15 Creative and Delicious Ways to Refresh Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

Planning and hosting Thanksgiving is no easy feat, and neither is figuring out how to make the most of your Thanksgiving leftovers after the fact.

Depending on just how much you cook for the main event, you could have a whole lot of Tupperware clogging up your fridge later. Though there’s no denying that it feels pretty great to find your fridge filled after cooking a feast, it’s also true that eating the same old mashed potatoes and gravy or sweet potato casserole day in and day out gets pretty boring pretty fast.

Fortunately, the most popular Thanksgiving dishes pair well with each other and are surprisingly easy to adapt, so you can easily mix and match what you have left to make something totally new and delicious. For example, you could combine any leftover creamed corn, turkey, and green beans in a quick and resourceful pot pie, or you could put a bit of everything (stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, the works) between a couple slices of bread for a sandwich that tastes like the essence of the holiday.

Quick caveat: Although there are practically infinite ways to reinvent Thanksgiving leftovers, that doesn’t mean that you can actually eat them forever. The USDA recommends tossing food that’s been in the fridge after three or four days or when changes in color, smell, or texture begin to occur—whichever comes first. When in doubt, always throw it out. And remember that you can also save and enjoy your leftovers for up to three to four months by simply packing them in airtight containers and storing them in the freezer.

Whether you’re reading this the day after Thanksgiving or even months after it, these recipes will help you take advantage of whatever classic T-Day dish you still have on hand. From easy one-pot soups to cinnamon buns made from mashed potatoes (yes, you read that right), these 15 creative and inventive ideas will guarantee your leftovers never bore.