By Saturday after Thanksgiving, the turkey in your fridge has stopped being a treat and started being a problem. These healthy leftover turkey recipes turn it into six meals that taste like new dinners, not reruns: a white bean chili, a 15-minute fried rice, lettuce wraps, a lighter pot pie, a sweet potato hash and burrito bowls. Each one uses 2 to 3 cups of cooked turkey and lands between 26 and 36 grams of protein per serving.
One rule before you start: leftover turkey keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, so if you can’t cook through it by Monday, freeze it in 2-cup bags the day after the holiday. More on that below.
Leftover turkey recipes at a glance
| Recipe | Turkey used | Active time | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White bean turkey chili | 2 cups | 15 min | 278 | 29 g |
| Turkey fried rice | 2 cups | 15 min | 429 | 31 g |
| Cranberry turkey lettuce wraps | 3 cups | 10 min | 276 | 36 g |
| Lighter turkey pot pie | 3 cups | 25 min | 276 | 26 g |
| Turkey sweet potato hash | 2 cups | 15 min | 361 | 29 g |
| Turkey burrito bowls | 2 cups | 10 min | 357 | 32 g |
If you only have time for one, make the fried rice. It uses leftover rice too, it’s the fastest of the six, and nobody at the table will connect it to Thursday’s dinner.
1. White Bean Turkey Chili
White chili is the best home for dry breast meat. It simmers in broth for 20 minutes, soaks up the cumin and green chiles, and comes out tender again. Serves 4.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
- 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 1 cup frozen corn
- Juice of 1 lime, chopped cilantro
Method: Soften the onion in oil for 5 minutes, add garlic, chiles and spices for 1 minute. Add beans and broth, then mash about a third of the beans against the pot to thicken it. Stir in turkey and corn, simmer 15 to 20 minutes, and finish with lime.
Per serving: 278 calories, 29 g protein, 6 g fiber. Top it with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream if you want it creamy.
2. Turkey Fried Rice
Fried rice needs cold, day-old rice, which is exactly what you have after a holiday. Brown rice works fine here and adds a nutty chew. Serves 4.
- 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 3 cups cold cooked brown rice
- 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 green onions, sliced
Method: Scramble the eggs in a hot skillet with half the olive oil, then set aside. Add the rest of the oil, garlic and peas and carrots for 2 minutes. Add rice and press it flat; let it crisp for 2 minutes before stirring. Add turkey, soy sauce, eggs and sesame oil, toss until hot, and finish with green onions.
Per serving: 429 calories, 31 g protein. It’s the heartiest of the six, so it works as a full dinner without sides.
3. Cranberry Turkey Salad Lettuce Wraps
This is the no-cook option for the Friday when nobody wants to turn on the stove. Greek yogurt replaces most of the mayo, and the cranberries and pecans make it taste like the holiday in a good way. Serves 4.
- 3 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 2/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
Method: Stir the yogurt, mustard and lemon juice together, fold in everything else, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon into lettuce cups. It holds for 3 days in a sealed container, so it doubles as a packed lunch. If you made extra low sugar cranberry sauce, a spoonful on top works too.
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Per serving: 276 calories, 36 g protein, the highest protein of the six.
4. Lighter Turkey Pot Pie With a Phyllo Top
Turkey pot pie is the most searched leftover turkey recipe for a reason, but a double pie crust brings most of the calories. Crinkled phyllo on top gives you the shatter of a crust for a fraction of the fat, and 1% milk thickened with flour does the work of cream. Serves 6.
- 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup 1% milk
- 3 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed, plus cooking spray
Method: Heat the oven to 375°F. Cook the vegetables in butter and oil for 8 minutes, sprinkle in flour and stir 1 minute. Whisk in broth and milk and simmer until thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in turkey, peas and thyme, then pour into a 9×13 dish. Spray each phyllo sheet lightly, scrunch it loosely and lay it on top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
Per serving: 276 calories, 26 g protein. For more ideas in this style, see our healthy casserole recipes.
5. Turkey Sweet Potato Hash With Eggs
Leftovers don’t have to wait for dinner. This one-skillet hash is a weekend breakfast that also uses up any spare sweet potatoes from the holiday shopping. Serves 4.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), cut in 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 medium onion and 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 4 large eggs
Method: Cook the sweet potatoes in oil, covered, over medium heat for 8 minutes. Uncover, add onion, pepper and paprika, and cook until the potatoes brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in turkey and spinach until wilted. Make 4 wells, crack in the eggs, cover and cook 4 to 6 minutes until the whites set.
Per serving: 361 calories, 29 g protein, 5 g fiber.
6. Turkey Burrito Bowls
Burrito bowls are the easiest way to meal prep leftover turkey for the work week. Build four containers on Sunday night and lunch is done through Wednesday. Serves 4.
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 cups shredded cooked turkey, warmed with 1 tsp chili powder and 1 tsp cumin
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed or charred in a dry skillet
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- Lime wedges and cilantro
Method: Divide rice, turkey, beans and corn between 4 bowls or containers. Keep the salsa and yogurt in small cups on the side so the rice doesn’t go soggy, and add them right before eating.
Per serving: 357 calories, 32 g protein, 7 g fiber. Need more weekday ideas? Our lunch meal prep ideas use the same build-ahead approach.
How long does leftover turkey last?
Cooked turkey keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 6 months in the freezer, according to the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart. Count from Thanksgiving Day, not from when you packed it up the next morning. Soups and chilis made with it get their own clock: 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months frozen.
What works in practice:
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- Pull it off the bone the same night. Meat comes off a warm carcass much more easily, and loose meat chills faster. Save the bones for turkey soup from the carcass.
- Portion in 2-cup bags. Every recipe above uses 2 or 3 cups, so you can grab exactly what you need.
- Add a spoonful of broth before freezing. It keeps the meat from drying out and thaws into something juicy enough for the wraps.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight, or drop frozen chunks straight into the chili or pot pie filling.
Tips for making leftover turkey taste fresh
The reason turkey leftovers get boring is that people reheat them the way they were served: sliced, with gravy, on a plate. The recipes above work because they change three things.
- Change the flavor. Cumin, chiles, soy sauce, smoked paprika. Anything that doesn’t taste like sage and gravy reads as a new meal.
- Add moisture back. Breast meat dries out in the fridge. Simmering in broth (chili, pot pie) or folding into a creamy dressing (wraps) fixes it; dry reheating in a microwave doesn’t.
- Add crunch. Crispy rice, phyllo, celery, browned sweet potato edges. Texture is what the original dinner was missing by day three.
Dark meat is the better pick for fried rice and hash because it stays juicy over high heat. Save the breast for the wraps and the chili, where the dressing and broth do the work. And if you still have side dishes in the fridge, the make-ahead options in our healthy Thanksgiving sides roundup reheat well alongside any of these.
Can you use leftover turkey for meal prep?
Yes, with one catch: the 3 to 4 day fridge window starts on Thanksgiving, not on the day you prep. If you want lunches that run into the following week, freeze the turkey on Friday and cook the burrito bowls or chili on Sunday from frozen meat. The chili and pot pie filling both freeze well as finished dishes too. The wraps and fried rice are best eaten within a couple of days.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: per-100 g values used for every calorie and protein figure (turkey, whole, meat only, roasted, FDC 171481; brown rice, cooked, FDC 169704; great northern and black beans, canned, drained, FDC 2644294 and 2644285; Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat, FDC 170894; egg, whole, raw, FDC 171287; phyllo dough, FDC 172791; and the remaining ingredients).
- FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart: storage times for cooked poultry and soups.
