Thanksgiving leftover turkey meatballs turn what’s left of your holiday meal into a yummy next day recipe! Use up all your turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing with this clever but easy reinvention.
It doesn’t matter if I have an army coming over for Thanksgiving dinner or if it is just us.
I always cook way too much.
And while everyone is happy eating turkey sandwiches for a day, by the next day they are done.
The Thanksgiving leftovers would be abandoned if I didn’t do something about it.
Like turn them into leftover turkey meatballs.
Not only does it get everyone to eat the leftovers right up but it is easy as pie to make them!
Ingredients
To make these you’ll need:
- Turkey– Somewhere between 6 and 8 ounces of your leftovers. Make sure you remove any bones and skin.
- Leftover sides– Both mashed potatoes and stuffing
- Gravy– For serving. Totally optional.
How to Make
These Thanksgiving leftover turkey meatballs are so easy!
To make them, start by preheating the oven to 375 and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Set the prepared baking sheet aside while you make the meatballs.
Add the turkey to a food processor and chop it up until there are no large pieces left.
Add a cup of the the processed turkey to a mixing bowl with the mashed potatoes and stuffing.
Mix them together until everything is combined.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out a meatball sized portion, rolling it into a ball with your clean hands after.
Place the meatball on the the prepared pan.
Repeat this until you have turned all of the mixture into meatballs.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms of the meatballs are golden brown.
Serve with gravy if desired and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you make these the day you make the turkey so you have them ready to go the next day, they will keep for about a week.
Can I freeze leftover turkey meatballs?
Yes!
To freeze them, let them cool completely and then place them in a freezer bag or freezer safe container.
Freeze them for up to 3 months.
Tips and Tricks
- If you are using homemade stuffing, the bread pieces may be a little big. This can make it a little tricky to form the mixture into balls. Just throw the stuffing into the food processor as well!
- To get more even browning, carefully flip the meatballs halfway through.
- This recipe is easy to adjust up or down depending on how many leftovers you have.
- Give the mixture a taste before you turn it into meatballs and season as desired.
- Leftover cranberry sauce also makes a yummy dip for these!
Other Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes
Thanksgiving leftover turkey meatballs are an easy way to turn your extras into a yummy next day meal!
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other Thanksgiving leftover recipe ideas?
Try these:
If you’ve tried these THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER TURKEY MEATBALLS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Meatballs
Equipment
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups
- Rubber Spatula
- 9x13 Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Food Processor
- 1-inch Cookie Scoop (optional)
Ingredients
- 6-8 Ounces Leftover Turkey
- 2 cups Leftover Mashed Potatoes
- 2 cups Leftover Stuffing
- Leftover Gravy for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit and line a 9x13 baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the turkey in a food processor and chop until there are no large chunks left (about 30 seconds or less.)6-8 Ounces Leftover Turkey
- Measure a cup of the minced turkey and place it in a medium-large mixing bowl with the mashed potatoes and stuffing. Mix well until fully combined.2 cups Leftover Mashed Potatoes, 2 cups Leftover Stuffing
- I used a slightly overflowing 1-inch cookie scoop to make each meatball. After scooping, I would roll it into a ball using my (clean) hands.
- Line the meatballs up on the prepared pan. It should fit all of them perfectly, so you don’t need to do more than one baking round.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are a golden brown.
- Serve immediately with gravy, if desired, or store for later use.Leftover Gravy
Notes
- If you are using homemade stuffing, the bread pieces may be a little big. This can make it a little tricky to form the mixture into balls. Just throw the stuffing into the food processor as well!
- To get more even browning, carefully flip the meatballs halfway through.
- This recipe is easy to adjust up or down depending on how many leftovers you have.
- Give the mixture a taste before you turn it into meatballs and season as desired.
- Leftover cranberry sauce also makes a yummy dip for these!
Nutrition
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