College Cooking 101: Thanksgiving Leftovers

If you’re like most people the day after Thanksgiving your fridge is packed with leftovers. Whether it’s mom or grandma sending you home with food or the leftovers from a Friendsgiving, it can feel challenging to know how to eat them. How do you reheat a casserole? Why is the stuffing dry? In this article, we’ll cover two foolproof ways to make the most of your Thanksgiving leftover.

The Leftover Casserole

Image by Terri Cnudde from Pixabay

This is a game-changer for Thanksgiving leftovers. It is a simple concept with multiple variations. The most basic form combines the most typical leftovers into a lovely casserole. To begin gather these leftovers and ingredients: Turkey Gravy Milk Mashed potatoes Corn Stuffing Chicken broth Cranberry sauce Firstly, shred the turkey with the skin removed and mix it with the cranberry sauce. Place that in the bottom of an appropriately sized casserole dish. Next, spread the mash potatoes atop the turkey/cranberry mix. For the gravy, if it has become too thick, thin it out with some milk then pour it over the mashed potatoes. After that add a layer of corn. On top of that goes the stuffing. Drizzle the chicken broth over the stuffing to ensure it won’t dry out. At this stage, I would add some herbs like rosemary on top. You can drizzle some oil over them also to ensure they don’t burn. At this point place the casserole dish in a 350°F oven for around 10 or 15 minutes. It is important to not overcook. The flavors should meld and the leftovers heat up but remember they are already cooked.

Variations on the Casserole

Image by Juan Carlos Rodríguez Clavijo from Pixabay

A simple variation is to leave out the cranberry sauce and add cheese below the corn layer. Another idea is to do a half and half casserole where one side of the dish has cheese and the other has the cranberry sauce. Finally, if you’re skipping the cranberry sauce try adding bits of other casseroles such as green bean mixed in with the stuffing layer. Remember, if you are choosing to leave out the cranberry sauce toss the shredded turkey in mayo.

The Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Many will know this from an ever-popular 1990s TV show. The leftover sandwich is a classic day after Thanksgiving meal on its own. This sandwich combines the traditional Thanksgiving flavors with a little pizazz from some sandwich ingredients. Firstly assemble the required ingredients. Bread Mayo Dijon mustard Cranberry sauce Turkey chopped to sandwich-sized slices Stuffing Gravy Mashed potatoes Assembly is straightforward. Spread the condiments on the bread. Next, starting from the bottom layer bread, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, another layer of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and the final layer of bread. Depending on how sturdy your bread is I like to put this in a 200°F oven until the bread begins to crisp and the contents of the sandwich are heated through. Variations on this include using something other than plain white bread. Whole grain wheat, seeded bread, and sourdough are all wonderful choices. You can also prepare it on flatbread or make a panini.

Final thoughts

Using leftovers is a great way to stretch the college food budget. Don’t be afraid to be (somewhat) adventurous. For example, some people may shy away from the idea of Dijon mustard on a sandwich that had cranberry sauce, but the flavor profiles are surprisingly compatible. One final tip is to heat up some gravy and dunk the sandwich in it. Next week we will cover one of the most versatile of all ingredients: eggs. Check back and happy eating!

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