We may earn a commission when you click on the affiliate links in this post.
This Thanksgiving Casserole is an easy way to turn Thanksgiving leftovers into a whole new meal! Layers of turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy, and stuffing bake together in one dish. It’s a great way to enjoy all your favorite holiday foods again without heating everything separately.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Made This last year and making it again this year amazing recipe must try!!!!” – Shanon
“I tried this recipe last year, and it was so good, I cooked everything from scratch again, just to make the casserole! This is now my weekend after Thanksgiving must do that I look forward to eating for months. I substitute green bean casserole for the corn. Oh my, it’s tasty!” – Laura
“A great way to use the leftovers!! I doubled the recipe and it was delicious! Love the one dish, easy to bake and not lots of pots to clean. Thanks for posting!” – Nancy
Why I Love This Casserole
I first made this casserole after a Thanksgiving when I was staring down a fridge full of leftover containers. Heating up leftovers separately in the microwave can take forever, and frankly, I just didn’t have it in me. So, I created this casserole and our leftovers have never been the same!
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
- 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Why I Love This Casserole
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- How to Make a Thanksgiving Casserole
- Recipe Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Make Ahead & Storage
- Pairing Ideas
- More Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes
- More Thanksgiving Casseroles
- Thanksgiving Casserole (made with leftovers) Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cooked turkey: Use shredded or chopped leftover turkey. White meat, dark meat, or a combination of both works well. Our oven-roasted turkey is a great option.
- Cranberry sauce: Whole berry or jellied cranberry sauce works. It adds a little sweetness that goes surprisingly well with the turkey and stuffing.
- Mashed potatoes: Use leftover mashed potatoes. If they’ve become stiff in the refrigerator, warm them slightly so they’re easier to spread.
- Corn: Leftover corn works perfectly, but you can substitute other cooked vegetables.
- Turkey gravy and milk: Mix these together before pouring over the casserole. Our turkey gravy works great if you have some left from Thanksgiving dinner.
- Stuffing: Use leftover Thanksgiving stuffing or cornbread dressing. A little broth drizzled over the top helps keep it from drying out.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
One of the best things about this recipe is that you can adjust it depending on what you have left in the refrigerator.
- Green bean casserole: Several readers have substituted leftover green bean casserole for the corn with great results.
- Sweet potatoes: Use leftover mashed sweet potatoes instead of regular mashed potatoes. Keep in mind that a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows will make the dish sweeter.
- Chicken: Cooked rotisserie chicken is an easy substitute if you don’t have leftover turkey.
- Cranberry sauce: If you don’t like cranberry sauce, you can leave it out. You can also use a smaller amount if you only want a little cranberry flavor.
- Other vegetables: Try leftover roasted carrots, peas, or other cooked vegetables.
- Gluten-free or dairy-free options: For a gluten-free casserole, check that your stuffing, gravy, and prepared sides are gluten-free. For a dairy-free version, use dairy-free mashed potatoes and gravy, and substitute broth for the milk or butter.
How to Make a Thanksgiving Casserole
- Prepare the turkey layer. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking dish. Combine the cooked turkey and cranberry sauce, then spread evenly over the bottom of the dish.
- Add the potatoes, corn, and gravy. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the turkey, then sprinkle the corn on top. Mix the gravy with the milk and pour evenly over the potatoes and corn.
- Add the stuffing. Spread the leftover stuffing evenly over the gravy layer. Drizzle a little chicken or turkey broth over the top to keep it from drying out while baking.
- Cover and bake. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center reaches 165°F. Very cold leftovers may need additional baking time. For a slightly crispier stuffing topping, remove the foil for the last few minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Keep the stuffing moist. If your leftover stuffing seems dry, drizzle 2 to 4 tablespoons of chicken or turkey broth over it before covering the casserole.
- Don’t worry if the mashed potatoes are cold and firm. Warm them just enough to make them easier to spread without disturbing the turkey layer underneath.
