Thanksgiving Casserole combines the best holiday dishes like mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, and stuffing in a comforting, hearty baked casserole. You can use the leftovers from your holiday meal to make it or use some shortcuts to make it any time of year!
Today I’m showing you how to make a casserole with Thanksgiving leftovers. It’s a hearty stick-to-your-ribs dinner that is the best way to use up all of the holiday leftovers. But, even if you don’t have leftovers, you can make this Thanksgiving casserole.
It has all of the favorite side dishes like mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing paired with leftover turkey. Everything is layered in a baking dish with a creamy sauce and topped with cheese.
It’s one of my favorite ways to use up all the odds and ends leftover from our holiday dinner. I look forward to this Thanksgiving leftover casserole every year.
Even if it’s not the holidays, you can make this dish. I’m sharing how to use some store-bought ingredients to make it so you can have it any time of year. So, if you get a craving, you can make this Thanksgiving in a casserole!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Chopped cooked turkey
- Packaged stuffing mix
- Thawed frozen peas
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Packaged mashed potato mix
- Packaged gravy mix
Recipe Steps
Preheat oven to 375°F and then spray a 13x9x2” baking dish with cooking spray.
Prepare the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy following the instructions on the packages. Combine the prepared gravy and mushroom soup in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Spread the stuffing in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Layer the turkey on top, and then sprinkle the peas over the top of the stuffing.
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Pour the gravy mixture over the top of the turkey and peas. Spread the potatoes on top, and then sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the casserole.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the turkey casserole for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake it for ten minutes or until the cheese is melted and the dish hot. Let it stand for five minutes at room temperature before serving.
Recipe Tips and Variations
You can make one big casserole or divide up the leftovers to make small Thanksgiving casserole dishes to enjoy in the days after the big holiday. They will keep well for a few days in the refrigerator.
I love that it’s easy to switch up the ingredients in this Thanksgiving leftover casserole. So, feel free to use what you have on hand to make it. Here are some ideas you might like to try:
- Meat: You can use leftover whole roasted turkey, roast turkey breast, or roasted chicken. Or, pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store to use in this recipe. Sometimes we make it with cooked ground turkey during other times of the year. It works great, too.
- Mashed Potatoes: Any kind of mashed potatoes will work, like homemade or prepared mashed potatoes that you can get at the store.
- Gravy: We have a great homemade gravy recipe that we love to use in this dish.
- Veggies: We love peas, but a lot of other vegetables will go well with this casserole. Roasted brussels sprouts, cooked green beans, corn… there are a lot of options.
- Stuffing: We always make extra stuffing for holiday dinners, so we have leftovers for this Thanksgiving casserole.
- Cheese: Any kind of cheddar cheese is great, or try Parmesan cheese, Gruyere, or Provolone.
If you’re planning your big dinner and looking for Thanksgiving casserole recipes to try, you should add this one to your list. It’s so easy to adjust based on what you’ll have leftover. I hope you give it a try this year – Enjoy!
Sides to Serve with Thanksgiving Casserole
Thanksgiving Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped roasted turkey
- 1 package stuffing mix for turkey 6 ounce
- 2 cups frozen peas thawed
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup 10.75 ounce
- 1 packet mashed potato mix 4 ounce
- 1 packet gravy mix .78 ounce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Prepare stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy per instructions on the packages.
- In a medium size bowl combine gravy and mushroom soup.
- Spray a 13x9x2 baking dish with cooking spray. Add the stuffing to the bottom of the dish evenly spread out. Add turkey on top of the stuffing and then sprinkle the peas all around. Pour the gravy/soup mixture on top of the turkey and peas evenly across the dish. Add the potatoes on top of the gravy/soup mixture and finish by adding the cheese as the top layer.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and cook for 20-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes or until all cheese is melted and it is hot throughout. Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve!!
Recipe Notes
• Use whatever veggies you want. We just liked the peas.
• You can used ground turkey if you prefer.
Recipe Nutrition
This Thanksgiving Casserole is the perfect use for all your holiday leftovers! It’s a hearty stick-to-your-ribs dinner that is the best way to use up all of the holiday leftovers.