13 Cozy Recipes You Can Make With Leftover Thanksgiving Stuffing
While the words "leftover stuffing" might sound like an oxymoron, it does happen. And thank goodness—who doesn't want to keep eating your savory, herby Thanksgiving stuffing for a few days after the big holiday? The even better news (you know, other than leftovers) is there are as many leftover stuffing recipes as there are favorite methods of making this oh-so-popular Turkey Day side dish (find our favorite stuffing recipes here).
To preserve it properly, make sure you pack up your stuffing in an airtight container or resealable storage bag (push the extra air out of it before closing) within two hours of it coming out of the oven and hitting the table, and place storage containers on the top shelf of your fridge where the temperature is the most constant. Here, it will stay delicious for up to four days—then follow our instructions for the best way to safely reheating leftover stuffing. If you're not sure you'll be able to use it straight away, pop those containers in the freezer for about a month. Meanwhile, check out one of these delicious recipes for what to do with leftover stuffing.
Leftover Stuffing Waffles
If your waffle iron hasn't been getting much use over the years, this is going to be a game-changer. Leftover stuffing pressed into a waffle gets a snappy, sweet burst when topped with leftover cranberry.
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Leftover Stuffing Baked Eggs
Break out your ramekins for this easy baked stuffing-and-egg breakfast indulgence. The leftover stuffing goes in the oven solo first, to get it extra crispy, and the egg is cracked on top for a final few minutes in the oven.
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Leftover Turkey Dressing Meatball
These addictive meatballs are especially good if you tend to pack your Thanksgiving stuffing or dressing with Italian sausage in the mix.
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Leftover Stuffing Muffins
We love pinch-hitter dishes, and these grab-and-go leftover stuffing muffins are not only versatile (they make a great breakfast, lunch, or side dish option), but they use up extra Thanksgiving turkey and add in some great, healthy greens, too. If you want to slim these down a bit, simply sub out the tablespoon of cream or whole milk for nonfat or a tablespoon of plain nonfat yogurt.
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Leftover Stuffing Balls
While many leftover stuffing ball recipes call for deep frying, we liked that this one used the oven instead, and made great use of leftover veggies, too.
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Stuffing Hash
Have an extra sweet potato on hand? That, a few eggs, and some seasoning are all you need to throw together this addictive weekend-morning treat.
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Thanksgiving Poutine
Poutine is that decadent French fry, cheese curd, gravy topped building of guilty pleasures that even typically apologetic Canadians aren't sorry for one bit. These days, poutine has traveled south, spreading across the United States like ladled gravy. This version makes clever use of leftovers, including the all-important stuffing—and, we think, makes a great accompaniment for a day-after-Thanksgiving movie marathon on the couch.
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Acorn Squash Stuffing
Sprinkle these autumnal dinner add-ons with shaved parmesan and a little smoked paprika for a pretty, fragrant way to get your veggie fix and a heaping helping of your favorite side dish in this leftover stuffing recipe.
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Breakfast Strata
Got Thanksgiving houseguests? This day-after leftover stuffing-centric one-pan dish will not only use up your leftovers to easily (re)feed a crowd (because who wants to be a short-order cook the morning after preparing such an epic meal?), the extra egg and cheese additions make it akin to a velvety, savory bread pudding.
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Leftover Stuffing Casserole
Make great use of your leftover stuffing with fresh or leftover veggies in this easy peasy weeknight leftover stuffing casserole. Don't like broccoli? Green beans, spinach, chard, or kale work great, too!
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Bacon Wrapped Stuffing Bites
Just try not to pop more than one of these crispy outside, soft inside bacon wrapped leftover-stuffing morsels in your mouth—we're going to bet you can't.
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Turkey and Stuffing Dumpling Soup
It's absolutely worth it to make the homemade turkey stock in this recipe for leftover stuffing dumpling soup—it makes enough for the latter, but you can take the rest of the broth, freeze it, and use it for a future culinary endeavor. If you need to get dinner on the table quickly, a high-quality, pre-made turkey, chicken, or vegetable broth will do just fine.
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Savory Stuffing Cakes
With great stuffing, you don't need to gild the lily. This recipe merely adds a beaten egg to bind all that savory goodness together so you can get the outside of these patties nice and crispy.