Making The Most Of Thanksgiving Leftovers

It seems like no matter how well we plan, there are always tons of leftovers after the big Thanksgiving meal. Waste nothing after Thanksgiving and give your taste buds a break from standard leftover creations.

Click here to see Making the Most of Thanksgiving Leftovers (Slideshow)

Thanksgiving leftover traditionalists will swear that the only way to use leftovers is to recreate the full meal. Those less conservative about their leftovers want to venture past the basic turkey sandwich and make creative meals for the days following their Thanksgiving meal, which makes them the perfect choice for this week's SWAT (Sharing With A Theme).

We put the Culinary Content Network to the test to come up with a few of their favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipes, and here are some of the highlights:

• Justine Fontinell of Full Belly Sisters turns leftover cranberry sauce into a delightful (yet simple) breakfast crostini.
• Christine Ma of Cherry on My Sundae uses store-bought pie dough to make these super simple and adorable hot pockets stuffed with Thanksgiving leftovers.
• This week's winner is Lori Yates of Foxes Love Lemons, who brings us a teriyaki turkey pizza topped with turkey, tons of vegetables, and turkey cracklings (crispy skin).

All of the recipes featured can be made at home for about $20 or less, excluding the cost of small amounts of basic ingredients such as butter, oil, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and other dried herbs and spices.

(Credit: Mary Cressler/Vindulge)

Roasted Anaheim peppers give this creamy, comforting dish a kick. Serve over rice to soak up the sauce or as a filling for easy enchiladas. Click here to see the recipe.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Soup

(Credit: Kit Graham/The Kittchen)
After heavy meals packed with tons of starchy sides, it's nice to whip up a quick soup packed with plenty of vegetables. Click here to see the recipe.

Julie Ruggirello is the Recipe Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @TDMRecipeEditor.