Unique Holiday Leftovers Recipes You Haven’t Tried

What to do with those Holiday Leftovers

Opening the fridge the morning after a holiday dinner can be a pleasant or unpleasant experience, depending on your perspective. One can choose to be excited by the prospect of all the leftovers-turkey sandwiches for days or can sink into a pit of how-am-I-going-to-use-all-of-this-up despair. Well, this year, we’ve got bigger plans for that extra food, and we assure you that it’s not going to waste! 

Sure, you’ve still got to do the turkey sandwich. But once that’s through, shift gears and get creative with your leftovers. Here are a few leftover recipes to get inspired on how to use up everything your guests couldn’t finish.

1. Spicy hash with chorizo, turkey, and Brussels sprouts.

If you have no interest in taking a break from being breathtakingly full–this meal is for you. A breakfast hash is a great way to use up leftovers, especially those leftover Brussels sprouts that didn’t get enough attention. This hash requires ingredients that are easily transferable from most holiday dinners, and you can even serve this with leftover cranberry sauce!

2. Leftover Roast Turkey Pho

Maybe you’re already in the habit of boiling up your turkey carcass to make soup, but how about mixing it up this year and making pho? If you take the time to make a good bone broth, it can be drunk straight, used to cook grains, or whipped into whatever type of soup you like. However for pho, all you need are some rice noodles, leftover turkey meat, beans sprouts, and a few Asian sauces. A fantastic, nourishing, and refreshingly light meal post-holiday feast.

3. Leftover Roasted Veggies Frittata

Not sure what to do with all the leftover side dishes? Throw them into a frittata! This recipe is so easy because the most time-consuming part–roasting the vegetables–is already done. The only veggie prep you may need to do is cut up larger roasted pieces so that they are fit for your frittata. Beyond that, whip up the eggs, add the cream and cheese and continue enjoying the goodness of your roasted veggies.

4. Cranberry Sauce Skillet Scones

Cranberry sauce is, unfortunately, the condiment that often gets stuffed back into the fridge and stays there for months and months. This year, use it up before it has a chance to get comfortable among the other sauces by throwing it into a batch of scones. The tartness of the cranberry sauce is the perfect complement to the buttery goodness of these baked treats.

The holidays can get crazy, but there’s nothing crazier than throwing out perfectly tasty food. Give one of these recipes a try. Many of them are incredibly easy, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how delicious your dinner still tastes in its second life!

What are your favourite ways to use up holiday dinner leftovers?