Leftover Thanksgiving sandwich

I've found the best way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers in a sandwich is to make it a club-style sandwich. The extra piece of bread in the middle helps stabilize the wet, soft ingredients so you can pile it as high as you want.

You can make your sandwich with classic Thanksgiving flavors or turn your leftovers into something that tastes entirely new.

I've included ideas for both, from my classic Thanksgiving-flavored club sandwich to a turkey & stuffing patty melt, a turkey Reuben with Brussels sprouts for the cabbage, and more.

Why a club-style sandwich works so well

The problem with piling Thanksgiving leftovers onto a sandwich is that you have a lot of ingredients that are soft, wet, or slippery. The second you bite down, the fillings want to slide right out.

Adding a piece of toast in the middle helps stabilize the sandwich and divides the fillings into two smaller, more manageable stacks.

For example, you can put cranberry sauce, turkey, and cheese on the bottom half, and stuffing and green bean casserole on the top half.

Thanksgiving sandwich ideas that make leftovers taste new

For those of you who are ready for your leftovers to taste new, I have a whole bunch of sandwiches to share.

Some of them pile on the leftovers and benefit from a club style sandwich, while others work well as a regular sandwich or can use rolls.

Turkey & egg salad sandwich: Leftover deviled eggs are begging to be turned into an egg salad sandwich. Mash the deviled eggs with shredded turkey and add more mayo if needed. Spread that on the bottom half. Add brussels sprouts and fried onions to the top half.

Shepherd's pie sandwich: Take the classic casserole dish of meat, gravy, mashed potatoes and corn and turn it into a sandwich. Layer shredded turkey and corn casserole on the bottom half, with more turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy on top. If you're sick of turkey, replace it with stuffing that you turn into patties and fry up.

Turkey pot pie club sandwich: This is where a creamy green bean casserole shines. Warm all of your ingredients up. Layer turkey and green bean casserole on the bottom half, with more turkey, gravy and corn casserole on top. It's even better with leftover homemade herb gravy.

Turkey French Dip: Use rolls or sub sandwich bread and stuff full of turkey, green bean casserole, and cheese. Dip in warm gravy.

Turkey Reuben: Shred Brussels sprouts and toss with pickle juice. Spread mustard on toasted bread and top with turkey, swiss cheese, and your brussels sprouts. Make as a single layer sandwich or repeat for the top half.

Patty melt: Make this as a single layer sandwich, and layer turkey, stuffing, cheese, fried onions and gravy. Heat on a griddle or cook like a grilled cheese for that oniony diner patty melt flavor.

Turkey BBQ sandwich: Mix shredded dark-meat turkey with BBQ sauce and top with brussels sprouts. Use rolls and spread them with sweet potato casserole.

Which Thanksgiving leftovers to use in your sandwich

The sandwich ideas are just starting points. It's my (very strong) opinion that every leftover Thanksgiving dish can make its way onto a sandwich.

Here's how I'd use each leftover and my tricks to keep everything in place.

Leftover	How to use it	Notes
Cranberry sauce	Sauce	Whole-berry or smooth both work
Gravy	Sauce	Spoon over turkey instead of bread
Mashed potatoes	Spread	Can layer on thicker if cold
Sweet potatoes	Spread	Pairs great with the cranberry sauce
Corn casserole	Spread / filling	Good warm or cold
Turkey	Main protein	Slice thin or shred
Deviled eggs	Main protein	Add with turkey or use alone for vegetarian
Brussels sprouts	Greens / slaw	Slice into ribbons
Green bean casserole	Filling	Chop so they don't pull out
Stuffing	Filling	Works warm or cold
Charcuterie cheese	Cheese	Hard and soft cheese work
Fried onions	Crunch	Keep away from wet ingredients

Let's start with the bread and build a sandwich from there.

Bread: leftover rolls vs sandwich bread

You can make small slider sandwiches from leftover rolls. The downside is they are hard to stuff full without the fillings falling out or the roll turning soggy.

If that's all you have lying around, by all means, go for it.

