Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Whether you entertained many at a big family affair, friendsgiving, or neighborhood potluck, or you kept it more intimate and close to home this year, Thanksgiving leftovers happen. If you loosened the belt buckle a few notches or premeditated a few extra servings and you wore your Thanksgiving pants to dinner (remember Joey’s super stretchy sweatpants on Friends?), then you may not be in the mood to heat-and-eat the exact same leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner the next day or two. You can pile a little bit of all of the savory leftovers into a wrap or sandwich, or stuff it into a casserole dish with a little extra gravy and a prayer that it’ll turn into something more attractive when it’s heated.

You can also take individual leftover ingredients and reimagine something new with them—leftover baked or boiled potatoes can become potato salad with bacon or slices of sweet potato toast that you smear with mashed avocado and top with a fried egg. Interested? Follow the scent of the turkey bone broth (don’t throw out that turkey carcass in the dash to clean up!), and head into the kitchen to make these Thanksgiving leftover recipes that’ll put a new spin on classic Thanksgiving ingredients.

Leftover Turkey Recipes

Turkey Club Lettuce Wraps

This bread-less take on a BLT captures all of the familiar flavors you adore from the beloved sandwich in the same handheld form, but wrapped in lettuce. Tuck leftover roasted turkey instead of cold cuts into the wrap.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Garlic Aioli Mayo.

Turkey Jerky

Rather than pay a premium for Primal, sugar-free jerky, why not learn how to make it yourself? This method makes it simple to DIY—no special equipment required.

Get the recipe.

Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth

Don’t chuck the bones, gizzards, or neck (if you got it) of the turkey you roasted. Pair it with some leftover vegetables, water, herbs, and spices to make homemade turkey bone broth. This method uses an Instant Pot, but you can boil and simmer the broth in a large pot on the stove, too.

Get the recipe.

Turkey Salad

There’s something sublime about poultry paired with avocado oil mayo. Whether you use roasted turkey or chicken in this salad recipe, the results will be divine.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Mayo with Avocado Oil and Ranch Dressing.

BBQ Turkey Quesadillas

Use leftover turkey instead of chicken in these unconventional quesadillas filled with melting cheese and tangy, smoky BBQ sauce; they’ll tickle the taste buds of adults and children alike.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Classic BBQ Sauce and Avocado Oil.

Leftover Vegetable Recipes

Roasted Balsamic Vegetables

We love buying big bags of veg whenever we can, especially at the holidays. To use ‘em before you lose ‘em, pile up washed and chopped veggies tossed with avocado oil, salt and pepper, and Primal Kitchen Balsamic Vinegar of Modena on sheet pans, and roast in the oven. You’ll be rewarded with caramelized, sweet-and-tangy vegetables that pair well with anything or can be the standalone star of the show.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Leftover Potato Recipes

Potato Salad with Bacon

Chop up leftover baked or boiled potatoes, pair with crumbled bacon, mayo made with avocado oil, dijon or spicy mustard, salt, and a little dill to make a classic potato salad that’s creamy, a touch acidic, smoky and salty with flecks of grassy flavor from the dill.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Mayo with Avocado Oil and Spicy Brown Mustard.

Sweet Potato Toast with Avocado and Egg

Slice leftover cooked sweet potatoes lengthwise to create sweet potato toast. Smear with mashed avocado, salt, and a pan-fried egg, and that’s breakfast done in a snap.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil and Extra Virgin Avocado Oil.

Sweet Potato Soup with Collagen Peptides

This collagen-laced sweet potato soup is a great way to use up leftovers. Add any leftover veggies, herbs, seasoning, stock or bone broth to a food processor or high-speed blender before whizzing away and transforming the one-chunky soup into a velvety puree.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Collagen Peptides and Avocado Oil.

Leftover Cauliflower Recipes

Cauliflower Gnocchi

Our four-step, seven-ingredient recipe for homemade cauliflower gnocchi eradicates any fear about making gnocchi at home. Part potato, part cauliflower, and scrumptious when pan-toasted with a simple sauce of avocado oil, frizzled fresh sage leaves, and citrusy lemon zest, you may want to make this cauliflower gnocchi recipe year-round.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Extra Virgin Avocado Oil.

