Meals You Can Make From Christmas Leftovers

It’s the time of year where lots of people are buying food to prepare, cook and serve for Christmas dinner. But what happens to all the leftovers?

Not only do you have something delicious to munch on until New Year’s Day (or longer), but these leftovers can also be used for many other meals. So here are 10 ideas on what you can make with your leftover food.

1. Leftover Turkey Sandwich

This is a filling sandwich that will definitely put some meat back on your bones. We’re talking turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy.

2. Tuna Casserole

You might like this one if you like tuna fish salad sandwiches. It tastes pretty similar. This may taste better when you add fried onion rings and/or corn.

3. Leftover Turkey in a Blanket

If you have leftover turkey, then all you need to do is wrap it in pastry and cook it. It’s a simple-to-make meal that doesn’t require much work at all.

4. Christmas Day Mince Pie Burger

A mince pie with minced meat? If you’re looking for something more special than just your everyday burger, give this one a shot. The mince pies are shaped into the buns (like how they make the donuts at McDonalds) and filled with mincemeat. You can also use beef or veal instead of steak if you like.

5. Leftover Christmas Cake on Toast

If you have leftover Christmas cake, then this is for you. Just spread some butter on your toast, then spread or pipe on the leftover Christmas cake. Or just eat it as-is if you’re feeling lazy.

6. Christmas Pudding with Ice Cream & Whipped Cream

This one’s really more of a dessert than a meal. Have yourself some yummy pudding, ice cream and whipped cream after your main course.

7. Christmas Cake with Ice Cream Bowl

For those who can’t finish their Christmas cake, this is a great way to use it all up. Just scoop the ice cream into the bowl part of an empty boiled egg shell (or any other small bowl), then top it off with some leftover Christmas cake. You could also make this even more special by adding chocolate sauce, whipped cream and caramel sauce.

8. Leftover Turkey Pie

Feeling like eating turkey pie again? Or do you want to try something different? This recipe doesn’t use butter or eggs because that would water down the flavour of your leftovers. Instead, you’ll be using bacon fat instead, which adds saltiness to cut through the richness of your pie.

9. Leftover Turkey on Toast with Gravy

This one’s easy. Just cook your turkey like you normally would for Christmas dinner, then carve it up and make some toast. You can add stuffing or anything else to flavour it up if you like. You can try adding mushroom, onion and cheese.

10. Christmas Salad

Let’s face it. There’s too much food at Christmas dinner. Having a salad like this is a good way to get back into shape after the big dinner! Have yourself some leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, breadcrumbs/spices/salt & pepper to taste along with any vegetables you have left over. This is a great way to use your extra Christmas food.

11. Leftover Christmas Dinner on Toast

Leftover Christmas dinner is best when it’s on toast and topped with gravy. This sounds so good and is so easy to make: the only thing you’ll need is some bread and butter (or margarine, if you don’t like butter). And obviously, your leftovers.

12. Leftover Christmas Dinner in a Blanket

This is another simple recipe, but it tastes so good. Again, you’ll need some pastry to wrap around your leftover food. You can add any vegetables or herbs you like to add flavour and texture. You can try adding onion and potato wedges.

13. Tuna Casserole with Leftovers

This is a delicious way to use up your leftovers if they’re fishy-tasting. It also adds more flavour to the dish by incorporating onions, garlic and mushrooms. It’s a fairly easy meal that doesn’t take too much time either. Simply cook everything for about 10 minutes, then simmer it on low heat for 20 minutes. If you have leftover sauce from Christmas dinner, add that in too.

14. Leftover Christmas Dinner Pizza

This is a fantastic recipe for leftover turkey. Use your remaining cheese from Christmas dinner to top off a pizza base with some mashed potato and parsley. Bake it in the oven till it’s hot and crispy, then serve it immediately with some salad on the side. Don’t forget to drizzle some gravy over the pizza if you have any leftovers from your Christmas dinner.

15. Leftover Christmas Dinner Porridge

Leftover porridge is perfect for breakfast on Boxing Day. You can add a little sugar, a dash of cream and a handful of fruit to make it taste extra nice. But if you don’t have much time in the morning or just want to have something easy, just use what’s leftover from your Christmas dinner instead.

16. Christmas Cookies With Leftovers

You could also bake some cookies with leftovers. Nuts would be especially good with this recipe. These are best when they’re still warm from the oven, so be sure to store them in an airtight container right after baking. This will help keep them fresh and yummy instead of soggy. Remember not to go overboard on the calories though.

How to Prevent Leftover Food from Spoiling

To prevent leftover food from spoiling, simply put it in the fridge as soon as you can! You should also make a list of what food is in your fridge and how long it’s been there, so that you know when everything will expire. If there are any foods that would spoil if they stayed out for more than a day or two, be sure to store those inside the fridge too. That way you can save them from going bad quickly.

Looking for delicious dishes to lessen your leftovers this Christmas? Try these best-selling items from Jeffrey’s Christmas Kitchen. The food will be a hit at any holiday party!