What to Do with Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

While almost everyone claims that Thanksgiving leftovers are one of the "best" parts of the meal (and probably why people cook twice as much turkey as they actually need), it can get a little old making the same turkey sandwiches year after year.

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Unless you're going to go for the legendary "moist maker" that debuted in a Thanksgiving special of the show Friends, you're probably looking for a little variety in your leftover creations.

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Instead of just recreating your turkey day dinner between two slices of bread - though there's really nothing wrong with that - try making one of these amped-up sandwiches below. You will probably have to adjust the seasonings and maybe even some of the ingredients depending on how you made your recipe, but as long as you taste as you go, then you should be fine.

Not looking for a sandwich? Try the soup, salad, or curry options to mix it up.

Enjoy!

Spicy Swiss Potato Soup with Turkey
flickr/She Who Shall Not Be Named
Here's a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes and turkey. It doesn't really get any easier than this, and it's so hearty it can stand as a meal on its own.

Ingredients
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock
• 1 1/2 cup cooked turkey, hand-torn into strips
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cayenne, to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup Gruyère, grated
• 2 teaspoons paprika, for garnish
• 2 scallions, sliced finely, for garnish

Directions
Place the mashed potatoes in a large soup pot over medium heat and add the milk, heavy cream, and stock. Whisk gently to incorporate, but do not overwork. Add the turkey and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne, to taste. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat and finish by whisking in the butter.

To serve, put Gruyère in the bottom of a bowl and add soup. Garnish with a dusting of paprika and scallions.

- Jimmy Bradley


Sandwiches

The Deen Brother's Perfect Turkey Sandwich
Christine Hall
No Deen-family recipe would be complete without some mayonnaise and this one is made with a lemony-basil variation that adds just the right amount of flavor to this pressed sandwich.

Pulled Turkey Sandwiches with BBQ Sauce
Ryan Szulc
Cooking Channel's Nadia G. serves up this take on a hot chicken sandwich with plenty of sauce...

Mini Turkey Melts
Stock.XCHNG/cx_ed
Southern chef David Guas sandwiches his turkey between two pieces of French bread with homemade whipped honey butter, stuffing, and a slice of Gouda.

Leftover Turkey Croque Monsieur Sandwich
iStock/Jamesmcq24
Swap the ham in this French sandwich for leftover turkey instead.



Soups and Other Leftover Alternatives

Grandma's Carcass Soup
flickr/photobunny
A simple soup that uses even the turkey bones.

Mom's Turkey Soup
Maryse Chevriere
The typical Black Friday dinner for one of The Daily Meal's Editors.

West Indian Turkey Curry
Flickr/pagedooley
Turkey works well with the spices found in West Indian curry blends as another TDM Editor found out.

Potato Croquettes
Istock/ermingut
Made too many mashed potatoes and have no clue what to do with them? Try frying them up for some easy-to-snack-on croquettes.

Roasted Vegetable Salad
Flickr/bcballard
No matter what vegetables you have leftover, try throwing them in with some fresh lettuce and any herbs you have on hand for a refreshing salad.

- Yasmin Fahr, The Daily Meal

More from The Daily Meal:
11 Things You Didn't Know You Could Eat
10 Ways to Save Time in The Kitchen
8 Fantastic Dessert Recipes
What Is... Swiss Chard?
The Perfect Frittata Recipe