These leftover Thanksgiving recipes help you make the best of the rest

One of the great things about Thanksgiving is lots of leftovers. And one of the not-so-good things about Thanksgiving is lots of leftovers.

I’m someone who loves the leftovers for the day after Thanksgiving but runs out of gas eating them a second day. Go online and you’ll find lots of ideas for using leftovers, but I feel many of them seem contrived.

The tried-and-true, of course, is a fat turkey sandwich with toasted bread, slices of turkey, cranberry sauce and gravy or mayonnaise. You could even slide a little stuffing or sliced brie in along with some crisp romaine lettuce.

I’ll bet most of you have your favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipes. Here are some favorites I’ve made over the years:

A pot pie shouldn’t have to take all day. Pie dough is delicious but a little time-consuming to make. A sheet of store-bought puff pastry makes for quick work for the lid. My favorite is Dufour’s brand (Trader Joe’s also makes one). Make sure the filling is boiling before you add the puff pastry. This is the key to getting a fully cooked and not-too-soggy crust.

Turkey Pot Pie

Makes 4 - 6 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups or so leftover vegetables, cut into relatively uniform ½-inch cubes

2 cups turkey or chicken broth

½ cup heavy cream

3 cups chopped cooked turkey

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

½ teaspoon crushed fennel seed

1 sheet thawed frozen puff pastry (half a 17.3-ounce package)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour until smooth.

Stir in vegetables, broth, cream, turkey, thyme and fennel seed and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and place thawed pastry sheet over top of skillet.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and bubbling, about 18 minutes.

_____

This is a riff on the Mexican soup called sopa de fideo. Fideo means noodle and is often used in the plural, fideos, to mean vermicelli. Fideo noodles, a type of thin-cut pasta, are traditionally used. Vermicelli or angel hair pasta are often used as substitutes. Special fideo noodles are sold at most Latin/Mexican grocery stores.

Like most pastas, they are made of durum wheat and water, rolled or extruded, cut and dried. But fideos are usually prepared quite differently than Italian-style pasta in that the dry pasta is first toasted in olive oil. This is a very easy recipe.

Mexican Turkey Noodle Soup

Makes 6 servings

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained, preferably fire-roasted

1 ½ cups chopped onion

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1 teaspoon chopped canned chipotle, or more to taste

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 ounces dried fideos or angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces

6 cups turkey or chicken stock

3 cups cooked, diced or shredded turkey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For garnish:

Chopped and diced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, finely chopped white onion, cilantro sprigs

In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, chipotle and brown sugar. Process until smooth.

In a heavy soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the dry pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta starts to turn golden, about five minutes.

Add the tomato mixture and the chicken stock. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente, about five minutes.

Add the turkey and heat through. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into six bowls and invite guests to add garnishes, to their taste.

_____

I make big batches of macaroni and cheese to have leftovers for this delicious little bite. Mac and cheese is a staple on many Thanksgiving tables. Serve these with your favorite dipping sauce, like marinara. The variations are infinite. Add some crumbled bacon, chopped jalapeño or cooked vegetables to the mac and cheese mixture before breading. Also put a small chunk of ham or cheese in the center of each fritter before breading.

Macaroni and Cheese Fritters

Makes 14 or so

3 cups canola or vegetable oil, for frying

3 cups leftover cold macaroni and cheese

2 large eggs

1 cup or so panko breadcrumbs

Heat the oil in a deep, heavy saucepan to about 360 degrees, or until a cube of bread browns in about 30 seconds.

Shape the cold macaroni and cheese into small 1½-inch balls. Be sure they are well-chilled.

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with a tablespoon of water. Dip the chilled mac and cheese balls into the beaten eggs, drain and then roll in breadcrumbs. They can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated uncovered for a couple of hours.

Drop carefully into the hot oil, being sure not to crowd them. Cook, turning, until golden brown, about three minutes.

Drain on paper towels; keep warm in a 200-degree oven while frying subsequent batches.

