The day after Thanksgiving, the half-eaten carcass stares back at you… What are you going to do with all that turkey? Fortunately, turkey is pretty good for making a diverse range of sandwiches, and here are 16 ideas.
Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich
This variation on the classic Thanksgiving sandwich — turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy — uses a waffle made of leftover stuffing in lieu of bread. If you don't have a waffle iron, as I don't, just add a thin layer of stuffing somewhere on the sandwich, or get a layer of browning on the stuffing and make an open-face sandwich using the same ingredients.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix chilled stuffing with eggs until evenly moistened. Preheat a 6-inch round waffle iron and brush the plates lightly with some of the measured oil.
- Divide stuffing mixture into 4 equal portions. Spread one portion evenly in the iron without forcing it beyond the grid, close gently and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until browned, firm enough to lift and at least 165°F in the center; repeat with remaining portions and oil as needed.
- Keep finished waffles in one layer on a rack in a 200°F oven while the rest cook; do not stack.
- Warm turkey with broth in a covered skillet over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until the meat reaches 165°F. Drain excess loose liquid.
- Spread mayonnaise on 2 waffles, add warm turkey and cranberry sauce and close with the remaining waffles. Serve immediately, one sandwich per person.
Hot Turkey Sandwich With Gravy
In a hot turkey sandwich, the gravy is just as important as the meat. This recipe uses a fresh gravy instead of relying on leftovers, and if you have fresh sage, all the better.
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Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook shallots for 5 minutes until soft, then stir in flour for 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in broth, Worcestershire, sage, salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the gravy lightly coats a spoon.
- Fold turkey into gravy. Simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes until the meat reaches 165°F.
- Meanwhile, toast the roll cut faces under a broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden.
- Lift turkey onto the bottom rolls with a slotted spoon, add a modest spoonful of gravy and close with the tops. Serve remaining gravy separately for dipping.
Turkey Club Sandwich
Too many club sandwiches rely on processed turkey loaf. Fresh turkey is infinitely better, and the croissant is a novel option here, but feel free to use whatever bread you've got.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Drain and cool for 2 minutes.
- Slice each large croissant horizontally into 3 layers with a serrated knife, keeping the middle layer intact. Mix mayonnaise with Dijon and spread over the filling-facing surfaces.
- Layer half the turkey and a lettuce leaf on each bottom layer, then add the middle croissant layers.
- Add remaining turkey, bacon and lettuce. Blot tomato slices, season with salt and pepper, lay them over the bacon and close with the croissant tops.
- Press gently to settle the layers, cut each sandwich across the middle with a serrated knife and serve immediately.
Turkey Melt Sandwich
This recipe uses deli turkey meat, but if you have leftover turkey, all the better. I also think dark meat would work better here than white, as you want to recook the turkey ribbons in the broth.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms with salt and pepper for 7 to 9 minutes until their liquid evaporates and edges brown.
- Add turkey ribbons and broth, cover and warm over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the filling reaches 165°F. Uncover briefly to evaporate loose liquid.
- Heat the broiler and place muffin halves cut-side up on a broiler-safe sheet. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly crisp.
- Divide hot turkey and mushrooms over bottom muffin halves and add Fontina. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes until cheese melts, removing the plain top halves if they brown sooner.
- Close with the toasted muffin tops, rest for 1 minute and serve one melt per person.
Turkey Bacon Ranch Sub
As in the previous recipe, if you've got leftover turkey, use that, but honestly, deli turkey is acceptable here. The roasted red peppers elevate this over the normal turkey-bacon sandwich.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Drain and let cool for 2 minutes.
- Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, chives, dill, garlic powder and salt until smooth.
- Spread ranch mixture over the cut faces of both sub rolls. Put half the dry lettuce on each bottom roll.
- Fold smoked turkey over the lettuce, add dry roasted-pepper strips and 2 bacon slices per sandwich, breaking the bacon only as needed to fit.
- Close the rolls, cut across the middle and serve promptly while the bacon remains crisp.
Turkey Cranberry Brie Sandwich
This recipe uses fresh cranberry sauce, but if you've got leftover cranberry sauce, grate a little orange zest in for the same effect. Brie works beautifully with both the turkey and the tart, sweet sauce.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice and sauce water in a small saucepan. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until berries burst and sauce thickens; remove from heat and cool for 3 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Warm turkey with broth in a covered skillet over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until the meat reaches 165°F, then drain excess loose liquid.
- Place baguette bottoms on a rimmed sheet, spread with cranberry sauce and layer on warm turkey and Brie. Set tops beside them cut-side up.
- Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until Brie softens and bread is lightly crisp, removing plain tops early if they darken.
- Add arugula over the warm filling, close with the tops and cut each sandwich in half before serving.
Turkey Avocado Wrap
This is another recipe where deli turkey is totally fine. Avocado adds richness, so if you've got leftovers, this is where you use the white meat.
Ingredients
Method
- Mash avocado with lime juice and salt until spreadable, leaving a few small pieces for texture.
- Spread half the avocado over each tortilla, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
- Lay turkey in an even strip below the center of each tortilla and divide cabbage and carrot over the meat.