Ranch Cauliflower Mash

Cooked mashed cauliflower may be a mainstay in your kitchen already, but our version transforms this blank-canvas side dish into a steal-the-show bed for protein (or to eat with a spoon directly from the serving bowl). We add a flavor-bursting trifecta: avocado oil, ghee, and Ranch Dressing.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil and Ranch Dressing.

Green Bean & Cauliflower Tempura

Green bean and cauliflower tempura feels worlds apart from traditional American Thanksgiving dishes, and when the holiday has passed might be a welcome change.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil and Mayo with Avocado Oil.

Hemp Cauliflower Oats

This grain-free spin on oatmeal for breakfast uses riced cauliflower, hemp hearts, flaxseeds, and pumpkin seeds to mimic the soft but rugged texture of oats. Tuck any sweetener, Collagen Fuel, or whey protein powder into the oats and serve with fresh fruit—customize it any way you’d like.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel - Vanilla.

Leftover Squash Recipes

Zucchini Fries

Crisp and golden on the outside, yielding and tender on the inside, zucchini fries provide a dippable snack or side to enjoy while watching sports, feeding the kids, or streaming your fave shows after the dishes are done.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Rosemary Garlic Vegan Mayo or Ketchup.

Pumpkin Whipped Coffee

Avoid drive thru lines or timing coffee pickup just right so your coffee is actually hot when it’s finally in your hands. Whip up your own seasonal brew at home—our pumpkin whipped coffee is decadent enough to be dessert, but caffeinated enough to give you that AM kick in the pants.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel. 

Pumpkin Bread

Spiced just right with the four essential autumnal flavors (ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon), our pumpkin bread recipe uses simple ingredients like almond flour, eggs, and Swerve to create a modern take on the classic recipe.

Get the recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

A sweet, spicy, and savory snack of toasted seeds, nuts, dried fruit, and spices, this pumpkin spice granola adds texture to Greek or coconut yogurt, a crunchy pop to pureed soups, and a spiced substitute for croutons in a fall salad.

Get the recipe. 

Spaghetti Squash Bowls

The hardest part of this spaghetti squash bowl recipe may be sawing the raw squash open (tip: Use a sharp knife and keep your fingers tucked out of the way) before roasting it. Once the hard part is over, the contents of your pantry or fridge provide the only limits to how you can top these bowls. We love the pizza version, topped either with Primal Kitchen Roasted Garlic Marinara or Primal Kitchen Pizza Sauce.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Roasted Garlic Marinara. 

Leftover Bread Recipes

Gluten-Free Garlic Bread 2 Ways

With a crackly crust and moist, olive oil-soaked interior, our gluten-free garlic bread stuns in its simple, six-ingredient form or in its cheese-capped version. Use either to dunk in marinara sauce, sop up turkey soup made from the leftover Thanksgiving turkey carcass, or beside a bountiful autumn salad.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Tomato Basil Marinara.

Grilled Caesar Salad

Grilled romaine lettuce, with its lightly charred outer leaves and slightly wilted but still crisp core, is a contrast of textures that brings excitement to the standard Caesar salad recipe. Grill outdoors to enjoy the autumn chill and fiery leaves, or use a grill pan indoors. Simply substitute toasted cubes of leftover bread for the croutons in this recipe, drizzle on savory and creamy Primal Kitchen Caesar Dressing and lunch is on.

Get the recipe. Uses Primal Kitchen Caesar Dressing and Avocado Oil. 

You might also like these other recipe roundups:

• Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
• Fast & Easy Fall Recipes
• 4 Canned Pumpkin Recipes
• 5 Ingredient Veggie Noodle Recipes
• Easy Italian-Style Dinner Recipes
• 30-Minute Dinner Recipes and Ideas
• Primal Pantry and Freezer Recipes