Leftover Turkey Casserole

8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Leftover Turkey Casserole made with cooked turkey, cheesy gravy, colorful vegetables, and cornbread is fast, easy, and ready in under 45 minutes!

After Thanksgiving Dinner, I always find myself with more Roast Turkey, Green Beans, and Gravy than one family can eat. Instead of just microwaving the leftovers, follow this foolproof method to make them into a Casserole.

Sabrina’s Leftover Turkey Recipe

Most people have a ton of leftovers after Thanksgiving, and this casserole is the perfect way to use them. It’s creamy and indulgent, totally filling, and reminds you that the holidays aren’t quite over until all of the food is gone. Flavorful turkey recipe is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that your family will look forward to almost as much as the actual holiday dinner.

How to Make

Time needed: 40 minutes.

  1. Prep time:

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Make creamy gravy

    Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the melted butter for 1 minute. Then, add the gravy, milk, and mozzarella. Stir the gravy mixture until smooth.

  3. Assemble casserole

    Add cornbread, turkey, peas, carrots, and green beans to a 9×13 inch baking dish, and pour the gravy on top.

  4. Baking time

    Cover in foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Recipe Card

Leftover Turkey Casserole

Leftover Turkey Casserole made with cooked turkey, cheesy gravy, vegetables, and cornbread is fast, easy, and ready in under 45 minutes!
Yield 8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 4 tablespoons butter , unsalted
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 cup turkey gravy
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup mozzarella , shredded
  • 3 cups cornbread , cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 3 cups chopped turkey meat , cooked
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 cup chopped frozen green beans

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and add the butter to a medium sized saucepan melting it on medium heat.
  • Add the flour to the pan and whisk well together for 1 minute before adding in the gravy, milk and mozzarella, whisking until smooth.
  • Add the cornbread, turkey, peas, carrots and green beans to a 9×13 pan and cover with the gravy before cooking for 20-25 minutes covered, followed by 10 minutes uncovered.

Video

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 1010mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 3325IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 248mg | Iron: 3mg

Chef’s Tips

  • The point of this casserole is to use up the leftovers from Thanksgiving, so don’t feel limited to this exact recipe ingredients. I recommend making swaps according to what leftovers you have. If you have Brussels sprouts, cut them up and use them instead of green beans, or use stuffing instead of cornbread, etc.
  • Uncovering the dish for the last 10 minutes of bake time is important to achieve a nice golden brown on top. You can also turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes, but watch it closely and don’t go too long.

Can I make it ahead?

Casseroles are really easy to meal prep. Just assemble your ingredients up until the baking step. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day, until you’re ready to bake. You can also assemble and freeze this casserole. Take it out of the freezer the day before to defrost and refrigerate, then bake as directed when you’re ready.

Serving Idea

Enjoy the casserole with a side of Easy Cranberry Sauce and Fluffy Dinner Rolls for the full Thanksgiving leftovers experience.

How to Store

  • Serve: You shouldn’t leave cooked meat at room temperature for more than 2 hours. 
  • Store: Leftover turkey will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Store this casserole in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  • Freeze: You can tightly cover the cooled casserole to keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake in the oven to reheat before serving.

Frequent Questions

Can I use store-bought gravy?

Besides the turkey, gravy is the star of the show here, adding a ton of flavor and texture to the dish. If you don’t have leftover gravy from the holiday, you can find a good quality ready made gravy.

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Variations

  • Noodles: If you don’t have cornbread, it’s really easy to make leftover turkey casserole with noodles. Cook your pasta to al dente. Make the recipe as is, and instead of adding the cornbread, add the noodles and stir to combine before baking.
  • Chicken: If you want to make this casserole another time of the year, you can easily swap out the turkey for leftover chicken.

More Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Leftover casserole collage
Plated casserole with rolls
Close up of turkey bake from above
Full pan of turkey casserole
Leftover turkey dinner on a plate over cloth napkin

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. My family really enjoyed this! I made it according to the recipe, but added a little garlic flavored better than bouillon and italian spices to the gravy and removed the onions after they cooked in the butter since we don’t like to eat them. I will try it again with chicken and possibly a ready-made gravy when I need a quick recipe.

  2. Delish! I used my own chicken stock instead of the store bought turkey gravy and 3 Tablespoons of flour along with the butter when making the roux. I used 2 cups of my homemade, seasoned croutons instead of the corn bread. I also added onions. Of course, I sauteed all the veggies before assembly to bring out a roasted flavor. The ratio of sauce to solids was just about perfect. Thanks for a satisfying meal. This recipe is a “keeper”!

    1. Feel free to use whatever cornbread used from an earlier meal or bake up some cornbread of your choice.

  3. Fantastic!
    Used 1.5c ‘Green bean casserole’ instead of green beans, added 1c ‘Mukimeme’ (Soybeans), and topped with dressing then the gravy from the recipe.

  4. This was an amazing dish!! I did add a can of cream of mushroom soup like some of the reviews said to do. Will def be making this again!!!

  5. Since I don’t like cornbread I used stove top turkey stuffing and it worked out pretty well and I also think can you use almost any vegetable that you have lying around. For example I used peas and carrots, green bean casserole, and Pearl onions that were left over from Christmas and it still tasted pretty good. And I think you could almost use any cheese to I know it says to use mozzarella and I didn’t have any so I used Swiss cheese shredded and it still taste pretty good. So I’m going to keep this one handy when I don’t know what to do with my leftovers.

  6. Overall recipe is a great idea, but the sauce is way too thick. Next time I’m probably going to add some chicken broth or extra milk because the sauce just stayed on the top. I ended up adding a can of cream of chicken soup to it just to make it creamy.

