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Leftover Thanksgiving casserole can use up just about any leftovers from your holiday meal. You could make a turkey salad, turkey soup or sandwich… but with this leftover turkey casserole you can use up multiple things from Thanksgiving or Christmas in one dish. So convenient!
This is a great option for anyone looking for healthy leftover turkey casserole recipes. It’s naturally low carb (if using my sugar-free cranberry sauce and this roasted turkey) and gluten-free, plus it’s packed with vegetables. And, it’s still filling and comforting at the same time.
Why You’ll Love This Leftover Turkey Casserole Recipe
- Sweet and savory flavors
- 10-minute prep
- Done in 30 minutes
- No cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup needed
- Uses up a variety of Thanksgiving leftovers from your holiday table
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for leftover Thanksgiving casserole, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Leftover Turkey – For a turkey leftover casserole, use any cooked, cubed, or shredded leftover Thanksgiving turkey you have on hand. If you’re out of turkey, you can also use shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken instead.
- Green Beans – I used regular green beans with salt and pepper, but you could use garlic roasted green beans, green beans almondine, or any veggie you prefer, such as corn, peas, onions, or broccoli.
- Cheddar Cheese – Helps meld flavors together. You can also use Monterey Jack, mozzarella cheese, or your favorite melting cheese.
- Garlic – Use freshly minced for best flavor, or grab jarred minced garlic for convenience.
- Mayonnaise – I prefer my homemade mayo, but use any brand you prefer (or Greek yogurt).
- Cranberry Sauce – I always make sugar-free cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving so that’s what I used, but you can use any leftover canned or homemade cranberry sauce you have.
- Goat Cheese – I used a plain variety here. You can also substitute plain cream cheese, or even grated parmesan.
- Walnuts – Adds a satisfying crunch to the casserole. You can leave them out for a nut-free option, or swap with other nuts, like pecans.
How To Make Leftover Turkey Casserole
This section shows how to make leftover Thanksgiving casserole, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Mix. In a large bowl, stir together turkey, green beans, shredded cheddar cheese, minced garlic, and mayonnaise. Spread evenly in a casserole dish.
- Layer. Spread cranberry sauce over the casserole mixture. Sprinkle with goat cheese and walnuts (if using).
- Bake. Cook the casserole with leftover turkey in preheated oven, until it’s hot and the edges are bubbly.
Variations
One of the best things about this Thanksgiving leftover casserole? It’s so versatile! In fact, this entire casserole consists of things I always have around at that time of year. You can easily adjust the amounts of each ingredient based on how much you have. Here are some ideas:
- Turkey stuffing casserole – Add a layer of stuffing to your leftover turkey casserole, if you have some left. You can use traditional versions, or dishes like cauliflower stuffing.
- Green bean casserole – I used plain cooked green beans with some sea salt, but it would work equally well by layering classic green bean casserole (or my low carb green bean casserole) into it.
- Ham casserole – If you have holiday ham, you can easily throw that in instead of (or in addition to) turkey.
- Add starch – I kept this dish light, which is perfect after a heavy holiday meal, but you can add cooked pasta, cooked rice, or leftover roasted sweet potatoes to make it more hearty. You might need to increase the amount of cranberry sauce and mayo if you do this.
Storage Instructions
- Store: You can store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: Layer your casserole, cover, and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to bake.
- Reheat: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, until warm.
- Freeze: Assemble the casserole and store in the the freezer for up to 3 months. (You can also store individual portions instead.) Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or bake directly from frozen.
More Ways To Use Leftover Turkey
Need other ideas for leftover turkey meat? Try the soup or salad below, or swap the chicken for turkey in the casseroles to make leftover turkey casserole recipes out of them:
Recommended Tools
- 9×13 Casserole Dish – My favorite casserole dish! It diffuses heat gently and evenly, and goes from oven to table beautifully.
Easy Leftover Turkey Casserole Recipe
Leftover Turkey Casserole (Easy In 30 Minutes!)
This easy leftover turkey casserole uses up green beans, cranberry sauce, and turkey. It makes the perfect leftover Thanksgiving casserole!
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
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In a large bowl, stir together the turkey, green beans, shredded cheddar cheese, minced garlic, and mayonnaise. Spread evenly in a 9×13 in (23×33 cm) casserole dish.
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Spread the cranberry sauce over the casserole. Top with goat cheese and walnuts (if using).
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Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the casserole is hot and edges are bubbly.