_____

This dish purportedly was named for Luisa Tetrazzini, an Italian soprano who was popular in America in the early 1900s. Beautifully plump, she once said, “I must not diet. If I diet, my face sag.” She loved rich pasta with chicken or turkey and mushrooms, and this dish was created for her by an unknown chef. All kinds of variations exist, including adding peas or toasted slivered almonds. This is a wonderful dish to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Makes 4 - 6 servings

4 cups (about 12 ounces) sliced button or cremini mushrooms

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups rich turkey or chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

3 - 4 tablespoons medium dry sherry, such as amontillado

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper

½ pound dry cavatelli or pennette pasta

3 - 4 cups chopped or shredded Thanksgiving turkey

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or other hard grating cheese

⅓ cup dry breadcrumbs, panko preferred

Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 4-quart saucepan until lightly browned and all liquid has evaporated. Set pan and mushrooms aside.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for two to three minutes to make a roux. Gradually whisk in the broth, cream and sherry. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for five minutes, whisking the whole time. Stir in the nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir half the sauce into the turkey and the other half into the mushrooms, along with the pasta. Transfer mixture to a buttered 8-cup baking dish or casserole and make a well in the center. Spoon turkey mixture into the well.

Combine the Parmesan with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle evenly over the top, along with the remaining tablespoon of butter cut into small bits. Bake for 30 minutes or so or until bubbling and top is lightly golden brown.

_____

Risottos are wonderful “comfort foods.” The key is to make sure that when the risotto gets to that magic place when each grain of rice is soft and creamy on the outside but still has a little texture in the very center, serve it immediately. That’s why it’s one of those things to do with everyone already in the kitchen, bowls at hand, sharing a glass of wine and gossiping. This is a great use of those Brussels sprouts you’ve carefully browned, so make extra for this risotto.

Risotto with Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Garlic and Lemon

Makes 6 servings

3 tablespoons butter

¼ cup sliced shallots

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

1 cup sliced shiitake or cremini mushrooms

3 tablespoons chopped roasted garlic (see note below)

½ cup dry white wine

5 - 6 cups hot vegetable or chicken stock

⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

3 cups chopped, cooked Brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Drops of fresh lemon juice, to taste

Garnish: Additional Parmesan (shaved) and deep-fried basil sprigs (optional)

Melt butter in a deep heavy-bottom saucepan. Add shallots and cook over moderate heat until soft, not brown. Add rice and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until rice is translucent, about three minutes.

Add garlic, wine and enough stock to cover rice mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is nearly absorbed. Continue adding hot stock in this manner, stirring all the time and letting the rice absorb the stock before adding more. Begin testing rice after about 12 minutes. You want the rice to be creamy and not gummy. The center of each grain should still have some texture (al dente). This will take 16 - 18 minutes total.

Stir in the cooked Brussels sprouts and cook for a minute or two longer. Then stir in the zest, chives and cheese and season to your taste with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Serve in warm bowls garnished with shaved Parmesan and fried basil, if using.

Note: To roast garlic, slice off the top quarter or so of each garlic head to expose the cloves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Loosely, but completely, wrap each head in a piece of foil and roast in a preheated 400-degree oven until garlic is very soft and lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Cool and store well-covered in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

This assumes you have good leftover gravy, so be sure to make a lot. You could also add some quickly sauteed spinach to this simple recipe.

Turkey and Waffles

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups diced cremini mushrooms

Dry white vermouth or white wine

3 cups leftover turkey gravy

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 homemade or store-bought waffles

Slices of turkey, both white and dark meat

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Heat a deep saucepan, add the butter and saute the mushrooms over moderate heat until lightly browned. Add a splash of white vermouth and the gravy. Bring to a simmer and season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Place waffles on warm plates and top with turkey. Spoon gravy over and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over. Serve immediately.

_____

Crisps are classic comfort food and easy to make with almost any available fruit. In this case I’m using cranberry sauce. You’ll need at least 4 cups. Yes, you can use canned sauce, too. It’ll take four 14-ounce cans of whole cranberry sauce. Don’t use jellied. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream, if you like.

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Crisp

Serves 4 - 6 in a 2-quart baking dish

For the topping:

½ cup dark brown sugar

½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

⅓ cup toasted pecans, chopped

¼ cup flour

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (use a microplane)

3 ounces butter (¾ stick), chilled and cut into ¼-inch bits, plus more for buttering dish

For the filling:

5 cups or so homemade or canned cranberry sauce

⅓ cup fresh orange juice

2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Pinch of salt

For the topping: In a bowl, mix the sugar, oats, pecans, all but 1 tablespoon flour, salt and zest. With a hand mixer, food processor or your fingertips, quickly mix butter bits into sugar mixture to form a coarse meal. Mixture should be loose and crumbly; work quickly to avoid softening the butter. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Warm the filling ingredients in a saucepan.

To bake: Pour filling into a buttered 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over the top. Bake until top is lightly browned and cranberries are bubbling, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.