LeftoverpaIIooza! Bring your Thanksgiving feast back to life with these recipes

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FEATURE — Have you shopped the sales from your local grocery store ads? If so, you’re likely to have certain foods on hand this time of year. Not to mention, your kitchen might soon be full of Thanksgiving leftovers.

To prevent food waste and keep your grocery budget in check, plan how you’ll use the foods of the season. If you need a recipe to bring leftovers back to life or ideas to use what you have on hand, you’ve come to the right place. Here are five new recipes perfect for this time of year:

Turkey potato soup

Do you have leftover turkey? What about a bowl of mashed potatoes in the fridge? Did you buy too many sweet potatoes? Turkey potato soup includes it all.

The recipe calls for frozen mixed vegetables and canned mushrooms, but feel free to throw in any leftover veggies from your Thanksgiving table. I especially like this recipe because it’s a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes. Let’s be honest, they’re never great the second time around. Using them in a soup recipe extends the soup to feed more and helps make the soup more creamy. See the recipe here.

Crispy mashed potato bites

Stock photo courtesy of USU Extension Create Better Health blog, St. George News

This might be my favorite leftover recipe! I love potatoes. I especially love crispy potatoes. Making patties out of mashed potatoes and cooking them crisp makes a perfect vegetable side.

See the recipe here.

Mashed potato bread

This recipe seemed a bit intimidating to me at first. I’m not a baker. I can cook up a storm, but baking stresses me out. I decided I’d give it a whirl. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t nearly as challenging as I thought. I gave myself a little pat on the back when I was finished. If I can do it, you can too!

Make up a few loaves and freeze them to pull out all through the holiday season. Use the loaves for sandwiches, French toast, garlic bread or in stuffing. See the recipe here.

Turkey salad sandwich

Mix up a big batch of turkey salad using leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving feast. Keep it in the fridge and use your mashed potato bread to make a sandwich, use a tortilla to make a wrap, use it for a dip with crackers or eat it plain.

Stock photo courtesy of USU Extension Create Better Health blog, St. George News

Add grapes or dried cranberries if you would like something sweet in the mix. Sliced or slivered almonds or walnuts are a great addition if you’re craving a little crunch. See the recipe here.

Sweet potato muffins

Sweet potatoes are often low-priced this time of year. Add some to your grocery list and learn how to use them in different types of recipes, like sweet potato muffins. Make up a batch or two to serve as a side at meals, to grab when you need a quick snack or as part of nutritious breakfast. They freeze well, so make up an extra batch or two to freeze for later. See the recipe here.

Do you want even more recipe ideas for your Thanksgiving leftovers? If so, click here. Wishing you all a healthy and happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Written by CANDI MERRITT, Certified Nutrition Education Ambassador.

This article originally appeared Nov. 26, 2019, on the USU Extension Create Better Health blog.

Copyright © CreateBetterHealth.org, all rights reserved.

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