What to Eat with Leftover Turkey

One thing there are always leftovers of after Thanksgiving? Turkey. And this is not to say that turkey is bad, it’s just that almost everything else on the Thanksgiving table is better. But in the spirit of not wasting food, you gots to find ways to spruce up your leftover turkey, and that’s where we come in. Here is our list of what to eat with leftover turkey. Good luck finishing that bird (we believe in you)!

Out of leftover mashed potatoes but not yet out of leftover turkey? Pick up some of these instant mashed potatoes and they will be ready, buttery, and delicious in mere minutes. Our tasting team called them “smooth, flavorful, and incredibly creamy,” and on top of that, y’all already know turkey and mashed potatoes go great together. This is an easy, inexpensive, post-Thanksgiving win.

Stater Bros. Whole Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is a great way to take dry, day-old turkey and bring some life back into it. This cranberry sauce from Stater Bros. is the best one for the job. It tastes like “a wonderful hybrid of jellied and homemade” cranberry sauce, according to our tasting team, and has “big pieces of berry that burst in your mouth” without being packed with cranberry skins and seeds like some other cranberry sauces. Get this and bring your turkey back to an appetizing level of wet.

La Brea Bakery Country White Sourdough (for Sandwiches or to go with Turkey Soup)

Sourdough bread is extremely helpful to have around during the holidays. Whether you have deconstructed what’s left of your turkey, thrown it in a soup, and need bread to go with it, or simply have a lot of turkey and want to make some absolutely bangin’ Thanksgiving sandwiches, this bread is the way to go. Our taste testers noted that this bread has “the perfect stretchy, bubbly crust with a lovely tang and really nice slickness.” So consider this lovely loaf for all your Thanksgiving leftover sandwich creations.

Chef’s Cupboard Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup (to Make Turkey a la King)

People don’t talk enough about chicken a la king. I had it for the first time while working as a counselor at a summer camp (it makes for classic dining hall food), and I was pretty skeptical at first, but, y’all, it’s just a crustless chicken pot pie. That’s right, it is just the easy part. And since chicken (or in this case turkey) a la king uses cream of mushroom soup to give it that good, creamy, umami flavor you can use it to whip up some turkey fit for a king (the king being you). Our team determined that this condensed cream of mushroom soup from Aldi would be the best cream of mushroom soup for a casserole, and turkey a la king is basically a casserole.

Knorr Roasted Turkey Gravy Mix

Gravy. The other best way to moisten that dry dry leftover bird. But never you fear, even if your mom’s third cousin Martha took home all of the gravy made from the turkey drippings in order to feed her cats. You are in luck because this Knorr instant gravy is actually so good. So good, in fact, that managing editor Gwynedd Stuart said that this “turkey gravy mix doesn’t just taste like turkey, it tastes like roasted turkey. The meat flavor is deep and rich.” So go get yourself some of this so you can stop being salty at Martha and her cats.

Annie’s Rich & Creamy Classic Cheddar

Put 👏 Your 👏 Leftover 👏 Turkey 👏 On 👏 Mac and cheese. Just do it. Please. It’s so good. You will wonder where Thanksgiving turkey mac and cheese has been all your life. Plus, this Annnie’s mac and cheese is great. Our team noted that it “tastes like you made it on the stovetop”—it’s perfectly creamy and the pasta even has some bite. So if there is no mac and cheese leftover from Thanksgiving (or if your family just isn’t a Thanksgiving mac kind of fam), this cup of instant mac will do in a pinch. This is another way to add some moisture back into that lifeless turkey of yours.

P.S. This stuff is all good even if you don’t overcook/dry out your turkey, so if you are one of the few people who cooks a beautiful, moist, flavorful, S-tier bird, props to you—still try it with some mac the next day. Also, can I come over to your place next year?