14 Easy and Creative Leftover Stuffing Recipes

Leftover Stuffing Waffles — Photo: Two Red Bowls

Does "leftover stuffing" actually happen? Yes, despite its Thanksgiving-must-have status, it occasionally does when you make a little too much. And when there's too much, even reheated leftover stuffing gets old after several consecutive meals of it. The good news is we have recipes for leftover stuffing that everyone will love. From meatloaf to meatballs, get ready for an ingredient transformation.

How to Store Leftover Stuffing

Prior to safe storage, ensure your cooked stuffing spends no longer than 2 hours in what the USDA calls the "Danger Zone." That's the temperature range between 40 and 140°F in which bacteria can grow rapidly. Within that time limit, pack up leftover stuffing in an airtight container or resealable storage bag, pushing the extra air out before closing it.

Next, place storage containers on the top shelf of your fridge—where temperature is the most constant—for up to 4 days, or pop them in the freezer for about a month. When you're ready to use that leftover stuffing, simply pull it out and reheat it, or better yet, transform it by using one of these creative recipes.

01 of 14

Stuffing Meatloaf With Marmalade Glaze and Arugula Salad

This leftover stuffing recipe promotes stuffing from a side dish to a main and cuts down on meatloaf prep to mere minutes. To perform another Thanksgiving leftover disappearing act, use cranberry sauce instead of this recipe's orange marmalade glaze.

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02 of 14

Turkey Lasagna Rolls

turkey-lasagna-recipe — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner

This creative recipe celebrates a bevy of Thanksgiving leftovers by taking them on a trip to Italy. Spread your stuffing—along with whatever else you have—on par-cooked lasagna noodles, then layer, roll, and bake them for a leftover meal no one will complain about.

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03 of 14

Leftover Stuffing Waffles

If your waffle iron hasn't seen much action lately, this leftover stuffing recipe is a game-changer. Two Red Bowls shows us how to press leftover stuffing into a waffle and then top it with leftover cranberry sauce for a snappy, sweet burst.

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04 of 14

Leftover Turkey Dressing Meatball

A Zesty Bite found a way to say goodbye to post-Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches and hello to turkey dressing meatballs. These mouthwatering bites are especially good if you tend to pack your Thanksgiving stuffing with Italian sausage.

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05 of 14

Leftover Stuffing Muffins

These versatile grab-and-go leftover stuffing muffins make a great breakfast, lunch, or side dish option. What's more, they use up surplus Thanksgiving turkey and incorporate healthy greens. To slim these down a bit, substitute the tablespoon of cream or whole milk for a tablespoon of nonfat milk or plain nonfat yogurt.

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06 of 14

Leftover Stuffing Balls

You can't get much simpler than a two-ingredient recipe, so thank you, Food.com! While many leftover stuffing balls call for deep-frying, we like that this one uses the oven instead, and it makes great use of leftover veggies, too (if you have some).

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07 of 14

Stuffing Hash

Have an extra sweet potato on hand? That, a few eggs, leftover stuffing, potato shreds, and seasonings are all you need to throw together this delicious weekend-morning treat courtesy of Girl in the Little Red Kitchen.

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08 of 14

Thanksgiving Poutine

Poutine is that decadent French fry, cheese curd, and gravy-topped building of guilty pleasures that even typically apologetic Canadians aren't sorry for one bit. This version from I Am a Food Blog makes clever use of Thanksgiving leftovers, including the all-important stuffing. We think it makes the perfect accompaniment for a day-after-Thanksgiving movie marathon on the couch.

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09 of 14

Acorn Squash Stuffing

Taste of Home found a way to stuff acorn squash halves with a heaping helping of your favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Sprinkle these autumnal dinner add-ons with shaved parmesan and a little smoked paprika for a delicious way to get your veggie fix.

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10 of 14

Breakfast Strata

Who wants to be a short-order cook the morning after preparing an epic Thanksgiving meal? No one, according to Helpful Homemade. They came up with a leftover stuffing dish to easily (re)feed a crowd. Its egg and cheese additions make it akin to a velvety, savory bread pudding.

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11 of 14

Leftover Stuffing Casserole

Brooklyn Farm Girl makes great use of leftover stuffing and fresh or leftover veggies in this easy-peasy leftover stuffing casserole. If you don't like broccoli, try green beans, spinach, chard, or kale.

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12 of 14

Bacon Wrapped Stuffing Bites

Just try not to pop more than one of these crispy outside, soft inside, bacon-wrapped morsels in your mouth. (We bet you can't.) To make them even more addictive, Who Needs a Cape suggests dipping them in leftover cranberry sauce mixed with whipped cream.

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13 of 14

Turkey and Stuffing Dumpling Soup

Don't tell the stuffing, but the star of this soup recipe from Katie's Cucina is its homemade turkey stock, which will convince you to never throw away a turkey carcass again. If you're suffering from post-Thanskgiving stress disorder or just need to get dinner on the table quickly, a high-quality, store-bought turkey, chicken, or vegetable broth will be just fine.

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14 of 14

Savory Stuffing Cakes

With great stuffing, you don't need to gild the lily, and this Whole Foods recipe proves it. Just add a beaten egg to bind all that savory stuffing goodness into patties, then pan-fry them in butter until nice and crispy on the outside.

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