10 Ways To Use Leftover Thanksgiving Stuffing

We don't know about you, but we love Thanksgiving stuffing. Like, seriously love it. It's buttery, it's crunchy, it's herby, it's simultaneously fresh and rich, and it's totally moreish. Oh, and if you're using sausage in it? We're sold. We love it so much that it's hard to pick which Thanksgiving stuffing recipe to cook sometimes, and even harder to see any of it go to waste. That's why it's an annual tragedy when you have to throw out the rest of the stuffing, knowing that the Thanksgiving magic has disappeared and no one will want to think about it until the following year.

Listen, guys: There's another way. Thanksgiving stuffing may seem like a dish that's not versatile in any way whatsoever, but the truth is that it's surprisingly easy to repurpose into different dishes. You can use stuffing in countless ways in leftovers, both as a base ingredient and as an exciting addition, to create brand new dishes that combine Thanksgiving flavors with something a little unusual. From meatloaf to muffins, pies to pizza, there are loads of avenues for this classic side dish that'll allow you to avoid throwing it out and to extend that Thanksgiving joy for another few days.

You know what the best thing is to eat for breakfast after a day of Thanksgiving food? More Thanksgiving food! We're only half-kidding here: Thanksgiving stuffing can make a surprisingly delicious breakfast item the morning after the main event, and by incorporating it into a stuffing hash, you can stop its flavors from dominating everything. Stuffing's texture makes it perfect for a hash, and it crisps up nicely in a skillet, giving it a second lease on life. Its herby flavor gives your breakfast a brightness that you might not expect, and frying it deepens its taste, adding caramelized notes into the fray.

If you want to keep things simple, you can quite literally just spoon your leftover stuffing into a pan, fry it, and then serve it with a fried egg on top. However, we think this is an opportunity to go bigger. Mix your stuffing with some cooked, cubed potatoes, bacon, and sausage, and fry it all together to make a breakfast that's both more sturdy and one that has different flavor dynamics going on. Sliced onions and garlic can also bring it back to life with some vegetal notes. If you want, you can even use some of the leftover turkey. We won't tell.

If you're not turning your leftover stuffing into patties, now's the time to start. Stuffing is perfect for repurposing into a patty shape: The bread inside it works as a binder, allowing it to stay in sturdy pucks, while the sausage in the stuffing gives it a meaty element. It has a nice chunkiness to it, but also manages to stay smooth to the bite. For stuffing that's made with larger pieces, it's best to chop it up slightly or pulse it in a processor, but remember that irregular texture is part of the charm.

Most stuffings will need slightly more help with binding to turn into patties: You might need to add an egg, and potentially a little flour. Beyond that, though, you really don't need to include much else. The stuffing's flavor will be strong enough to stand on its own, so all you need to do is fry it. Once you've cooked your stuffing patties, you can pop them into a sandwich or between burger buns, tuck them into biscuits, or enjoy them for breakfast.

You know what stuffing's good for? Stuffing other things. This dish has a deceptive name, as it's now typically baked and served in a large tray — but it originally existed, of course, as a mixture that was used to stuff animals with. Post-Thanksgiving, you can use it for its intended purpose and place it into items that are perhaps a little less meaty, but which will provide a light and sprightly vessel for the flavorful dish.

Filling peppers with stuffing is a quick and easy way to make a next-day dinner. The sweetness of the peppers works well against the savoriness of the stuffing, and they give every mouthful a bit of extra bite. Stuffing stuffed mushrooms, meanwhile, can serve as delightful little post-Thanksgiving appetizers, and the umami notes of the mushrooms complement the stuffing very well. If you want to keep things autumnal, stuffed butternut squash can be an awesome centerpiece for a meal, and it gives those days after Thanksgiving a much-needed pop of nutrition. The vegetable's slight creaminess also gives the stuffing a little bit to work against, and introduces a new flavor note into the fray.

Making stuffing into muffins might sound like a weird thing to do — but if you think about it, it kinda works. The main ingredient in stuffing is bread, after all, and so its doughy nature is perfectly suited for a muffin shape. Its savory flavor also translates well to muffin form, and you don't even have to break your stuffing down that much to make it work. Even if you have a chunky stuffing, you can just pop it into some muffin tins with some binder added, and bake them until the tops are crispy and slightly browned. Your stuffing will develop a deeper flavor from being double-cooked, and it'll be even more delicious.

You can also use the opportunity to customize your stuffing muffins. Mix some cheese, chopped ham, or extra vegetables into your stuffing mixture, or crown them with a little hot honey before you serve them. Stuffing muffins can work well as a snack, or you can whip them up for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. We'd be surprised if they lasted much longer than that, though.

