3 creative ways to reimagine Thanksgiving leftovers

Thanksgiving brings friends and family together over large spreads of food. If we’re lucky, we wind up with a host of dishes to enjoy — and a whole lot of leftovers. While you could reheat your leftovers for a meal or two, why not transform them into something new? Instead of a repeat, go for a recipe revamp.

First, it’s important to consider food safety. Your recipe repurpose will only be as good as the ingredients you start with. On the big day, leftovers should be stored within two hours of cooking. Divide leftovers into smaller portions and refrigerate or freeze them in covered shallow containers so they cool quickly.

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days. You have until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat or reheat the leftovers of your big feast, even if they have been reformulated into a completely different dish. This trio of recipes utilizes the heavy hitters of Thanksgiving: turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes.

Turkey tetrazzini is a classic casserole made with turkey, mushrooms and spaghetti combined in a rich creamy sauce. This recipe redo highlights the mushrooms, adds spinach to increase the nutritional density and features crispy seasoned breadcrumbs as an add-on topping. It is lighter, easier to prepare and still great for feeding a crowd.

Cornbread dressing and bread stuffing are Thanksgiving staples. Dressing is baked in a separate dish, and stuffing is baked inside the turkey. Both are suitable for stuffing inside mushrooms to be served as a repurposed side dish or as an appetizer. The key is to use heavily seasoned dressing or stuffing. Then, with the addition of nutty pecans and melted cheese, you’ve got a whole new dish!

The trouble with leftover mashed potatoes is that, after a day or so, they can become firm and dense, even when doused in gravy. Enter gnocchi, a classic Italian potato dumpling. Leftover mashed potatoes are combined with egg yolk and flour to create a simple, satisfying comfort food classic. Paired with pasta sauce and a drizzle of rich and fruity extra-virgin olive oil, it’s a radically different flavor profile than the Thanksgiving side dish.

Recipes

These recipes for Updated Turkey Tetrazzini, Dressing-Stuffed Mushrooms and Mashed Potato Gnocchi help you reinvent your Thanksgiving recipes, so you don’t have to keep the same Thursday menu on repeat.

Updated Turkey Tetrazzini shakes up Thanksgiving leftovers with zesty garlic and spicy red pepper flakes. (Virginia Willis for the AJC)

Updated Turkey Tetrazzini

The early 20th-century origins of turkey tetrazzini are debated, but what is known for certain is that in the 1950s and ’60s, this recipe took a hard turn into the land of canned cream of mushroom soup. This updated version honors the original flavors but is streamlined and simplified, without a can of soup in sight.

• 16 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more if desired
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 ounces sliced white button or cremini mushrooms
• 16 ounces cooked turkey, cubed
• 1 (8-ounce) bag baby spinach
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 cup panko
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• ½ cup coarsely chopped, loosely packed flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus for serving

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain spaghetti and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add turkey, spinach, nutmeg and cayenne. Season with salt and black pepper and stir to combine.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a second skillet over medium-low heat. Add panko, garlic, red pepper flakes and parsley. Cook, stirring often, until the breadcrumbs are lightly toasted and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Place the warm cooked pasta in a large serving bowl or return it to the cooking pot. Add the mushroom-turkey mixture and stir to combine. Top with the parmesan cheese and a spoonful or two of crispy panko topping. Serve immediately with the remaining topping and additional Parmesan cheese on the side.

Serves 6.

Per serving: 574 calories (percent of calories from fat, 22), 38 grams protein, 74 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, 5 grams fiber, 14 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 63 milligrams cholesterol, 495 milligrams sodium.

Dressing-Stuffed Mushrooms are simple and satisfying, and perfect for a side dish or appetizer. (Virginia Willis for the AJC)

Dressing-Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffing mushrooms with the leftover dressing is one of the simplest ways to repurpose this Thanksgiving side dish. Combined with pecans and topped with just a bit of cheese, it gives leftover Thanksgiving dressing a whole new look. Roughly 1 cup of dressing will fill 6 to 8 mushrooms.

• 8 ounces whole cremini mushrooms (about 6 to 8 stuffing mushrooms)
• ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup prepared cornbread dressing or stuffing
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ cup grated low-moisture part-skim mozzarella

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Closely trim the stem ends of the mushrooms with a paring knife and discard. Remove the remaining stems and chop them into small bits.
2. Spray all sides of the mushroom caps with nonstick cooking spray and place in a medium ovenproof casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushroom stems. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom stems are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the dressing, pecans and smoked paprika. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared mushroom caps, pressing lightly to pack the caps. Divide the mozzarella to top the mushrooms. Spritz the tops of each mushroom with nonstick spray. Transfer to the oven and bake until the mushrooms are tender and the cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 to 8.

Per mushroom, based on 6: 185 calories (percent of calories from fat, 53), 6 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 11 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 31 milligrams cholesterol, 211 milligrams sodium.

Mashed Potato Gnocchi transforms leftover spuds into a tasty recipe revamp. (Virginia Willis for the AJC)

Mashed Potato Gnocchi

This method of utilizing leftover mashed potatoes is a radical departure from warmed-up spuds. The dough is as easy to shape as Play-Doh, and it doesn’t matter if the gnocchi are not picture-perfect with tined grooves. Simply make certain the pillowy dumplings are roughly the same size, so they cook in the same amount of time.

• 2 cups cold prepared mashed potatoes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 cups store-bought or homemade pasta sauce, warmed for serving
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper, for serving