- Check the center of the casserole before serving. Everything is already cooked, but the entire casserole still needs to reach 165°F. A casserole made with cold leftovers may take longer than 30 minutes.
- For a crispier stuffing topping, remove the foil for the last few minutes of baking. Avoid using the broiler with a glass baking dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can make this casserole even if you don’t have any leftovers. Prepare the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy from scratch, then assemble and bake as directed. One reader loved this casserole so much that she made everything from scratch just to enjoy it again!
Absolutely! Spread the cranberry sauce over just half of the turkey layer before adding the other ingredients. This is an easy way to accommodate anyone who doesn’t like cranberry sauce without making two separate casseroles.
This recipe is made with fully cooked, shredded turkey. We haven’t tested it with ground turkey, so I can’t say whether it will turn out quite the same. If you decide to try it, cook the ground turkey completely before assembling the casserole.
Make Ahead & Storage
- Make ahead: You can assemble this casserole up to 24 hours before baking. Cover tightly and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook it. Make sure your original leftovers are still within their safe storage period. Since the ingredients will be cold, you may need to add extra baking time.
- Storing: Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Thanksgiving leftovers should be eaten within 3 to 4 days of the original cooking date. Turning them into a casserole doesn’t start a new four-day storage period.
- Freezing: For the best texture, I recommend freezing the leftover turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce separately, then adding freshly made mashed potatoes when you’re ready to assemble the casserole. You can freeze an assembled casserole, but the mashed potatoes may become grainy or watery after thawing. For best quality, use within 2 to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat individual servings in the microwave or cover the casserole with foil and warm in a 325°F oven until the center reaches 165°F. Add a little extra gravy if the casserole seems dry.
Pairing Ideas
I keep it simple by serving this casserole with a side green salad, leftover dinner rolls, and extra warm turkey gravy for drizzling. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add a quick cranberry relish or a pan of roasted Brussels sprouts.
More Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes
More Thanksgiving Casseroles
If you try this Thanksgiving Casserole, tell me what you added (or swapped!) and how your family liked it. Don’t forget to leave a star rating and a comment, your tips help other readers, too. 🍁🧡🍂
Thanksgiving Casserole (made with leftovers)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups turkey, shredded
- 3/4 cup cranberry sauce
- 2 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup turkey gravy
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups stuffing
- chicken broth, or melted butter to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Combine turkey and cranberry sauce and spread evenly on the bottom of an 8×8 glass baking dish. (or double and use a 9×13 inch pan).
- Evenly press on leftover mashed potatoes and sprinkle corn over the top.
- Mix together milk and leftover gravy and spread evenly over potatoes and corn.
- Sprinkle on leftover stuffing and lightly drizzle chicken broth over the top (this will keep the stuffing from drying out).
- Cover with tin foil and bake at 400-degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the center reaches 165°F.
Notes
- Double for a 9×13 pan; add 5–10 minutes if starting cold.
- For extra moisture, add 2–4 Tbsp broth over stuffing before baking.
- Swap in green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, rice, or other leftover sides.
- Reheat leftovers to 165°F for food safety.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe?
We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.
I was thinking about making a turkey pot pie with my turkey leftovers, but was looking for a recipe that I could use my leftover sides. This was it:)
I had mashed potatoes and turnips, which I added in layers, the rest of green bean casserole (not much), warmed up some frozen corn in mw and added it as a layer, then gravy , stuffing and the last bit of french onions. It was perfect. A great holiday leftover recipe that I will use often:) I still had some turkey leftover, but that will go into the Turkey soup made from the carcas:)
So glad you liked it! This is one of my favorite ways to use leftover turkey.
Excellent!!
We all loved this casserole. It’s a keeper.
I followed the recipe exactly as printed except instead of chicken broth to top off the casserole, I used a little more turkey gravy.
,
So glad it was a hit! I try to have a little leftover of everything just so I can make this.
