The Genius Tip To Make Thanksgiving Leftovers Way More Exciting

No matter how many times you count and re-count each guest coming to your Thanksgiving table, you will almost always end up with leftovers, which you can enjoy in various ways in the days to come. Crafting the perfect Thanksgiving sandwich is a post-holiday tradition that many of us enjoy ... but not all of us. Stacking turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and veggies between two slices of bread can result in a dry bite, even with the addition of gravy or basil cranberry sauce. According to an expert, there is an even better way to enjoy Turkey Day leftovers. 

At the Food Network NYC Wine and Food Festival, Food Republic spoke to Chef Melvin "Boots" Johnson, who specializes in Southern- and Creole-inspired cooking. The seasoned chef shared that he prefers to transform his Thanksgiving leftovers into egg rolls. To make this unique snack, he combines turkey, cornbread dressing or stuffing, and cranberry sauce to make a filling and wraps them in egg roll wrappers. From there, you just fry up your rolls and dip them in brown gravy for even more flavor. 

You can experiment further by customizing your filling with mashed potatoes, ham, green beans, and whatever else you have sitting in your fridge from Thanksgiving. This is a crispy, delectable upgrade on the traditional Thanksgiving sandwich, and avoids the dreaded dryness we often associate with leftovers.

Chef Melvin Johnson's Thanksgiving egg rolls are a fun and innovative way to revamp your leftovers, but for those who don't have wrappers on hand, there are other creative ways to enjoy your turkey, veggies, and more. If you are a fan of finger foods, try layering all of your leftovers over a bed of tortilla chips to craft the ultimate Thanksgiving nachos. Spread out your chips and toppings on a sheet pan and cover with a hearty sprinkle of cheese before baking until melty. 

If you have a ton of leftover stuffing, consider cooking in a waffle iron until it is nice and crispy. Then load up your stuffing waffles with your leftover protein of choice, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. You can also never go wrong with tossing all your favorite leftovers onto a pizza crust and enjoying a flatbread full of autumnal flavors.

If by chance you're craving dessert instead of savory dishes, you can breathe new life into leftover sweet ingredients, too. Leftover corn and cornbread can make for a delicious cornbread pudding, and any canned pumpkin you didn't use in your homemade pumpkin pie is the perfect base for cozy fall pastas and tasty pumpkin muffins. You can even freeze your extra cranberry sauce in bite-size pieces, cover them in melted chocolate, and enjoy them as an entirely new dessert.