I tried making dishes with varying levels of difficulty to find the best leftover turkey recipes. I opted to make a Thanksgiving-leftover sandwich, turkey salad, and soup with slices of leftover roasted 4-pound turkey breast.
Here's how each recipe stacked up.
I began by making a Thanksgiving-inspired sandwich.The Thanksgiving sandwich called for turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes.
Our typical Thanksgiving leftovers include mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and green-bean casserole, so I bought a few store-bought versions for my test.
I also grabbed thick sandwich bread and turkey gravy.
The stuffing layer was the most labor-intensive part of the sandwich.I fried the stuffing layer in some oil.
Terri Peters
I began by mixing the mayonnaise and cranberry sauce to create a cranberry mayo and combined the chopped turkey and gravy to make a sauce.
Next, I made a box of stuffing, pressed it into a square pan, and refrigerated it until it hardened.
Once it was solid, I fried each side in a bit of oil. This step took the longest to prepare and required some planning ahead.
Unfortunately, layering all of the ingredients was pretty messy.The sandwich called for lots of layers.
Terri Peters
The sandwich recipe called for stacking layers of cranberry mayonnaise, gravy, mac and cheese, stuffing, green-bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and the turkey between two slices of bread.
I knew it would be a messy disaster before I even put the two pieces of bread together.
The sandwich tasted good but wasn’t worth the hassle.The finished Thanksgiving sandwich looked OK but was messy to eat.
Terri Peters
Overall, the sandwich was messy and difficult to eat. When I tried to take a bite out of it, all of the ingredients slid out onto the plate.
I ended up eating everything with a knife and fork, which made me wonder why I went through the hassle of stacking it all into a sandwich.
Next up, I tried making turkey salad.The salad called for Dijon mustard, paprika, mayo, and turkey.
Terri Peters
The easiest dish to make was the turkey salad, which was similar to chicken versions I've made in the past.
The ingredients were simple: celery, green onion, paprika, mayo, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and finely chopped leftover turkey.
I made a few changes to the recipe, but the dish was still good.I used celery salt in the turkey salad.
Terri Peters
I don't like the crunch of celery or onion, so for this turkey salad, I changed things up a bit.
Instead of adding diced celery, green onion, and salt, I just added celery salt to flavor the dish without adding a harsh crunch to the salad.
The turkey salad made a great sandwich that I'd try again.I put the turkey salad between two slices of bread.
Terri Peters
I love chicken salad, so I was excited to try the turkey recipe in the form of a sandwich.
It tasted great, as it had plenty of flavor from the mustard, paprika, and celery salt while showcasing the turkey.
I'd make this turkey-salad recipe again if I had leftovers on hand.
Lastly, I tried a recipe for turkey soup.The ingredients included vegetables, turkey, wild rice, and chicken broth.
Terri Peters
I'm a fan of hearty fall meals, so I was happy to find a recipe for leftover turkey soup.
Out of the three recipes, the soup had the longest ingredient list, including long-grain wild rice, chicken broth, and diced carrots, celery, and onions.
After some chopping, I was ready to try the recipe out.
Right from the beginning, the soup felt perfectly rustic.I simmered the chopped carrots, celery, and onion.
Terri Peters
I love a soup dish that starts with cooking aromatics like carrots, celery, and onions.
Simmering the chopped vegetables in a bit of butter immediately set the tone for the savory soup I was about to enjoy.
Even before I added the cream, I could tell the soup was going to be good.I let the soup simmer for a little while.
Terri Peters
After sautéeing the chopped vegetables, I added chicken broth and a box of long-grain wild rice to the pot. Then, I let it simmer until the grains were cooked through.
I also added the half-and-half the recipe called for, though I think you could forgo it to make a lighter soup.
I'd cook another Thanksgiving turkey just to have an excuse to make the soup.The turkey soup had a great flavor.
Terri Peters
Once I added the half-and-half, the soup was creamy and ready to serve.
I thought the finished dish was so delicious, hearty, and savory. I loved the flavor of the vegetables and turkey.
My family returned for seconds, so we hardly had any leftovers the following day.