This is a delicious way to make a lot more room in my fridge at one time. I substituted corn pudding for the corn kernels, added leftover maple glaze carrots, but otherwise the casserole was essentially unchanged. It now goes into my holiday folder so that I can make it again and again. I did have some extra cranberry sauce, so I mixed that with the small amount of chicken broth that I poured over the top before baking. That added an extra tang.
Thanks for sharing your variations for this recipe! So glad you liked it!
I haven’t actually made THIS recipe, but I’ve been making “After Thanksgiving Lasagna” for years, and it always varies depending on how much of whatever I have leftover. No recipe required. One of our favs.
I love this recipe! I would put the cranberries on the bottom and the mashed potatoes then turkey stuffing green beans too it off with gravy and french fried onions
I love the idea of topping with French fried onions! Yum!
Can I substitute ground turkey in this recipe?
We haven’t used ground turkey in this recipe before so I can’t say for sure that it will turn out the same or even similar. IF you try it, please come back and let us know how it turns out!
Loved it. Simple and quick and delicious. The only thing I made twice the recipe and used a 9×12 glass pan rather than an 8×8. It fit perfectly.
I love this recipe, it’s one of the best. Thank you so very much ❤️.
Do you have any suggestions for freezing this?
I love the Boise area a lot, I lived in Garden Valley for a short while while on a sabbatical and did my shopping in Boise.
Thanks again for your recipes.
Thank you for your comment, Carrie! I’m so glad you like the Thanksgiving Casserole. It is so perfect for leftovers! I’ve never tried freezing it. The mashed potatoes don’t freeze well. The turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce all freeze well, so I would recommend freezing those separately then adding fresh mashed potatoes. The Boise area is beautiful – Emily and Erica live in the area and I visit all the time.
Very good! We plan to make this again. We were skeptical but were happily surprised after trying it!
I can’t rate because just made it and we haven’t tried it. Can it be made a day ahead and stored in fridge until baking time?
Yes, add a few minutes to the baking time to adjust for it being cold when placing it in the fridge. Check the center of the casserole to make sure it is warmed through before serving. Thanks for asking. Merry Christmas!
30 minutes is not long enough to heat the casserole. The time needs to be 1 hour
Over many years I’ve also made a very similar casserole, but serve the cranberries separately because some family members dislike them. The left-over casserole is so delicious and I plan on making it again this holiday season. My question is: How safe is it to freeze this casserole, and for how long?
We haven’t tried freezing this casserole, so I am not sure!
My favorite casserole ever, the cranberry sauce is unexpectedly the key, delicious ingredient that ties it all together!!
Made This last year and making it again this year amazing recipe must try!!!!
I tried this recipe last year, and it was so good, I cooked everything from scratch again, just to make the casserole! This is now my weekend after Thanksgiving must do that I look forward to eating for months. I substitute green bean casserole for the corn. Oh my, it’s tasty!
A great way to use the leftovers!! I doubled the recipe and it was delicious! Love the one dish, easy to bake and not lots of pots to clean. Thanks for posting!
HAHA…… after Thanksgiving we put all the side dish leftovers in the frig in their serving or casserole dishes, so after I put this together, I had a whole sink of Thanksgiving dishes to do! It is a great way to use up the leftovers.
I make this every year. It even appeals to my husband and two kids who are very picky.
I have made this several times. It is excellent. In fact, this year I’m not having Thanksgiving at my house but I will get a Rotisserie Chicken and make small batches of potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce just so I can make this recipe!
Has anyone tried using sweet potato casserole instead of mashed potatoes?
Well I did tonight made 2 one with sweet potatoes and one with regular. If you don’t hear back it was amazing!!!!
Yes! Using leftover Marshmallow Sweet Potato Casserole is just Fabulous!
Has anyone tried green bean casserole as your vegetable.
Yes, and it’s fabulous! I don’t like corn, but I love green bean casserole.