    1. Thank for adding your comment!! You saved me. My family likes creamy casseroles and when I saw your comment I added the cream of mushroom right quick! Love the flavor of the gravy but needed to double or triple for coverage. I also cut down on the cheese and used some for topping.

  7. I made this as directed and it’s good. My one comment is that the “gravy” on top gets gummy, once you add the cheese to the mixture. Next time I won’t add the cheese to the gravy, I will pour the gravy over the casserole and sprinkle the cheese on top. This is great with endless options!

  8. YES!!!! Great recipe, I did add some spots of leftover mash potatoes in areas and used cheddar but it was awesome!!! Thank you.

  9. Only part of the recipe I followed was the sauce and boy was it delish!! Instead of using cornbread and the veggies listed above, I used leftover stuffing and the veggies I made for thanksgiving which was corn and broccoli. I also added some dollops of cranberry sauce on top. SOOOO GOOD!

  10. Very good! The leftovers were getting a bit dry so I put all that was left in a pot and added some chicken broth …and made soup! And it is incredible! Thank you for the recipe!

  11. Loved the flavor of the recipe but the green beans weren’t as cooked through as I would’ve liked. Made it harder for my little one to eat. My husband devoured it, ate two helpings. I think leftover cooked green beans/green bean casserole might work better.

  12. I substituted green beans with fresh mushrooms, sautéed the carrots and mushrooms in butter. I used left over turkey stuffing instead of cornbread, Doubled the gravy after reading another comment. Will enjoy it for tonights dinner.

  13. Subbed green beans with broccoli, used frozen peas and carrot blend. Also used Jiffy cornbread mix. Otherwise followed recipe exactly. For 13×9 baking dish, 1 cup of gravy isn’t enough. Recommend doubling gravy or casserole will be dry. It turned out good, however; not great.

  14. I’ve got it in the oven and I just realized you have ½ teaspoon salt in the ingredients but you left it out of the instructions. Oops. Guess we’ll salt it after it comes out.

  15. Great Idea! It looked and tasted wonderful. Our sauce topping came out a bit different looking because we used a smaller dish and had a thicker layer on top of the casserole – it looked like chicken pot pie. This is a perfect recipe to use up the leftovers – especially green beans and stuffing (which I hate) & convert them to something delicious.

  16. Prepared it almost exactly and it was perfect. Used honey corn bread and closer to 4 cups. 2nds for all. Thank you for this recipe.

  17. I made exactly following the measurements. I had suspected the carrots needed to parboiled, but followed the recipe.
    Flavor is great, carrots were hard and there wasn’t enough gravy to cover the 9 x 13 dish. I do plan to make again with parboiling the carrots and doubling the gravy recipe.

  18. Yummy. This is so easy to make and so good. I did share a little with our two dogs for a treat in their dry food. Oh my, they loved it too.

  19. I cut back the amount of turkey by 1/2c and cut the cornbread to 2 c and increased the veggies to make it a healthier recipe. Added more peas and carrots, sautéed onion, celery and garlic and used my own homemade turkey gravy plus added salt and pepper as needed.

  20. This came out much more delicious then expected! I did crumble 3 pieces of bacon on top and added some Bells Seasoning to the gravy mixture for added flavor. The turkey was incredibly moist. Definitely will make again.

  21. I never made it before tonite. It is unbelievably amazing! I’ll be making turkey dinner more often so I can have this the next day. So good!

  22. I discovered this recipe to use leftover turkey frozen. It seems a little bland to me also. I like the tip of crispy onion on top.
    I also forgot the salt and pepper.
    My other confusion involved the gravy. Is this a divided portion? Gravy goes in saucepan with milk and cheese in step 2.
    Then gravy is to be poured over the top before placing in the oven. Nevertheless it is a good recipe and I may use a couple of tweaks

    1. Judy, I believe if you add “gravy mixture” to step 3 that will help any confusion.
      I loved this recipe and that it’s so versatile. Stuffing, salt, pepper and crispy onion were loved in my kitchen 🙂

  23. The dish was good. Used a lot of leftover turkey, but the carrots were not done for the baking time listed. Had to cook alot longer. Also, didn’t have in the instructions when to add the salt and pepper, but remembered to add at the end after going over the recipe again.

  24. We all loved this!
    I used leftover cornbread stuffing, and cooked some frozen mixed veggies since I had none left from thanksgiving dinner, which added a lot of color under the sauce. A tasty finishing touch – scatter some French-fried onions on top of the sauce during the last 5-10 minutes of heating in the oven – nice and crunchy!

  25. This was recipe was great. Kind of like a turkey pot pie filling. My kid wasn’t a fan, but it used up a lot of left overs and the adults liked it. I used stuffing instead of cornbread and a onion gravy. Don’t forget to add the salt and pepper. It’s not listed in the instructions and as a person who has to follow the recipe I forgot to add it because it wasn’t in the instructions (no one noticed).

  26. I made it, but I Stacefied it… subbing all vegetables with leftover mashed potatoes & some of the leftover dressing and added another cup of milk to offset the moisture the potatoes & corn bread might soak up…it was amazing! Also served it with a side of Corn Bread Casserole.

  27. Made this today amazing used cheddar instead of mozzarella and stuffing and noodles and put a pillsbury croissant top to make it more pot potpie ish
    Thanks for the recipe

  28. This casserole turned out very well. I used leftover turkey gravy from Thankgiving. I didn’t have mozarrella so I used gruyere. I used lactose free milk with a little lactose free evaporated milk added to make a cup. I didn’t have these frozen veggies, so I used a blend of Asian frozen veggies. Even with all these changes, the dish was very satisfying.

  29. I love that this is made with cornbread instead of stuffing. Sounds like a delicious variation! Can’t wait to try it out on my family. 🙂