Give new life to your Thanksgiving leftover recipes with one simple addition: cheese.
While many of us live for Thanksgiving leftover recipes, some of us—after a few days of turkey and stuffing on repeat — need something new on the menu. That’s where culinary creativity comes in. The answer to “‘What do I do with my Thanksgiving leftovers?” is simple: Repurpose them!
Though this idea isn’t new, most Thanksgiving leftover ideas focus on the meal’s original components — things like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.
But what about the cheese? Specifically, how can you repurpose the cheeses left over from your holiday cheese plate, and how can you use cheeses that you have on hand to make leftovers recipes from the aforementioned turkey and stuffing and mashed?
Here are a few ideas for creating something new and interesting when Thanksgiving dinner fatigue sets in.
How to Use Gouda in Thanksgiving Leftovers
Gouda is a naturally sweet cheese. In an extra cheesemaking step that most cheeses don’t undergo, gouda’s curds are rinsed, washing away some of the lactose that would typically become lactic acid as cheeses age. As a result, both young and aged goudas have buttery or butterscotch notes. This distinguishes gouda from other styles of cheese, and makes it a versatile pairing for an array of diverse flavors.
Turkey, Gouda, and Butternut Squash Salad
For those craving salad (understandably, after the excesses of Thanksgiving dinner), cubed or shredded gouda makes an excellent addition to a green salad with turkey and butternut squash. Cranberry sauce can even be coaxed into a light and lively salad dressing.
Gouda and Cranberry Cheese Ball
Remix your Thanksgiving leftovers into a perfect appetizer-ish snack. You can swap sweet, shredded gouda into any cheese ball recipe you like, adding cranberry sauce or fresh cranberries to the creamy mixture before rolling the ball in chopped nuts to finish.
How to Use Brie in Thanksgiving Leftovers
Brie comes from an umbrella family of what is known as bloomy rind cheese. Brie’s delicate white rind lends a slightly earthy or mushroomy taste to a profile that is otherwise mild and buttery. Brie also has a delightful ooze when warmed.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Baked Brie
Following Chef Herve Guillard’s tips for making baked Brie cheese, why not give it a post-Thanksgiving spin? Whatever size wedge or round of Brie you have on hand, split the cheese lengthwise, fill with a layer of extra stuffing and cranberry sauce, then wrap in a puff pastry and bake.
No pastry? No problem. It’s just as good unwrapped and served with baguette slices or crackers.
Turkey Cranberry Grilled Cheese
In this unique grilled cheese sandwich recipe, Brie is a surprisingly delicious companion to turkey. It’s gooey, complex, and not so overpowering that it outshines (versus enhances) the turkey’s flavor. Cranberry provides the brightness that all thanksgiving leftover recipes need.
Read more: Understanding Cheese Rinds
How to Use Comté or Gruyère in Thanksgiving Leftovers
These Alpine style cheeses — Comté from France and Gruyère from Switzerland — are excellent melting cheeses. During the cheesemaking process, their curds are gently heated to extract more liquid and, as a result, better knit the curds together. When melted, these well-knit curds made the cheese more elastic (aka stretchy). Comté and Gruyère both have a complex, savory flavor that can give a hint of onion on the palate.
Pumpkin Fondue
If you have leftover pumpkin, either as a raw ingredient or as pumpkin pie, melt it along with an Alpine-style cheese and a splash of white wine for an inspired, Thanksgiving-style fondue that’s perfect for dunking torn pieces of dinner rolls or apple slices.
Thanksgiving Tartiflette
Tartiflette is a French casserole involving a layer of cheese over a mixture of potatoes, onions and bacon. Though typically made with a soft cheese like Reblochon, Comté or Gruyère can stand in for an extra savory note. You can turn your entire spread of Thanksgiving leftovers into a casserole with this application, or simply melt an Alpine-style cheese over a plate of turkey or ham, mashed potatoes and pickles, raclette-style.
Read more: Get to Know Your Alpine Cheeses
