Delicious Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas

Once you've picked away at the carcass, use the leftover bones, skin and any other remnants to make your own homemade turkey stock. This rich, velvety stock is like liquid gold and makes the best soups and stews. We love that this recipe uses up every last drop of your holiday bird.

Transform turkey leftovers with the Southwestern flavors in this simple casserole. This recipe uses a chili and cumin spiked sauce, diced Hatch chiles, tomatoes, plenty of cheese and chunks of leftover turkey tossed with tender pasta in a baked hot dish that tastes nothing like Thanksgiving. The buttered breadcrumb topping adds just the right crunch.

Layers of Southwest flavors make this turkey stew irresistible, and since it's loaded with veggies, it's a healthy post-Thanksgiving option, too! Carol, who blogs at From A Chef's Kitchen, shared her recipe.

You won't recognize your turkey leftovers in these breakfast sliders. Topped with scrambled eggs, melty cheese, proscuitto, mashed avocado and a thick slice of ripe tomato, this is the post-Thanksgiving breakfast that dreams are made of. Use those soft Hawaiian rolls and bake these like a casserole in the oven. Our tasters DEVOURED them.

This vibrant Turkey Cobb Salad comes from my friend Caroline who blogs at Pinch Me, I'm Eating. We love the way this salad is hearty, bright and really changes up the flavors with blue cheese dressing.

It's worth making a whole turkey just to have this glorious panini the next day! Amanda from Striped Spatula knows her way around a sammie!

Turn your leftover roasted root vegetables into a creamy, luxurious soup for lunches or light dinners. This delicious blend can be made with a variety of root vegetables, squash, and aromatics. Check out the recipe for our favorites as well as veggies to avoid.

Like chicken salad, but with turkey... my buddy Traci shares her tricks to this classic sandwich filler. I think her turkey salad would be great on a split croissant. for lunch!

Kids love this classic leftover turkey alphabet soup. It's filled with fresh veggies, big chunks of turkey and tender alphabet pasta. Want to go all the way? Sprinkle a few fried oyster crackers over the top and serve it with a grilled cheese!

Transform leftover sweet potatoes into these flaky, buttery biscuits. They're perfect for any meal and just begging for a fried egg and a spoonful of cranberry sauce. Thanks to Caroline at Caroline's Cooking for sharing her recipe.

This thick, creamy turkey bean soup is healthy and flavorful. Made with dried white beans and the turkey carcass it makes a big pot of delicious soup that's great for lunches or an easy supper with one of your leftover Thanksgiving rolls.

This is the most creative way to use ALL your Thanksgiving leftovers. Lisa from Delicious Table shares her epic Shepherd's Pie! Pass the gravy.

This is less of a recipe and more of a "hangry breakfast idea" but it SO WORKS! Use leftover Thanksgiving stuffing to create a crusty hash by crisping it in a skillet with a little olive oil. Top the hash with a sunny side up egg and bask in the glory of this simple breakfast. Best with a bloody mary or bubbly prosecco beverage.

Our family loves pot pies, especially when they're topped with flaky biscuits. This turkey pot pie is made in a large casserole dish with a savory turkey and vegetable filling, plenty of saucy gravy and the best buttery, pepper-spiked biscuits. Use frozen pearl onions - or toss in any leftover onions and veggies from your holiday meal.

My friend, Amanda, from Striped Spatula has the BEST Turkey Tetrazzini recipe. Trust me, this is what your leftover turkey WANTS TO BE.

I could eat this ham and vegetable soup every day because the flavors and textures make me crave bite after bite. Use leftover Thanksgiving ham, add some barley for heft and stir in a fresh, herbal pistou just before enjoying a bowl. Try this with a crusty piece of bread and glass of wine for a simple, delicious dinner.

If noodles are your thing, this Tuscan inspired turkey tortellini soup with pillows of cheese stuffed pasta is a real treat. Serve this easy soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese and hot popovers.

What do you do with leftover cranberry sauce? How about making a coffee cake the next day? If you're hosting family for Thanksgiving WEEKEND, you'll love being able to put leftover cranberry sauce to good use in this moist, sweet tart coffee cake. This one has a white chocolate "glaze" and toasted almonds, but you can use a simple powdered sugar glaze too.

For feeding friends and family the day after Thanksgiving, use up leftover ham with these amazing Angel Flake biscuits and apricot butter. The yeasty rolls are soft, flaky and buttery and contain no salt -- that's what the ham is for! We like to have these for special weekend brunches and no one can resist these bite-sized temptations.

Grab a box of pie crust from the store, and make some empanadas with your holiday leftovers. You can use up roast turkey, ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, dressing, stuffing, and more! Thanks to Lisa from Delicious Table for sharing her recipe.

My friend Marissa from Pinch and Swirl makes an incredible Turkey Pot Pie Soup -- and she's shared her recipe with us! Yay!

Though her recipe was made with leftover chicken, Caroline from Caroline's Cooking assures me that this Thai red curry is easy to make with leftover turkey as well!

This creamy turkey vegetable soup isn't overly indulgent with just enough heavy cream to give the homemade turkey broth a velvety mouth feel. We love this leftover turkey soup with mushrooms, potato, carrots and green beans. A bit of fresh tarragon and other herbs brighten the flavors.

We rarely run into an occasion where there's leftover mashed potatoes, except perhaps at Thanksgiving when we might have over-estimated everyone's appetites. Turn those humble spuds into a decadent potato and blue cheese soufflé to serve with something completely different -- like a good filet mignon with bordelaise sauce. Why not celebrate the whole holiday weekend, right?!

Does your family celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey AND ham? Then this is what to do with leftover ham and ham bones! Classic split pea soup. It's creamy, flavorful and this is actually one of the most popular recipes here at Garlic & Zest.

What if you've got more pumpkin pie filling than pies? How about making leftover pumpkin custard brûlées? This simple baked custard with crackly caramelized sugar top is festive and delicious.

If you're looking for healthy recipes to use up your leftover holiday ham, this quinoa, black bean and smoky green chile soup is always a hit. It's easy to make with canned beans and everyday veggies.

Use chunks of leftover Thanksgiving ham and any leftover veggies along with smoky Hatch chiles in this savory, Southwestern hot dish. It has tender shell-shaped pasta and an irresistible buttered breadcrumb topping. Great with a chilled glass of white wine.

Turkey Hash is the best way to use leftover sweet potatoes and turkey. Make a big batch of hash for the weekend company and top each serving with fried or poached eggs for breakfast.

This recipe is written for leftover colcannon (an Irish mashed potato and cabbage recipe). However, I've used the same method for making plain mashed potato cakes, and they're delicious with crusty golden edges and soft interiors. It's a great way to repurpose leftover spuds.