This Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Casserole is the best way to use up your holiday leftovers! Made with stuffing, turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes, this easy next-day dinner is so satisfying and ready to eat in less than an hour.
Thanksgiving leftover casserole
I love leftovers. There’s no need to waste food when you can take a meal you crated the day before and turn it into something great, like Leftover Lime Rice, Spaghetti Casserole, and Rice Tacos.
Top tier leftovers always come the day after Thanksgiving. Sliced juicy turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetables, ham, and plenty more await in the fridge to create casseroles, sandwiches, and anything else our brains can think of.
Using a handful of my holiday favorites, I made my new favorite Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Casserole. It has a little bit of everything from the holiday, like leftover Thanksgiving turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Each element tastes new and fresh thanks to the simple seasonings and a homemade gravy.
Did I mention that it freezes well? Pack up the casserole and dig in days or even months after the holiday. You’ll feel so proud for never wasting a single thing!
How to make a Thanksgiving turkey casserole
There are plenty of meals you can create using leftover Thanksgiving turkey and sides, but this casserole is in a league of its own. Here’s how to put it together:
Make the gravy by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and flour, then mix until it’s combined.
Pour in the evaporated milk, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir until the mixture is creamy.
Spread the leftover stuffing on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, then layer the turkey over top. Pour the gravy over the turkey and stuffing. Spread mashed potatoes over everything and finish with a layer of shredded cheese.
Bake the casserole for 30 to 35 minutes, then remove and serve!
Variations
- Add ins – Corn, mushrooms, green beans, rice, quinoa, carrots, sausage, bacon, or cooked noodles would be delicious additions to the casserole.
- Instead of gravy – Use cream of mushroom soup.
- Turkey – Make this with leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or leftover ham if you don’t have turkey or are making this throughout the year.
- Stuffing – You can use your favorite stuffing recipe or mix up the flavors with a batch of my Potato Kale Stuffing or Amish Potato Stuffing or Southern Cornbread Dressing.
- Breadcrumbs – For an extra crunch, top the casserole with a layer of breadcrumbs mixed with herbs and melted butter.
What goes well with leftover turkey casserole?
Serve your turkey stuffing casserole with cranberry sauce, kale salad, dinner rolls, and your other favorite Thanksgiving sides. Serving this year-round? Pair it with a green salad and roasted broccoli for added nutrition.
Can I freeze turkey casserole?
You can! To freeze, assemble the casserole fully before wrapping the dish in foil and freezing for up to 2 months.
Reheat the casserole from frozen and keep the foil on top until the last 15 minutes of baking. The casserole may need an extra 15 to 25 minutes in the oven. Serve with an extra batch of homemade gravy to make sure each bite is nice and moist.
More hearty casseroles to try
- Easy Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Green Bean and Potato Casserole
- Scrambled Egg Ground Beef Casserole
- Cabbage Roll Casserole
Pin for later:
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Casserole
PrintIngredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 4 cups stuffing
- 3 cups turkey meat (cooked) (shredded)
- 2 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 11×8 inch baking dish with nonstick spray to prevent sticking.
- Melt 1/4 cup butter with garlic in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add flour and mix until combined. Add evaporated milk, chicken broth, salt, pepper and onion powder and continue stirring until creamy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Spread stuffing on the bottom of the baking dish. Add turkey on top of the stuffing. Pour gravy sauce (in saucepan) on top of the turkey. Spread mashed potatoes over everything. Finally, sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve. Enjoy!
Check out my recipe web story to go along with this post.
Michelle B says
This recipe is so quick and easy to throw together. The flavors are very tasty. I add fried French Onions on top of the mashed potatoes and in between the cheese!! Delicious and loved by all!! Thank you for the recipe.