheese Pasta. This comforting dish is tossed with roasted pumpkin and three types of dairy-free cheese. First, a creamy cashew cheese sauce. Next, a cheesy corn sauce goes on and finally, a sprinkling of crumble cashew Parmesan. It’s cozy, delicious, and the perfect weeknight dinner, since you can save all your leftover cheese sauce for meals later in the week.
14. Japanese Sweet Potato Tots
Use your leftover potatoes to make these fun Japanese Sweet Potato Tots. These aren’t the tater tots you remember from school lunches — no, these are way better. Made from Japanese sweet potato and regular ol’ potatoes, then spiced up with fresh herbs and coated in panko, these tater tots are something special. They’re baked and then broiled to ensure an addictive crispiness and served alongside a colorful, spicy, and creamy tahini dip.
15. Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry
Leftover Brussels sprouts become take-out food with this Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry. Nothing too fancy is required to stir-fry them, just a bit of salt and pepper, and a zing of lemon if you desire. Top with some coconut flakes and dried cranberries for some lovely flavor contrast.
The focus of Thanksgiving may be on the food, but we know that it’s the leftovers that we all look forward to. That’s especially true with these creative recipes using leftovers that are too good not to share.
Lead image source: Thanksgiving Leftover Tacos With Cranberry Salsa
