Looking to revamp Thanksgiving leftovers? Here are some ideas.

If you're like me and look forward to the big Thanksgiving feast each year, you love everything on the table ... and you might be down for a repeat performance the next day, but you get a little bored with the same combination over and over.

So, let's get a little creative with those leftovers, for those of us who like to mix it up a bit. Here are things I've tried over the years that use up what you have and keep it interesting:

Turkey hash

This is a play on corned beef hash, a tradition in my Irish-German family's household when I visit them on the east side (Macomb County, represent!). We typically slow-cook a corned beef roast overnight, then I use frozen hash browns and onions to make a basic hash for a big family breakfast; we add more in, depending on what piques our fancy.

Ingredients

▢ 4 cups frozen hashbrowns (shredded or diced)

▢ 1 onion (sweet or white), small diced

▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt

▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

▢ 4 cups chopped cooked turkey

▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder

▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder

▢ Shredded Swiss cheese

Instructions

1. Fry hashbrowns according to package instructions in a large frying pan (I use a combination of salted butter and EVOO to prevent burning). Once crisped on both sides, chop them up in the pan and add onions. Cook until translucent.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste, turkey, garlic powder and onion powder. Sauté about 8-10 minutes to allow flavors to blend together.
3. Serve with shredded Swiss on top. I also like to pair this with a couple of over-medium eggs to get a nice runny yolk mixed in, but my kids prefer scrambled eggs. Play around with it. You won't be disappointed!

Turkey Shepherd's pie

This is a play off of a basic chicken pot pie from Pillsbury, but with a Shepherd's pie twist instead of a pie crust on top.

Ingredients

▢ 1/3 cup butter or margarine

▢ 1/3 cup chopped onion

▢ 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt

▢ 1/4 teaspoon pepper

▢ 1 3/4 cups chicken broth (I like to use half chicken broth, half gravy during Thanksgiving time)

▢ 1/2 cup milk

▢ 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey

▢ 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

▢ 3-4 cups leftover mashed potatoes

Instructions

1. Grease a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish or deep pie dish with butter.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until well blended.
3. Gradually stir in broth (and/or gravy) and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. Stir in turkey and mixed vegetables until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat.
4. Spoon chicken mixture into the casserole dish or pie dish.
5. Take mashed potatoes and spread over top of cassorole or pie dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then turn broiler on low to crisp the potatoes mashed potatoes, about 4 minutes. (Remember to keep an eye on this, as they can burn fast!)

Stuffing muffins

Ingredients

▢ 3 1/2 cups leftover stuffing

▢ 1 cup cubed leftover turkey

▢ 3 large eggs

▢ 1 ¼ cups chicken broth

▢ 4 ounces coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a standard muffin tin.
2. Divide the stuffing and turkey between all 12 cups without packing in the mixture.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, broth, salt and pepper. Divide the egg mixture among the cups, filling each just over half full to give room for the muffins to expand as they bake. Sprinkle with the cheese.
4. Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown and crispy on the top. Allow the muffins to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges to loosen and remove each muffin. Serve warm or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.

Turkey soup

For the stock:

▢ 1 turkey carcass, leftover from carving a whole turkey, including any leftover drippings or giblets (not the liver) if you have them. If you don't still have it, use store-bought turkey or chicken broth/stock, turkey parts with bones (like wings or necks), or even just leftover turkey meat. 

▢ Cold water

▢ 1 medium to large yellow onion, quartered or cut into thick wedges

▢ 1 to 2 carrots, roughly chopped (can include tops)

▢ 1 celery rib and some celery tops (roughly chopped)

▢ Several sprigs fresh parsley

▢ 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

▢ 1 bay leaf

▢ 5 to 10 peppercorns

▢ Salt and pepper to taste

For the soup:

▢ 1-2 Tablespoons butter or turkey fat

▢ 1-1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

▢ 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped onion

▢ 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped celery

▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced

▢ 3-4 quarts of the turkey stock (you can sub in chicken broth; sometimes I put in a splash of leftover gravy, which deepens the flavor of the broth and serves as a thickener)

▢ A few sprigs fresh parsley leaves, chopped (2 to 4 tablespoons)

▢ 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (more to taste), or a combination of ground sage, thyme, marjoram, and/or a bouillon cube

▢ Salt and pepper to taste

▢ 4-8 ounces egg noodles or 1/2 to 1 cup dry rice (optional)

▢ 2-4 cups leftover chopped or shredded cooked turkey meat (don't use any of the meat from making the stock)

Instructions for broth

1. Place the turkey carcass, neck (if you haven't cooked it with the turkey), leftover skin and bones into a large stock pot (at least 8 to 12 quarts depending on the size of the turkey), and cover with cold water by an inch.
2. Add any drippings that weren't used to make gravy and any giblets (not the liver) that haven't been used already. Add thickly sliced onion, chopped carrots, celery, celery tops, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf, and some peppercorns to the pot.
3. Bring to a boil on high heat, and then lower the heat to keep the stock to a bare simmer. As it simmers, skim off any foamy crud that may float to the surface of the stock from time to time.
4. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, depending on how big your turkey is.
5. Simmer the pot partially uncovered, continuing to skim off any foam that comes to the surface.
6. After 4 hours of a low simmer, remove the bones and vegetables from the pot. Then strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve or strainer.
7. If making stock for future use you may want to reduce the stock by cooking it longer, uncovered, to make it more concentrated and easier to store. Then you can add water to taste when making soup or another dish.

Instructions for soup

1. Heat butter or olive oil (or turkey fat rendered from the stock) in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions, and celery. Cook until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook for a minute more, until fragrant. Add the stock to the pot. Add the parsley, poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are cooked through.
3. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes. If adding rice, cook for 15 minutes.
4. Take some of the remaining turkey meat you reserved earlier, shred it into bite-sized pieces, and add it to the soup. Cook for 1 more minute to warm the turkey meat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ham ideas

If you're not a turkey fan and go the ham route, there are plenty of ideas. Sandwiches are always an option (I love making sliders with Swiss cheese on the King's Hawaiian rolls), but there are plenty of other ideas, too.

Ham and cheese omelettes for breakfast, ham and potato soup, or my personal favorite: Cheesy Mashed Potato & Ham Bake.

Happy cooking and happy Thanksgiving!

— Sarah Leach is the executive editor of the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at sleach@ottawanewsnetwork.org. Follow her on Twitter @ONNLeach.