- Fold sides inward, bring the lower edge over filling and roll tightly away from you, keeping sides tucked in.
- Rest seam-side down for 1 minute, cut each wrap diagonally across the middle and serve.
Turkey Reuben Sandwich
I am an avid Reuben fan, but if you've got people who don't eat beef in the house, you can use turkey as well. This recipe uses pretzel rolls, but honestly, I'd stick to rye; the Reuben really is a perfect formula.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire and paprika in a small bowl. Spread butter over the roll cut faces.
- Warm turkey, dry sauerkraut and broth in a covered skillet over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until the filling reaches 165°F. Uncover and cook briefly until no loose liquid remains.
- Heat the broiler and toast roll halves cut-side up on a broiler-safe sheet for 1 minute. Remove tops and spread half the dressing over the bottom halves.
- Divide hot turkey and kraut over the bottoms, cover with Swiss and broil for 1 to 2 minutes until cheese melts.
- Spread remaining dressing over the toasted top halves, close the sandwiches and rest for 1 minute before cutting and serving.
Turkey Pesto Panini
This panini adds grilled zucchini and pesto, meaning it's probably better for summer zucchini season than Thanksgiving. However, if it is Thanksgiving, pesto freezes well, so make some in the summer, and you'll be enjoying it all winter.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season zucchini with salt and pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until lightly browned and tender. Transfer to a plate and let steam escape for 2 minutes.
- Spread pesto thinly over the roll cut faces. Divide half the Fontina over bottom halves, add folded turkey and zucchini in even layers and top with remaining cheese. Close the rolls.
- Brush outer bread surfaces with remaining oil. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and place sandwiches in it with a clean heavy skillet set gently on top.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, removing the weight to turn, until bread is crisp, cheese melts and the filling reaches 165°F. Lower the heat if the crust browns before the center warms.
- Rest for 1 minute and cut each panini across the middle before serving.
Gluten Free Turkey & Swiss Sandwiches
You'll look forward to lunch when this gluten-free sandwich is served! Peppermill Turkey and Swiss are layered together with sliced tomato, avocado, pickles, onions, bacon, and arugula for a hearty, satisfying dish.
Recipe by Catherine Pappas, Living the Gourmet
Get the full recipe at Living the Gourmet.
Turkey Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls
The warm turkey and onion filling in this sandwich means it's a slider you're probably not going to be able to handle with your hands. Let these cool a bit after cooking so the cheddar can properly anchor the meat.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook red onion for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden at the edges.
- Add chopped turkey, broth and Worcestershire, cover and warm gently for 5 to 8 minutes until the meat reaches 165°F. Uncover to evaporate excess loose liquid.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Split the connected rolls horizontally and place the bottom slab in a lined 9-by-13-inch pan. Add half the cheddar, spread warm turkey-onion filling evenly over it and add remaining cheddar and roll tops.
- Melt remaining butter and mix with garlic powder and pepper. Brush over the tops, cover loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 5 to 8 minutes until the tops are golden, cheese melts and the center remains at least 165°F. Rest for 3 minutes and cut into 12 sliders, serving 2 per person.
Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich
The name on this recipe buries the lead. "Open-faced turkey sandwich" sounds boring, but this is smothered in cheese sauce, making it a far more attractive proposition.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp and drain. Pour off excess fat, add turkey and broth, cover and warm gently for 5 to 8 minutes until turkey reaches 165°F.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan, whisk in flour for 1 minute and gradually whisk in milk. Simmer for 2 minutes until smooth, then remove from heat and stir in cheddar, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
- Heat the broiler. Toast bread on both sides on a broiler-safe sheet for 1 to 2 minutes total, then arrange warmed turkey over each slice.
- Add tomato slices, spoon cheese sauce over the turkey and lay 2 bacon slices across each open sandwich. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes until sauce bubbles and browns in small patches.
- Rest for 1 minute, lift with a broad spatula and serve one open-faced sandwich per person with a knife and fork.
Turkey Salad Sandwich
Turkey salad is probably the most classic way to use up Thanksgiving turkey, and it's evergreen for a reason. This version adds pecans and apples for a bit of a Waldorf touch (which makes me think a little blue cheese would be more than welcome).
Ingredients
Method
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant, stirring often. Transfer to a plate and cool for 3 minutes.
- Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl until smooth.
- Fold in chopped turkey, apple, celery and cooled pecans until lightly coated without crushing the meat.
- Place dry lettuce on 2 bread slices. Divide turkey salad evenly over it, spreading level and close to the edges.
- Close with remaining bread, press gently and cut each sandwich in half before serving cold.
Turkey Grilled Cheese
Most meats slot in well in a grilled cheese. This recipe uses Muenster, which is nicely fragrant, to add some character to the mild flavor of turkey, and a little giardiniera adds tang.
Ingredients
Method
- Warm turkey with broth in a covered skillet over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until the meat reaches 165°F. Uncover and let excess liquid evaporate, then transfer to a bowl.
- Divide half the Muenster over 2 bread slices. Add warm turkey in flat layers, scatter the finely chopped drained giardiniera evenly and cover with remaining cheese and bread.
