Thanksgiving Leftovers: Food Network Offers Delicious Options For Leftover Turkey And Trimmings

Thanksgiving is officially over, and now it’s time to deal with everyone’s least favorite part of the holiday: Thanksgiving leftovers. But rather than simply slap together a few pieces of turkey between two slices of Wonder bread, Food Network — and its biggest stars — have come together to offer their viewers a few interesting — and fun! — recipes for the leftover turkey and trimmings. Yes, folks, it gets a lot more creative than a stuffing and cranberry sauce sandwich!

Our first Thanksgiving leftovers recipe comes from Sandra Lee, star of Sandra’s Restaurant Remakes and Sandra Lee’s Taverns, Lounges & Clubs. Using the same “semi-homemade” concept that made her a Food Network superstar, Sandra comes up with an interesting “Round 2 Recipe” for Thanksgiving Pie. With turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes combined into a pan, this recipe takes about 40 minutes to complete because of the cooking time but is otherwise ranked as easy to make. The recipe’s flavoring comes from the use of pan drippings from the turkey, and leeks from the mashed potatoes (of course, the leeks are optional). A bit of corn and parsley complete this meal, making it a quick and easy alternative to your standard leftover fare.

Next, Michael Chiarello brings an Italian twist to the traditional Thanksgiving leftovers recipes. Chiarello, who is known for the show Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello on the Food Network, and for the show NapaStyle on the Fine Living Network, brings a sense of humor to his Thank Goodness It’s Over Bruschetta. This recipe was first featured on the “Goodbye, Turkey” episode of Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, and incorporates leftover cranberry sauce into a unique twist on an old Italian favorite.

This recipe, in fact, requires almost no cooking at all (save for toasting the bread), and can be easily made in under 10 minutes. Instead of using mozzarella or Parmesan cheese — as traditional bruschetta would do — this recipe incorporates blue cheese for a unique flavor. And when combined with the garlic in the garlic bread, the result is a mix of equal parts sweet and savory.

Finally, for an Old English twist on the American tradition of Thanksgiving, Danny Boome brings a Bubble and Squeak with Corn Puree recipe for his twist on Thanksgiving leftovers. Boome, who is the host of the hit Food Network show Dear Food Network, is also an athlete and a fitness enthusiast who hosts the syndicated TV show Recipe Rehab.

The name “Bubble and Squeak” comes from the English tradition of shallow frying the leftover vegetables from a roast dinner. Usually incorporated as part of a traditional English breakfast, Bubble and Squeak is traditionally made up of potatoes and cabbages. However, other vegetables — such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, and peas — are also incorporated for a variance in flavor.

In Danny Boome’s version of the traditional English dish, he incorporates leftover mashed potatoes, stuffing, and turkey meat. He also recommends that leftover cranberry sauce be offered as a dipping sauce to compliment the Americanized version of Bubble and Squeak. Finally, as in the traditional recipe, Boome recommends that this dish be served as part of a high-protein, low-fat breakfast.

For more recipes that incorporate Thanksgiving leftovers, check out Food Network’s site, where they have a whole section dedicated to fun and interesting recipes that range from the very easy to the very difficult, all from various Food Network stars.

What are some of your favorite recipes involving Thanksgiving leftovers?

[Featured Image by Food Network]