
Congratulations!! You made a successful Thanksgiving Day feast! Although your family and loved ones made a large dent in the meal, I’m sure you’ve still got a fridge full of turkey and side dishes. So...now what? If you’re anything like me, I hate reheating and eating, but it kills me to be wasteful with all that food, too! Consider this your leftover makeover. I’ve got plenty of ideas to bring new life to boring, old leftovers.
Of course, we’ve got to start by tackling what to do with all that glorious leftover turkey. And don’t throw out those bones—you can make a great soup stock with them. Use my recipes below for the rest. If you need a break from turkey for a while, then put it in an airtight container and freeze it. You can always pull it out when there’s been enough distance for you to stop loathing turkey.
Stuffing is a side that gets overlooked, but it’s more than just soggy bread. Stuffing can be reinvented into delicious breakfasts or dinner meals. My favorite stuffing makeovers are Stuffed Peppers and Tamales. The Tamale recipe is delicious. It does take a little more time to make, but they freeze great, too, and are well worth the effort.
Leftover mashed potatoes are so versatile they can be reinvented as either savory or sweet. I really like making the Gnocchi recipe. It’s incredibly easy, yet is a dish that always impresses. I also love the Chocolate Cake, mainly because I love seeing people’s faces when they discover it has mashed potatoes in it! When reinventing meals with leftover mashed potatoes, keep in mind that if you put a lot of herbs and spices into your potatoes, you’re going to want to use them for savory dishes. If you let the gravy flavor the potatoes, then it’s much easier to make those leftovers work in a variety of recipes.
I’ll be honest...the cranberry sauce at my family's Thanksgiving is on the table every year for tradition sake, but we don’t really eat it with our meal. It normally gets tossed into the garbage. I don’t think I ever really tried it until I was testing out these recipes. I was so happy to discover how easy and delicious they were!
Sweet potatoes are very similar to mashed potatoes. You can make a sweet or savory Gnocchi with them. My favorites are Sweet Potato Pancakes and Creamy Pasta.
So, without further ado, here are the recipes!
| Turkey | Stuffing | Mashed Potatoes | Cranberry Sauce | Sweet Potatoes |
| Turkey Walnut Salad | Turkey Veggie Bake | Chocolate Cake | Microwavable Cranberry Crumble | Sweet PotatoPancakes |
| Turkey Enchilada Casserole | Tamales | Potato Bread | Yogurt Parfait | Creamy Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce |
| Baconless Turkey Bacon Ranch Sandwich | Stuffed Peppers | Gnocchi | Jam | Burgers |
Hopefully, this will help you love your leftovers. Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!
Michelle Alley
iFit Nutritionist
WARNING: This post is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. iFit assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article.
Recipes
Turkey Walnut Salad
Prep time: 10 minutes
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients
Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette
Directions
Enchilada Casserole
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Makes 8 serving
Serving size: ⅛ of casserole
Ingredients
Directions
Baconless Turkey Bacon Ranch Sandwich
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 Minutes
Makes 1 servings
Serving size: 1 sandwich
Ingredients
Directions
Turkey Veggie Bake
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Makes 8 servings
Serving size: ⅛ of casserole
Ingredients
Directions
Stuffing Turkey Tamales
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Makes 10 servings
Serving size: 2 tamales
Ingredients
Tamale dough
Turkey filling
Other ingredients
Directions
Stuffed Peppers
The perfect reinvention of holiday leftovers!
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 6 servings
Serving size: 1 pepper
Ingredients
Directions:
Potato Chocolate Cake
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Makes 12 servings
Serving size: 1 slice
Ingredients
Directions
Potato Bread
Prep time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Makes 20 servings
Serving size: 1 slice
Ingredients
Directions
Gnocchi
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Makes 3 servings
Serving size: ⅓ of the gnocchis
Microwavable Cranberry Crumble
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 3 minutes
Makes 1 serving
Serving size: 1 crumble
Ingredients
Filling
Topping
Directions
Cranberry Yogurt Parfait
Prep time: 2 minutes
Ingredients
Directions:
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Makes 8 servings
Serving size: 2 pancakes
Ingredients
Directions
Creamy Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: ½ cup
Ingredients
Directions
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Makes 12 servings
Serving size: 1 burger
Ingredients
Optional toppings
Directions
We’ve reached the final stretch in iFIT’s Finish Strong journey, a three-month commitment to staying active, motivated, and focused through the end of the year. You’ve built your consistency, and now it’s time for the grand finale: the Dash to the Finish Challenge.This month is all about pushing to the finish line while celebrating how far you’ve come. Embrace the season, whether you’re walking through the holiday markets in Germany or feeling the Jingle Bell Burn in the iFIT Studio.It’s time to finish strong!Complete the workouts from your selected Challenge level by December 31, 2025 and you’ll earn this digital reward for your Trophy Case. Here are this month’s Challenges:Treadmill and elliptical workoutsWalking and Running: Finish strong this month with walks and runs! You’ll explore the famous holiday markets in Germany with Casey Gilbert, complete holiday-themed walks and runs in the iFIT Studio with Ashley Paulson, John Peel, Richard Biglia, Jesse Corbin, Pearl Fu, and Jonnie Gale, walk across a glacier in Argentina with John Peel, and wrap things up in Nepal with Ang Tshering Lama.Join the Dash to the Finish Challenge: Walk & RunCycling WorkoutsCycling: Cycle to the finish line this month! iFIT Trainer John Wessling will lead you through an interval ride and an endurance ride alongside a dog sled team in Alaska. Then, you’ll head to Colorado with iFIT Trainer Keith Gabel to explore the Devil’s Thumb Resort. Finally, iFIT Trainer Ashley McIvor will join you in Norway for a HIIT ride and strength ride that is sure to get you in the holiday spirit.Join the Dash to the Finish Challenge: CyclingRower WorkoutsRowing: iFIT Trainers Alex Gregory and Susan Francia will take you on an epic adventure this month! Join Alex in Wales for endurance and speed rowing workouts, then head to Canada for quick but effective training with Susan, focused on HIIT, power, and endurance.Join the Dash to the Finish Challenge: RowingStrength workoutsStrength: Build strength in the iFIT Studio and in Iceland this month! Catch the incredible dynamic duos of Hannah Eden and Paulo Barreto, John Peel and Ashley Paulson, and Hannah and Ashley, and a solo workout with Shannon Cooper for fun, holiday-themed workouts. iFIT Trainer Jonnie Gale will round things out with two strength-focused workouts in the stunning backdrop of Iceland.Join the Dash to the Finish Challenge: StrengthDisclaimer: The primary purpose of this blog post is to inform and entertain. Nothing on the post constitutes or is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any information provided on the blog is solely at your own risk. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, and please consult your doctor or other health care provider before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information available on this blog. iFIT assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article. Always follow the safety precautions included in the owner’s manual of your fitness equipment.
December 1, 2025