It isn't the holidays without leftovers, but instead of making a ho-hum turkey soup or simply piling everything onto a plate, we recommend putting slightly more thought into repurposing those turkey slices and side dishes. You'll get much more joy out of eating mashed potatoes for the fifth day in a row if you turn them into dumplings, and your family members will get a kick out of watching bacon cornbread dressing turn into the best waffles ever. We've got plenty more suggestions — click through the arrows above to see all of the recipes.

Turkey Sandwiches on Dressing Waffles

Giant, turkey and stuffing filled sandwiches are a day-after dinner must-have in many homes. In this twist on that dish, we've turned the stuffing into crisp, browned waffles that we then use for bread. Layer on sliced turkey and cranberry sauce, and then drizzle the whole thing with gravy for a truly indulgent, fork and knife sandwich that'll quickly become a new tradition.
Get the recipe

Leftover Vegetable Hash with Sunny Side-Up Egg

If you have any cold, cooked, leftover vegetables in the fridge, this dish is the perfect outlet for them. Taking its roots from a British dish called “bubble and squeak,” this hash combines cooked vegetables with mashed potatoes and cabbage and forms them into a cake that gets pan-fried in butter. A sunny-side-up egg is a wonderful accompaniment to the hash, as the yolk acts as a rich sauce for the savory vegetables. If you’re making this after Thanksgiving and want to turn it into a dish that’s truly beyond the pale, add leftover green bean casserole to the mix.
Get the recipe

Mashed Potato Dumplings with Ham and Gruyère

A great way to repurpose leftover mashed potatoes is to turn them into dumplings, or gnocchi. A touch of ricotta will lighten up those spuds, and a sauce studded wtih ham and spiked with Gruyère cheese truly transforms your day-old side dish into something spectactular. Feel free to omit the ham if you need the dish to be vegetarian and mix and match cheeses if you'd like. The only real rule? You'll need to use skinless mashed potatoes to form the dumplings.
Get the recipe

Sweet Potato Turnovers with Scallion Blue Cheese Dressing

If you're looking for a unique way to repurpose leftover sweet potato casserole, these turnovers will be your new favorite recipe. It's easy to prepare the turnovers when you use store-bought puff pastry, and they only take 15 or 20 minutes to turn golden brown, flaky and delicious. Take the turnovers over the top with a drizzle of zesty blue cheese dressing and a sprinkling of crisp crumbled bacon. Serve these during rivalry weekend and you'll be a hero.
Get the recipe

Turkey Hushpuppies with Cranberry Aioli

Adding chopped turkey to sage-spiked hushpuppy batter gets all that holiday flavor into a single bite. Sure, it's slightly more work than throwing together a sandwich, but we promise you won't ever get sick of your leftovers when you eat them wrapped up in hushpuppy batter. The easy cranberry aioli dipping sauce makes it even better.
Get the recipe