Insider’s Viewpoint: Love Your Leftovers!

Whether you love them or hate them, leftovers are an inevitable part of holiday meals. So before you try to pawn them off on your dinner guests, grab a hold of that food and embrace your storage containers!

Tasty Ideas for Holiday Leftovers

Main Fare
Leftover turkey freezes very well. Remove the meat from the bones and place in a freezer-safe container. It will keep for up to three months and can be used as a quick base for many fast meals.

Homemade Turkey Soup
Add rice, frozen mixed vegetables, and broth to your leftover turkey for a quick and easy soup.

Turkey Club
Place turkey on fresh baked bread along with lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado for a satisfying lunch.

Turkey Primavera
Add turkey to cooked pasta, sautéed vegetables such as asparagus, carrots, mushrooms, yellow squash and zucchini and toss in a cream sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Turkey Chili
Toss turkey, dark red kidney beans, salsa, frozen corn, tomato sauce and chili powder in a slow cooker for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Turkey Quesadillas
Layer turkey, cheese, onions, and green and red peppers between flour tortillas for a dinner that’s ready in less than 10 minutes!

NO Need to Step a Side
Just because they’ve already been cooked, does not mean vegetables have met their destiny – there is plenty of life still in them! Many vegetables such as corn, peas, Brussels sprouts and asparagus, can be frozen and saved for a later time. This will make for quick additions to any meal or recipe.

Shepard’s Pie
Use leftover mashed potatoes to make individual Shepard’s pie for a weeknight dinner.

Easy Add-In’s
Having vegetables ready to go means quick and delicious soups, casseroles, pizzas, and early morning omelets!

Holiday Stars: Cranberry & Pumpkin
There’s a good chance every holiday dinner table has a hint of cranberry and pumpkin. Take creative steps to spread the holiday cheer to other dishes and use what’s still hanging around after the guests leave.

Start the Morning Right
Stir extra pumpkin or cranberries into your morning oats, mix into some fluffy pancakes, or add extra creaminess and nutrition to your fruit smoothie.

A Twist on Comfort Food
We all love macaroni and cheese. For extra fall flavor, spoon in some pumpkin along with nutmeg and ground sage.

Keep Entertaining
The holiday visits will most likely continue until well into the New Year. Try cranberry sauce on baked Brie for a savory appetizer.

Save for Later
Spoon pumpkin purée or cranberry sauce into ice cube trays to freeze perfect portions that can be later removed and placed in a plastic bag.