Here's What Top Chef Alums Whip Up Using Their Thanksgiving Leftovers

After going all out whipping up hearty appetizers, side dishes, entrées, and desserts for Thanksgiving (check out the videos above for some recipe inspiration), leftovers can occupy space in your fridge for days, even weeks, after the holiday. However, that doesn't mean you have to have the same meal on repeat — just ask Bravo's Top Chef alums Carla Hall, Tanya Holland, Kevin Gillespie, and Jamie Lynch. 

"There are definite ways to use your leftovers and make them just as delicious the second day as they are the first," Carla, who competed on Seasons 5 & 8, told BravoTV.com. "I always do a soup the day after and I do a hash with my turkey or chicken."

Although Kevin admitted via email, "I’m not a huge fan of leftovers," the Season 6 finalist does make one delicious exception. "I love a good turkey sandwich and look forward to it all year — drenched in Duke’s mayo, tons of black pepper, on squishy white bread."

Tanya and Jamie also have mouthwatering methods for repurposing turkey. "I like making a turkey salad like a traditional chicken salad with mayo or aioli, celery, herbs, maybe even raisins," wrote Season 15 contestant Tanya.

Jamie, who competed on Seasons 14 & 17, shared, "I love to make a classic turkey pot pie with my Thanksgiving leftovers. I think I love it more than the Thanksgiving meal itself!"

For Carla, it seems the days after Thanksgiving are all about finding unique ways to use each and every leftover dish. "You can take your dressing and put it in a waffle iron and make a dressing waffle and shred your chicken or turkey and put the gravy on top, which would be delicious," said Carla, who is currently championing the Gateway to Giving Campaign (inspired by the United Gateway Card from Chase and United Airlines) aimed to educate consumers on how to best support those experiencing food insecurity across the country while committing to a donation of $700K to Feeding America. 

"I even take some of my cranberry sauce and chop it up and mix it up with cream," she added. "I’ve done [the same with] my sweet potatoes and mixed them up with cream so it’s like a sweet potato mousse you could do the same thing with pumpkin pie." 

While everyone has different family structures and traditions, spending time with the people we love can make the holidays special. The holidays will look different this year, but we at NBCUniversal believe that Family is Universal. Which is why we’re partnering with Walmart, Verizon, and Progressive in support of Feeding America® and No Kid Hungry, to support families across the country when it matters most. 
 
Celebrate Thanksgiving this year with NBC and Verizon’s Virtual Spotlight. Tweet us family photos using #VerizonLive and #MacysParade for a chance to be in the livestream! Watch Thursday 11/26 at 9AM ET on Verizon’s Twitter and YouTube.

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