But I prefer thin-sliced bread and using club sandwich tricks to keep the bread crisp and fillings in place. More on that later.

Spreadable leftovers: cranberry sauce, gravy, potatoes and corn casserole

Every good sandwich has at least one condiment like mayo and mustard, or something spreadable like mashed avocado or soft cheese.

There are plenty of Thanksgiving leftovers to fill these roles.

• Cranberry sauce: the tart flavor balances out the heavier ingredients. Spread directly on bread. Works with smooth or chunky versions like this cranberry and pear sauce.
• Gravy: add a small amount of gravy on top of turkey slices, keeping it away from the bread to avoid sogginess.
• Mashed potatoes: treat this like whipped butter and spread a thin layer on top of the bread, otherwise it oozes out when pressed down.
• Sweet potatoes: add a sweet contrast to the saltier ingredients. Spread a thin layer directly on top of the bread.
• Corn casserole: depending on the consistency, you can get away with a slightly thick layer. Spread right on top of the bread.

Meat: slice that turkey thin or shred it!

The best part of a leftover Thanksgiving sandwich is that it's stuffed with all sorts of sides. But those can easily fall out, collapsing the sandwich.

One trick is to slice the turkey thin (and against the grain) so it easily pulls apart with each bite. Shredded turkey also works great.

However, avoid thick-cut slices of turkey on a club sandwich like this or it might entirely pull out with a single bite, taking the other fillings with it. Thick slices are fine on sub sandwiches, though.

Greens: brussels sprouts, green beans, or leftover lettuce

For a traditional club sandwich, lettuce adds texture and crunch. If you had a salad with your Thanksgiving dinner, use the lettuce if it's still in good condition.

But my favorite leftover side dish to use is roasted brussels sprouts. I slice them into thin ribbons so they easily pile on to take the place of lettuce or slaw.

Leftover green bean casserole can also work, but you might want to chop it up first or whole green beans will pull out of the sandwich with each bite.

More fillings: cheese, fried onions, deviled eggs, and stuffing

Nothing from Thanksgiving needs to go to waste. It all has a spot on your leftover sandwich.

• Cheese: use up those cheese board leftovers. Add your favorite flavors either sliced up or spread on the sandwich.
• Fried onions add a delicious, salty crunch to your holiday club sandwich. Toss them on top as the last layer, keeping them away from wet ingredients so they stay crispy.
• Deviled eggs can also be chopped up and added to the sandwich for an egg-salad & leftover Thanksgiving mashup.
• Stuffing: stack stuffing as thick as you want for a unique sandwich texture and a lot of savory flavors.
• Bacon: use up leftover bacon for that classic club sandwich flavor.

How to layer a Thanksgiving sandwich that doesn't fall apart

If you've ever stacked leftover Thanksgiving sides sky high on a sandwich, you've probably had it topple over, slide out, or make a mess.

The trick is to layer smooth or slippery ingredients between textured and dry ingredients.

For example, place cheese between fried onions and the next piece of bread so it stays in place. If you put cheese between a layer of cranberry sauce and gravy, it will slide right out.

This is how you layer a classic club sandwich, and the same principles apply to a variation like this as well.

The last trick is to place a single toothpick in each half, which does a surprisingly good job of holding the ingredients in place.

Shredded and soft ingredients can still smush out when piled thick, but the toothpick holds the whole-piece leftovers in place, like sliced turkey or cheese, which helps keep everything else in place.

How long Thanksgiving leftovers last

The general rule is that your leftovers will last 3-4 days in the fridge, which puts you at the Monday after Thanksgiving.

As Foodsafety.gov says, Monday is the "use or freeze by" deadline.

You can only make so many sandwiches, right? So if you still have leftovers, check out Taste of Home's guide on how to freeze Thanksgiving leftovers.

Recipe

More recipes & resources

Thanksgiving is easily one of my top holidays. I love hosting so I always have a lot of leftovers.

If you're still in the planning stage, here are some of my favorite recipes that always please a crowd. I haven't met a kid who doesn't love my cranberry pear sauce, by the way!