The Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole (All-In-One!)

Imagine all the best, most beloved flavors of Thanksgiving, the juicy turkey, the creamy mashed potatoes, the savory stuffing, the sweet-tart cranberry sauce—all layered together in one epic, bubbly, golden-brown casserole. That, my friends, is the absolute genius and ultimate comfort of this Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole. This is, without a doubt, the most delicious and satisfying way to transform your holiday leftovers into a spectacular second act.

I promise you, there is no greater comfort food experience than digging into a scoop of this masterpiece. You get the creamy turkey and pea filling, the fluffy mashed potato layer sealed with melted cheddar, the crunchy stuffing topping, and the final, bright dollop of cranberry sauce. It’s every single perfect bite of Thanksgiving, all at once, on one fork.

Get ready to give your leftovers the glorious encore they deserve and create a dish that will have your family wishing for leftovers every night.

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Why This Leftovers Casserole is Pure Genius!

You are going to be so impressed with how beautifully all your leftovers come together in this one incredible dish. It’s a true holiday miracle. Here’s why you have to make it:

• The Ultimate Leftover Solution: This recipe is brilliantly designed to use up almost all of your major Thanksgiving leftovers—turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce—in one go.
• Thanksgiving in Every Single Bite: It perfectly captures the magic of that “perfect bite” where you get a little bit of everything, but in a structured, layered, and incredibly delicious format.
• Incredibly Easy to Assemble: The hard work is already done! This is simply a matter of making a quick, creamy base sauce and then layering all your pre-cooked components.
• A Crowd-Pleasing Second Act: This is the perfect, low-effort way to feed visiting family and guests the day after the big feast without any of the stress.
• Cozy, Comfort Food Heaven: This casserole is the absolute definition of comfort food—warm, creamy, savory, and topped with a crunchy, cheesy crust. It’s pure bliss.

Recipe Snapshot

Your Leftovers “Shopping List”

This recipe is all about raiding the fridge! Here are the key players you’ll need to pull from your Thanksgiving leftovers, plus a few staples for the sauce.

→ From the Fridge (The Leftovers!)

• 4 cups shredded leftover turkey → The star of the show.
• 4 cups leftover mashed potatoes → Warmed slightly to make them easier to spread.
• 3 cups leftover stuffing → For that perfect, crunchy topping.
• 1 (14-oz.) can whole cranberry sauce → For the final, sweet-tart finish.
• 1 cup frozen peas → For a pop of color and sweetness.

→ For the Creamy Base Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter → The rich start to our sauce.
• 1 medium yellow onion, 2 medium carrots, 1 large stalk celery → The classic “mirepoix” for a flavorful base. All finely chopped.
• 3 cloves garlic & 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves → Our essential aromatics.
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour → To thicken the sauce.
• 2 cups low-sodium turkey or chicken broth → The savory liquid for our gravy-like sauce.
• 1 cup whole milk → For a creamy, luscious texture.
• 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese → For that gooey, cheesy layer under the stuffing.
• Kosher salt & Freshly ground black pepper → To taste.

Let’s Get Layering! Your Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to transform those leftovers into an entirely new, spectacular meal? Let’s build this masterpiece.

Part 1: Make the Creamy Turkey Base

1. Sauté the Veggies: Preheat your oven to 400°F. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes until the onion is soft and fragrant.
2. Create the Sauce: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes until it’s lightly toasted. This cooks out the raw flour taste. Increase the heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in the broth and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes until it thickens to a nice gravy consistency.
3. Finish the Base: Stir the shredded turkey and frozen peas into the gravy. Cook for just another minute until the turkey is heated through. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.

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Part 2: Assemble, Bake, and Serve

4. Layer it Up: Scrape the creamy turkey mixture into a 13″x9″ baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Next, dollop the warmed mashed potatoes all over the top and gently spread them to create a solid layer.
5. Cheese and Stuffing: Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the mashed potatoes. Finally, scatter the leftover stuffing over the cheese to create the top crust.
6. Bake to Golden Perfection: Place the casserole in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until it’s warmed through and bubbly. If you notice the stuffing topping is browning too quickly, you can loosely tent it with aluminum foil.
7. Rest and Serve: This is crucial! Let the casserole cool for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing. This allows it to set up. Serve each slice with a generous dollop of cranberry sauce on top.