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 1/4 cups
Nutrition info does not include optional walnuts and uses sugar-free cranberry sauce.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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30 Comments
Judy
0Made this for supper with turkey, left over vegetable casserole and peas. Added a layer of wild rice sausage stuffing and mashed potatoes on top. Only had brie cheese so threw thar on top with chopped walnuts and parsley. Served with gravy and cranberry sauce on the side. A great way to use leftovers, thanks for the recipe!
Journa Liz Ramirez
0Tried this last Thanksgiving and it was so effective and satisfying, my family didn’t notice that it was made of leftover turkey. Would surely make this again.
Karey
0YUM! I’ve been pressure canning this year. I kinda cut in half putting it in an 8×8. So I used 1pt jar of canned raw turkey, and 1pt jar of my garden canned green beans. I made your cranberry sauce from an 8oz bag, kinda halving the ing. and it’s a very yummy sauce that’ll be my forever cranberry sauce! We don’t like goat cheese, so used Feta. This is so good. The little slightly sweet tang of the cranberry sauce and crunch of the walnuts make this exceptional, and will make this often!
Glenn
0Easy and delicious! It was a hit with the whole family!
Scarlet
0This was the perfect way to use up the last of my turkey leftovers. Yum!
Roxie
0Love this turkey leftover recipe. We love it. Thank you.
Olivia
0Yum! This is my favourite recipe to make with thanksgiving leftovers. It’s so easy to prepare and filled with delicious flavours.
Julia
0Everything you love about thanksgiving dinner in one dish! YUM!! This is absolutely delicious! I cant wait to make it again on Friday. Perfect recipe! Thanks for posting!
Jessica
0We had our work Thanksgiving early this year, so there was a lot of leftover turkeys that needed to be used, so I decided to make this, and it was wonderful!! I may make a turkey again, just so I can use the leftovers! 🙂
Glenda
0Delicious leftover makeover! Thanks for the recipe. We loved it!
Christie Boersma
0This recipe was great and I don’t like turkey leftovers at all. This was super easy to make…I made it for a potluck. I only had leftover turkey and used fresh steamed green beans. The goat cheese and walnuts gave this casserole the wow factor. Oh, I used Besti powdered allulose and monk fruit blend as erythritol messes with my tummy!
Shanna
0The perfect thing to do with all the Thanksgiving leftovers! It turned out great. I ate it the way the recipe is stated and my husband put a little leftover gravy on his. Both ways were very tasty!
Shirley
0Can you make with any other cheese than goat cheese?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Shirley, Yes, you can use another cheese if you don’t prefer goat cheese.
Kendra
0I have a lot of turkey but no cranberries. Can you comment on how to modify without the cranberries?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kendra, Feel free to omit the cranberries if you don’t have any on hand.
Margaret
0Can this be made with canned green beans?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Margaret, Yes!
Margaret
0Thank you!
FYI, I can’t find the video to this recipe it doesn’t appear on this page for me.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Margaret, This particular recipe doesn’t have a video.
Wendy
0I absolutely loved this dish! It’s quick and easy and delicious! If you love a sweet and savory combination, you’ll love this!
Lesley
0Made this after Thanksgiving. It was great!
Marji
0I envy you having so many more Keto ingredients available. I live in Canberra, Australia and struggle to find ingredients like sugar free cranberry sauce for one. I have attempted to order ingredients from the US but they are prohibited by customs. We can buy Crasins but as you know they are loaded with sugar. Do you have any ideas of how I could reduce the sugar content? Maybe soak in warm water and rinse thoroughly?
I’d appreciate your advice.
Marji
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marji, I haven’t found a good sugar-free cranberry sauce either. I make my own with fresh cranberries – here is the sugar-free cranberry sauce recipe.
Tina Cremeans
0I love, Love, LOVE cranberry, turkey and goat cheese!! Nothing in the world is a better combination! I will be trying this after the holidays! I cannot wait to try it!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I love to hear that, Tina! Thank you!
Jessie
0I made this last week and it was really good! I did make a couple small adjustments: I didn’t have any unsweetened cranberries so sprinkled some fresh pomegranate seeds on top after it baked. I used half mayo and half yogurt. It was so good and I’ll use it again for sure!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Jessie! Adding pomegranate sounds delicious!
Sharon
0Can you omit the shredded cheese to make it Dairy Free? Would you add more mayo if omitting the shredded cheese or what would you add to it. Otherwise this looks and sounds very yummy.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sharon, you can definitely leave out the cheese and you don’t have to add anything in its place. This is kind of a mix and match casserole so feel free to add whatever you want and have fun with it! 🙂