Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Food

What To Do With All Of Your Thanksgiving Leftovers


By

Jamie Feldmar

Published Nov 22, 2011

Modified Nov 22, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

There is more to life than a gravy sandwich.

 

James "BO" Insogna/ Shutterstock


By

Jamie Feldmar

Published Nov 22, 2011

Modified Nov 22, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

So, we all know that Thanksgiving is happening, and if you're not one of the lucky souls skipping a home-cooked meal, there's an extremely high likelihood that you will be stuck with leftovers after the actual dinner. Here's what you can do about it.

Perhaps the most basic and obvious choice is a turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich on stuffing. This is boring but will clear out a chunk of your refrigerator real estate, and you should eat it first, before you can't stomach your dinner's remains as they are and decide to branch out into making things like...

A Thanksgiving burger. Or Thanksgiving pizza. Both of which are shameful and wrong.

Other sandwich-related options include turkey on bread, and while we shudder to actually make the forthcoming Friends reference, "Monica's Moist Maker," which involves an extra slice of gravy-soaked bread in the middle, is actually a good idea.

For the remaining turkey that you cannot bear to make another sandwich with:

Turkey pot pie—just make a quick roux, add vegetables (hell, dump your leftover green bean casserole in there), and cover with frozen pastry dough. Bake. Pat yourself on the back for being "crafty."

Turkey tettrazini, aka casserole, aka an appropriate reason to revisit this video.

Finally, with whatever turkey you possibly have left (seriously, how big was your bird? Did you not read this?), shred the remains into turkey gumbo, which you will naturally simmer in your homemadeturkey stock. If you have turkey left after this, you have a problem, and need more friends.

For all the other sides and vegetables you have left lying around: reheat, put a poached egg on it, call it Brunchsgiving, drink four Bloody Marys, nap. Repeat until refrigerator is empty.

Finally, if you feel like putting a bit more effort into your leftovers, Mark Bittman has some fancy ideas right this way, though we still strongly advocate incorporating Bloodys and naps into your day-after routine.

Tagged

cooking

fatkid

leftovers

thanksgiving


Jamie Feldmar

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE food

Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.

The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Published Oct 19, 2026


North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.

Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.

By

Robert Sietsema

Food

North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.

Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.

By

Robert Sietsema


10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City

By

Robert Sietsema

Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.

By

Sonia Rao

5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's

By

Hannah Frishberg


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .