5 Fun, Fab Recipes for Turkey Leftovers (2024)

FAQs

Is leftover turkey good for 5 days? ›

USDA recommends using cooked turkey within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. Turkey can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Although safe indefinitely, frozen leftovers can lose moisture and flavor when stored for longer times in the freezer.

How Long Does Turkey Last in the Fridge? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends using cooked turkey within three to four days as long as it is kept refrigerated at a temperature that is 40°F or lower. “Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth,” the website states.

Instead, try turning your leftovers into a casserole, like our turkey divan, our chicken stuffing casserole, or our turkey pot pie; a soup, like our turkey noodle soup, our leftover turkey & wild rice soup, or our homemade turkey stock (made from your turkey carcass); or something lighter or more flavorful than before, ...

If the turkey is dry, sitting in the moist gravy will help to rehydrate it. Serving more sauce on the side also helps to add moisture. Finally, if you've made a large turkey and have a lot left over, use it in recipes such as Turkey Pot Pie or a soup such as Turkey Wild Rice.

Frozen Turkey

Turkeys can be kept in the freezer indefinitely. However, cook turkeys within 1 year for the best quality.

Cooked turkey should be refrigerated within two hours after being cooked . Stuffing should be removed and stored separately in air tight containers . Assuming your soup would include the carcass you want to make your soup within three days . And the soup itself has a life of three to four days in the fridge.

Snyder points to the USDA FoodKeeper app for best guidance: The tool notes that refrigerated, cooked turkey should be eaten within 4 days. Eat frozen turkey leftovers within 6 months for premier quality.

The answer is simple: leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days. This means you have until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat all those delicious leftovers or place them in the freezer to enjoy later. If you store leftovers in the freezer, they will be of best quality within 2-6 months.

If your turkey has been properly handled, you can refrigerate and eat it for up to four days. If you are planning to freeze it, it's best to freeze it within one day of cooking for optimal texture and taste. However, leftover turkey can be frozen after three days and it will be fine.

Try this American classic turkey casserole—turkey Tetrazzini—a hearty pasta bake that includes sautéed mushrooms, a cheesy creamy sauce, leftover turkey, peas, and egg noodles.

What two food items were not present at the original Thanksgiving? ›

It is also worth noting what was not present at the first Thanksgiving feast. There were no cloudlike heaps of mashed potatoes, since white potatoes had not yet crossed over from South America. There was no gravy either, since the colonists didn't yet have mills to produce flour.

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals.

Though it's especially obvious in leftover fish and poultry, discerning connoisseurs can pick out the WOF bouquet in most reheated meats. These flavors are the result of a series of chemical reactions that begins with the deterioration of specific kinds of fats known as polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs.

To reheat, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Keeping the turkey in the roasting pan, pour a bit of stock (chicken, turkey, or veggie stock or broth will work) over the meat to moisten it. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the turkey is warmed through.

The best way to make succulent, delicious leftover turkey is to create some steam and let the turkey warm up gently in the oven. This low and slow method is also great for feeding a crowd, because you can heat up many slices at once.

If properly stored, raw turkey can last in the fridge for 1–2 days, while cold cuts last up to 5 days. How long does cooked turkey last in the fridge? If you have leftovers that include cooked turkey, you can expect those to last in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.

Safety tips for reheating turkey

Cold, cooked turkey meat will keep in the fridge for up to four days, but always use your best judgement. Always reheat cold turkey until it's piping hot, not just warmed through. Only reheat cooked turkey once.

Once the turkey is thawed, you can keep it in the refrigerator for one to two additional days before cooking.

The leftover turkey can stay wrapped in the fridge for around 4-5 days, but keep checking to make sure it hasn't gone bad because people's fridge temps and hygiene is different.