Few things are better in life than a post-Thanksgiving sandwich. However, stuffing is often lost in the equation: Because it's also made from bread and pretty chunky, people tend to think it's a bit too much to cram it between their favorite slices, and so it gets left on the side. Well, we think that's a serious mistake. Leftover stuffing is the jewel in the crown of a Thanksgiving sandwich, filling it with an herby note that can, in a somewhat contradictory way, stop it from getting too heavy. You can stop it from protruding too much by chopping it up slightly, too; you don't have to put up with those big ol' bits of bread.

Don't limit yourself to a regular Thanksgiving sandwich, either. Those are good on their own, but you can amp things up even further by making a leftover grilled cheese. The cheese helps to moisten the stuffing and stop the sandwich from getting too sticky. If you want something a bit more compact, then put your sandwich in a panini press.

Because stuffing is primarily bread-based, it's great for repurposing in dishes that rely on a starch to hold them together — and because it often has sausage in it, it's best if those dishes are meaty. So what better way to re-employ it than by placing it in meatloaf? Mixing stuffing into meatloaf takes a lot of things out of the equation when making it: Not only will you not have to worry so much about it falling apart, but the stuffing will also season your loaf, meaning that you ultimately need fewer ingredients and less energy to put it together. In a pinch, you can simply mix ground beef with leftover stuffing and a couple of eggs, put it in the oven, and bake.

On top of this, making a stuffing-based meatloaf is also a great way to reuse other Thanksgiving leftovers. If you have any leftover cranberry sauce, you can use it to make a glaze by mixing it with ketchup, minced garlic, and onion powder. The cranberry sauce will give it a tart edge that complements the savory meat, just as it does at Thanksgiving dinner.

If you've got guests lingering for a few days after Thanksgiving, figuring out how to feed them can be surprisingly tough. You'll want your dishes to still be in the spirit of the holidays, but slightly different, and you likely won't be inclined to spend a lot of money on a host of different meals and ingredients. That's why we're huge advocates of reusing leftover stuffing in the days after Thanksgiving, and using it to make classy appetizers that you can serve the next evening.

For something that's built for sharing, try a Thanksgiving crescent ring. You simply pile your leftover stuffing into some crescent dough sliced in a star shape, fold the edges over, and bake until the dough's cooked. Conversely, you can form your stuffing into balls with some leftover mashed potatoes and turkey, and serve them as finger food. You can do this pretty simply, or take the extra step of breading and frying them, to make a form of arancini or croquettes. Whichever way you choose to put them together, these little bites make great finger food.

Stuffing pizza? Don't mind if we do! There's something that feels incredibly resourceful about turning Thanksgiving leftovers into a pizza, and while it might seem a little heavy to put a bread-based stuffing on a doughy base, it really does work. Stuffing gives pizza an herbal, vegetal note and a slightly more chewy bite than the base delivers, and a savory twist that complements any other ingredients. If you made a sausage stuffing, all you need is a little cheese on top, and you're good to go.

The logical choice, though, is to combine your stuffing with all of your other leftovers — and so that's what we're gonna recommend. Once you've placed your stuffing on your pizza base, add shredded turkey that's been soaked in gravy, any leftover mashed potatoes or green beans, and your cheese of choice. Once it comes out of the oven, top it with an extra drizzle of gravy. You can even use your cranberry sauce as a base, if you're so inclined. Hey, it's the holidays!

If there's one way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, it's in a pie. Pies give all of those Thanksgiving flavors a different vessel to be served in, and they also inject some much-needed moisture into your leftovers. If you add stuffing into your pie, though, you'll end up with a result that's heavy and doughy: The bread in it will soak up all of your pie liquid, and it'll turn to mush.

Instead of suffering this in the days after Thanksgiving, keep your stuffing above the surface and use it as a topping. Leftover stuffing can almost act like tater tots do on top of a pot pie or casserole, and provide a bumpy, delicious topping that turns crispy in the oven. If you're making a shepherd's pie, you can blitz it in the food processor briefly to give it a slightly smoother consistency, or mix it with mashed potatoes to pull its flavor back somewhat. While you can of course use turkey as a filling in your pie, stuffing will go with loads of different other meats: Chicken, ham, beef, and lamb will pair well with its flavors.

Soup can feel incredibly healing after Thanksgiving. Let's face it, it's a day when most of us eat and drink a little more than is comfortable, and there's nothing quite like a bowl of soothing broth to restore equilibrium. Having said this, you also probably don't want to make this from scratch: Soup is a dish that thrives on the odds and ends in your fridge, after all, and you want to make use of all of those leftovers.

Stuffing is the ideal ingredient to dunk into your broth. Its savory, herb-forward flavors help to perfume any soup beautifully, and give the liquid immediate depth. That being said, stuffing is naturally pretty absorbent — thanks to it being bread-based — so it's useful to jazz it up a little. Try turning your stuffing into dumplings by mixing it with turkey, eggs, and flour, and then cooking them directly in the soup itself. Alternatively, you can use it as you would with croutons, as a topper.