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Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole

The ultimate solution for your holiday leftovers! This easy casserole layers leftover turkey in a creamy gravy, mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, and stuffing into one epic, comforting, and crowd-pleasing dish.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Calories: 597

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots finely chopped
• 1 large stalk celery finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium turkey or chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 cups shredded leftover turkey
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 cups leftover mashed potatoes warmed
• 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar
• 3 cups leftover stuffing
• 1 (14-oz.) can whole cranberry sauce for serving
• as needed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

• Large Pot
• 13″ x 9″ baking dish
• Whisk
• Spoon

Method

 

Part 1: Create the Creamy Base

1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is softened, about 8 minutes.
2. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened to a gravy consistency, about 7 minutes.
3. Add turkey and peas and cook, stirring, until just heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Part 2: Assemble and Bake

1. Scrape the turkey mixture into a 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Dollop warmed mashed potatoes over the top and smooth with a spoon.
2. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the potatoes, then scatter the stuffing over the cheese.
3. Bake casserole until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Tent the top with foil if the stuffing is browning too fast.
4. Let the casserole cool slightly for at least 5-10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of cranberry sauce.

Notes

Warm the Potatoes: Gently warming your leftover mashed potatoes before layering makes them much easier to spread.

Let it Rest: Allowing the casserole to cool and set for 5-10 minutes after baking is crucial for getting clean, beautiful slices that hold their layers.

Make-Ahead: This casserole can be fully assembled a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate, then bake as directed, adding 15-20 minutes to the cook time.

WiseRecipes’ Top Tips for the Ultimate Casserole

These simple secrets will help you achieve the most delicious and well-structured casserole every time.

1. Warm Your Mashed Potatoes. This is a simple but game-changing tip. Trying to spread cold, stiff mashed potatoes is frustrating. Gently warming them in the microwave or on the stovetop first makes them soft and easy to dollop and spread over the turkey layer.
2. The Homemade Sauce is Key. While you might be tempted to use leftover gravy, making this quick sauce from scratch adds much-needed moisture and fresh flavor that brings all the different leftovers together into a cohesive dish.
3. Layer with Purpose. The layering order is strategic! The creamy turkey on the bottom stays moist, the potato layer acts as a seal, the cheese provides a gooey barrier, and the stuffing on top gets wonderfully crispy and toasted.
4. Tent with Foil if Needed. Keep an eye on your casserole as it bakes. Because the stuffing is already cooked, it can brown very quickly. If it’s getting too dark before the casserole is heated through, just loosely cover the top with a piece of foil.
5. Let It Rest! I cannot stress this enough for any casserole. Letting it sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes after it comes out of the oven allows the layers to set, which is the secret to getting clean, beautiful slices that don’t fall apart on the plate.

Keep It Fresh! Storing and Reheating

This casserole makes for fantastic leftovers of your leftovers!

• Refrigerator: Store leftover casserole tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Make-Ahead (Unbaked): You can fully assemble the casserole a day in advance. Cover it tightly with foil and store it in the refrigerator. You may need to add 15-20 minutes to the baking time since it will be starting from cold.
• Freezing: This casserole freezes well, either baked or unbaked. Wrap it tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking or reheating.
• Reheating: The best way to reheat is in a 350°F oven until warmed through, which will help re-crisp the stuffing topping. You can also reheat individual slices in the microwave.

FAQs: Your Leftovers Casserole Questions, Answered!

Can I use leftover gravy instead of making the sauce?

You can, but you’ll likely need to thin it out and add to it. The homemade sauce in this recipe creates a significant amount of liquid that keeps the whole casserole moist. If using leftover gravy, I’d recommend warming it up with the milk and broth from the recipe to create enough volume, then adding the turkey and peas.

Can I add other leftovers, like green bean casserole?

Absolutely! This is a very forgiving recipe. You could add a layer of leftover green bean casserole on top of the turkey mixture before the mashed potatoes. Roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts or carrots would also be a fantastic addition to the creamy turkey base.

My stuffing seems really dry. Should I still use it?

If your leftover stuffing is on the dry side, you can “revive” it before adding it to the casserole. Place it in a bowl and toss it with a few tablespoons of warm chicken or turkey broth until it’s slightly moistened, then scatter it over the top of the casserole as directed.

What if I don’t have enough of one ingredient?

Don’t worry! This recipe is all about using what you have. If you’re short on mashed potatoes, just make the layer a little thinner. If you don’t have enough stuffing, you can supplement it with some torn bread or croutons tossed with a little melted butter and herbs.

Final Thoughts: The Best Second Act

There is such a satisfying feeling in taking the remnants of a beautiful feast and transforming them into something new, exciting, and utterly comforting. This Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole is the perfect encore for your holiday meal. It’s a delicious tradition in its own right and the coziest way to continue the celebration. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does. Enjoy!