You know that moment on Friday morning when you open the refrigerator and see all those containers stacked up like a delicious Tetris game? That is when I know it is time to build what I have come to call my post Thanksgiving masterpiece. Forget reheating plates of turkey with a side of cranberry sauce. We are talking about constructing the kind of sandwich that makes you wonder why we do not celebrate Thanksgiving more than once a year. Discover how to make the ultimate Thanksgiving leftover sandwich with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy.

I stumbled upon this leftover sandwich recipe completely by accident about five years ago. My sister and I were standing in my parents’ kitchen, both of us eyeing the same containers of leftovers, when she said something that changed everything. Why are we eating this stuff separately when we could just pile it all together? It sounded ridiculous at first, but that sandwich ended up being better than the actual Thanksgiving dinner. And I do not say that lightly because my mother makes an incredible feast.

The foundation of any great leftover turkey  sandwich starts with the bread, and this is where most people go wrong right out of the gate. You cannot use regular sandwich bread here. You need something substantial, something that can handle the weight and moisture of everything you are about to pile on top of it. I use thick cut sourdough, toasted until it is golden and just slightly crispy on the outside. The tang from the sourdough plays beautifully with the richness of the other ingredients. If you cannot find good sourdough, a hearty whole grain or even potato bread works well too. Just make sure whatever you choose has some backbone to it.

Now let me walk you through building this thing properly because order matters more than you might think. Start with your bottom slice of toasted bread and spread a generous layer of leftover stuffing on it. Yes, I said on the bread, not as a separate layer. Press it down gently so it adheres and creates this savory, herby foundation. The stuffing acts almost like a flavorful mortar, and when it mixes with everything else, it creates these little pockets of concentrated Thanksgiving flavor that will make your taste buds very happy.

Next comes the turkey, and here is where you need to make a decision. Cold turkey or warm turkey? I have tried it both ways dozens of times, and I always come back to warming the turkey slightly. Not hot, just room temperature or barely warm. It makes the meat more tender and helps all the flavors meld together better. Pile on a good amount of turkey, more than you think you need. This is not the time to be conservative with portions.

Here is where things get interesting. Take your cranberry sauce and spread it directly on top of the turkey. I can already hear some of you protesting because cranberry sauce on a sandwich sounds weird if you have never tried it. Trust me on this one. The sweet-tart flavor of the cranberry sauce cuts through the richness of everything else and adds this bright note that elevates the entire sandwich. Whether you use the jellied kind or homemade cranberry relish, both work beautifully. I actually prefer the jellied version for sandwiches because it spreads more easily and does not make things too chunky.

The next layer is mashed potatoes, and yes, I am absolutely serious. Spread a thin layer of cold mashed potatoes over the cranberry sauce. It sounds crazy until you taste it. The creamy, buttery potatoes add this luxurious texture and help bind everything together. Plus, there is something deeply satisfying about eating mashed potatoes in sandwich form. If your mashed potatoes are too stiff, you can thin them out with a tiny bit of milk or leftover gravy.

Speaking of gravy, this is the secret weapon that transforms a good leftover sandwich into an unforgettable one. Drizzle some turkey gravy over the entire construction before you put the top piece of bread on. Not so much that everything becomes a soggy mess, but enough that you can taste it in every bite. The gravy seeps into all the layers and brings everything together in this cohesive, incredibly flavorful way.

Some people like to add lettuce or other fresh vegetables to their Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, but I think that is a mistake. This sandwich is not about freshness or crunch. It is about warmth and comfort and using up every bit of that holiday meal you worked so hard to prepare. Adding lettuce just dilutes the concentrated Thanksgiving flavors we are going for here.​​​​​​​​​​​​​

 

Reference

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2022). Food standards: Definition and standard for bread (21 C.F.R. § 136). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-136

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (2020, August). Leftovers and food safety. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety

Wrolstad, R. E., & Culver, C. A. (2012). Alternatives to those artificial FD&C food colorants. Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, 3(1), 59–77. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-food-022811-101118