- Spread softened butter thinly over both outer faces of each sandwich. Wipe the skillet and heat over medium-low.
- Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden and cheese fully melts. Cover briefly if needed; keep heat low enough to prevent burning.
- Rest for 2 minutes, cut each sandwich in half and serve while the filling remains soft.
Turkey BLT
The BLT is meant to highlight summer tomatoes, but if you've got Thanksgiving leftovers (yes, I know the recipe uses deli turkey), you're probably not going to have access to quality fresh tomatoes. That's where cherry tomatoes come to the rescue, and you can generally find OK cherry tomatoes year-round.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss tomatoes with olive oil and salt on a small rimmed sheet and roast for 15 to 18 minutes until softened and browned at the edges; cool for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp and drain. Mix mayonnaise, smoked paprika and lemon juice in a small bowl.
- Warm pitas in the oven for 1 minute until flexible, then cut each across the middle and open the pockets carefully. Spread the paprika mayonnaise inside all 4 pockets.
- Divide deli turkey and romaine among the pockets. Add roasted tomatoes with only a little clinging juice and 1 bacon slice per pocket, breaking it to fit.
- Serve 2 filled pita halves per person immediately while the bacon remains crisp.
Turkey Cuban Sandwich
This recipe replaces the pulled pork on the classic Cubano with turkey. While most turkey sandwiches tell you to remove the skin, I think this is one where it's worth re-crisping the turkey skin in a pan to give some of that fatty, unctuous quality, with just a bit of char, that we associate with a good slab of pulled pork.
Ingredients
Method
- Place turkey, orange juice, broth, garlic and cumin in a skillet. Cover and warm over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until turkey reaches 165°F, then uncover and cook briefly until little loose liquid remains.
- Spread mustard over the roll cut faces. Divide half the Swiss over bottom halves, add ham, hot turkey and 2 dry pickle slices per sandwich, then add remaining cheese and close the rolls.
- Spread butter thinly over the outside bread surfaces. Wipe the skillet and heat over medium-low.
- Place sandwiches in the skillet with a clean heavy skillet set gently over them. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, removing the weight to turn, until bread is golden, Swiss melts and the filling reaches 165°F.
- Rest for 2 minutes, cut each pressed sandwich across the middle and serve.
Keeping leftover turkey moist when you reheat it
Start with slices or small pieces that can heat evenly rather than one thick cold slab. Remove skin and bones before measuring the meat, and cut across the grain when the turkey is still firm enough to slice neatly. A covered skillet with a small measured amount of broth works well for the hot sandwiches here. Use low heat and turn or stir gently so the pieces warm together. The goal is turkey that reaches 165°F without sitting in a hard simmer long after it is ready, especially when the leftovers are mostly lean breast.
Drain or briefly evaporate excess loose broth before building the sandwich. Moist meat and a puddle of liquid are different things: the first makes lunch better, while the second can soak through bread before you reach the table. Warm the turkey before it goes into a grilled cheese, panini or broiled sandwich when the recipe directs. That gives the bread and cheese a shorter job at the finish. A dark crust wrapped around a cold center usually means the filling needed a head start, not that the pan needed more heat.
For a small microwave portion, cover the turkey loosely in a microwave-safe dish with a little broth and heat in short intervals, turning the slices and checking the center. Stop once it reaches 165°F rather than adding another minute because the edges look ready first. Reheat only what you need, and keep the remaining leftovers refrigerated. Use cooked turkey within three to four days of its original cooking date or freeze it promptly for later; making a hot sandwich does not erase the time the meat already spent in the refrigerator.
Building a turkey sandwich that isn’t dry
Match the bread to the filling. A kaiser roll can handle a modest spoonful of gravy, while soft sliced bread needs more restraint with wet ingredients. Thin cheese slices, a small amount of mayonnaise or mashed avocado can soften the bite without requiring a heavy sauce. Spread condiments across the cut face instead of leaving one large dollop in the middle, where it will squeeze out before the corners get any. If the turkey is sliced too thickly, more spread may only make the outside slippery while the meat itself still feels dry.
Dry lettuce, cucumber, sauerkraut, roasted peppers and pickles after washing or draining them. They can supply crunch or acidity without carrying loose water into the bread. Cook mushrooms until their liquid evaporates before adding them to a melt, and let roasted vegetables stop steaming before closing a sandwich around them. A thin layer of cheese or dry lettuce against the bread can slow moisture transfer, but it is not a waterproof barrier. A sandwich packed hours ahead still needs sensible filling amounts and chilled storage rather than confidence in one leaf of lettuce.
Keep the layers fairly level and stop before the center becomes a tall mound. Folding deli turkey loosely makes a softer bite than compressing the same slices into a flat block, while chopped roast turkey works well in sliders and grilled cheese because the melted cheese can hold its small pieces. Press toasted sandwiches gently instead of forcing out the sauce and cheese. Let hot melts rest for a minute or two, then cut with a sharp knife. For cold sandwiches, a clean cut and a filling that reaches the edges do more than another handful of meat piled in the center.
