The Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich

Okay friends, this recipe is one that I literally wait all year for. I’m talking about The Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich of course. There is only one time all year that you can authentically make this dish. (And even if you do make turkey with all the fixings, no meal is quite as special as Thanksgiving, so not leftovers taste quite as good. At least imho).

Why You’ll Love It:

Because it is freakin’ fantastic! That’s it. That’s all I have to write for this entire section. Seriously, it’s that good. But there are actually several important reasons to love the Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich.

First of all, the Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers sandwich is more like a work of art than a true recipe. Because one of the best things about this dish is it is truly personable. The dishes you serve for Thanksgiving will necessarily dictate what goes on your Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich. So if you don’t serve any of the elements I suggest, then just skip them. And add your favorites instead. This sandwich is completely customizable so it’s bound to make your taste buds happy.

It’s easy. After all that cooking for the big meal, we could all use a little break in the days that follow Thanksgiving. I mean, no-one wants to do dishes on Black Friday. So do yourself a favor and just pile all those leftovers on a sandwich. Easy peasy. You’ll have more time for shopping, decorating, or just chilling with the family.

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Sandwich is comfort food, with a twist. Sure, everyone can heat up the turkey and the stuffing and the mashed potatoes and put them on a plate. But where’s the fun in that. Instead, this recipe asks you to pile all those delicious flavors one on top of the other in between two pieces of your favorite bread. It’s a new take on an old favorite.

And yes . . . I do put stuffing on my sandwich. (There’s not such thing as too much bread).

How to Make the Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich:

Okay . . . here’s where the recipe gets a little wonky. Like I said above, what goes into this sandwich really depends on what’s on your Thanksgiving table and what your favorite dishes are.

So I’m going to tell you how I make my Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich and you can use it as inspiration to build a sandwich that is perfect for you.

I start with biscuits because I love biscuits. And if you are going to go through all the trouble to make homemade biscuits (actually it’s not really any trouble at all, biscuits are super easy to make, recipe coming soon), you need to eat every last one. The other great thing about biscuits is they are hearty and a little dry so they stand up to all the toppings.

I slice my biscuit in half and “toast” it in the oven until warm and lightly browned. This step also helps the sandwich stay together. If you don’t like biscuits substitute your favorite bread. Or grab a pack of Homestyle Buttermilk biscuits and bake those up. (Just don’t use the flaky ones, they will fall apart).

Then I heat up my warm toppings. For me, that’s turkey, stuffing, and green beans. Usually I just pop these in the microwave for a few minutes. When they are warm, I smear the bottom biscuit with a thick layer of stuffing. I top if with turkey and green beans and then add a layer piece of cheese on top. I don’t have with my Thanksgiving dinner (although it usually makes an appearance during the appetizers), but a little melty muenster, Swiss or brie really take this sandwich over the top.

Then I pop the bottoms back into the oven for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts.

When the cheese is melted, I spread mayo and cranberry sauce on the top half of the biscuit and then put the whole thing together for one giant, delicious sandwich.

Like I said, you can use whatever ingredients you have. My dad loves mashed potatoes on his sandwich. My friend swears by onions. Don’t laugh, but sometimes I skip the turkey. You do you. This is your ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers sandwich.

The only thing I’d advise is that you divide the ingredients into warm and cold. Place the warm ones on one half and heat it up. And put your cool ingredients on the other half. It’s just easier to assemble that way.

Enjoy!

There are as many ways to enjoy the Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich as there are Thanksgiving traditions. I encourage you to experiment and make this sandwich your own. I’d love to hear about what ingredients add up to the Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich for you.

If there is a dish you love, but you just can’t imagine it on the sandwich, my first piece of advice is free your mind. Anything can go on sandwich. Really. But if you still aren’t sold, just heat it up and enjoy as side dish.

I kept the sweet potato casserole on the side. This sandwich also goes great with potato chips. I swear, this Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers sandwich tastes even better than the original dinner. (Probably because I know I’m not facing down a mountain of dishes).

And don’t forget to save room for dessert. Pretzel pie is even better the second day.

Happy eating!