Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes

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When we think about holidays some of our first thoughts are about food. There is one holiday that stands out above the rest when it comes to tasty meals, Thanksgiving. In the United States 52 billion pounds of food gets thrown away a year. That is 170 pounds per person, and it’s no surprise that most of this food waste takes place during the holidays. I personally don’t like eating the same thing for days after Thanksgiving, but it kills me to throw away good food. Last year I put my foot down and decided to have leftover makeovers and here I came  up with Thanksgiving leftovers recipes.

Turkey Lentil Soup  

Ingredients
Turkey Lentil Soup theheritagecook. Thanksgiving leftovers recipes: Soup, muffins, meatloaf

Chopped leftover turkey (or chicken)

Chopped leftover ham
16 oz. of lentils
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 1/2 quarts of water
1 ½ chicken bouillon cubes
2 tbsp. of Italian seasoning

Directions

In a large saucepan stir in the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables start to soften. Add water, bouillon cube, Italian seasoning and lentils. Let simmer for about 30 minutes (or until lentils are soft) then add the turkey and ham or whatever holiday leftovers you like best. Goes great over rice.
Stuffing meatloaf

Ingredients
stuffing meatloaf edesiasnotebook Thanksgiving leftovers recipes: Soup, muffins, meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1 onion chopped
1 cup of leftover stuffing
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and stuffing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5 x 9 inch loaf pan or in into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour. A good side dish with this could be leftover mashed potatoes.

Hot Brown Turkey Sandwiches
Ingredients
5 slices bacon
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups grated muenster or monterey jack cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 thick slices white bread, toasted
Dijon mustard, for spreadin
1 tomato, sliced
3 cups shredded or sliced roast turkey or rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour out all but about 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet.

Make the gravy: Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Increase the heat to medium high, add the milk and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the bread on a baking sheet. Spread each slice with mustard, then drizzle with some of the gravy and top with the sliced tomato. Toss the turkey with the remaining gravy in the skillet. Divide the turkey evenly among the bread slices, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Broil until golden, about 2 minutes.

Crumble the bacon over the sandwiches; sprinkle with the parsley.