Whether your Christmas Day menu stars a traditional roast turkey, a festive ham, or a vegan nut loaf, chances are you’ll be left with enough leftovers to feed a small army. We all know that these lavish Christmas dishes are far too good to get rid of, so, in the name of waste-free eating, this collection of failsafe recipes will have you enjoying the remains of your Christmas Day feast in all sorts of original and flavoursome ways.
Max La Manna’s Best Festive Leftover Sandwich
Boxing Day just wouldn’t be Boxing Day without the leftovers sandwich. In this recipe, Max La Manna shows you how to make the ultimate festive stack, piled high with stuffing, veg, mustard mayo and cranberry.
Pigs In Blankets, Cranberry and Deep-fried Brie Salad with Toasted Pecans
If you thought salads were just for summertime, think again. This festive salad is packed with festive touches, from cranberry sauce to deep-fried brie, and is the perfect way to use up any leftover pigs in blankets.
From the book
Pigs in Blankets
Fifty inspired sausage and bacon recipes
Ideas for every season (not just Christmas)
From barbecue dishes to winter warmers
Thanksgiving or Boxing Day Croissant
Start Boxing Day the right way, with Michael Zee’s decadent Boxing Day croissants. Not only does this recipe make the most of any leftover stuffing, cheese, cranberry sauce and even gravy, all squeezed into a lovely hot pastry, it’s also got hangover-cure written all over it.
Paul’s Hand-raised Boxing Day Pie
Paul Hollywood’s classic, comforting pie is the ideal Boxing Day bake, made with all the best bits of your Christmas Dinner from the turkey to the cranberry sauce.
Brussels Sprout Soup with Candied Bacon and Roasted Hazelnuts
Transform those leftover sprouts into a truly luxurious soup, topped with candied bacon and toasted hazelnuts. This soup freezes well, so make a batch and stow it away in the freezer for those chilly January evenings.
From the book
Soup Broth Bread
A loving homage to soup in all its forms
From quick fixes to weekend feasts
Plus breads, garnishes, and accompaniments
Turkey Chilequiles
The clever GBBO team have come up with this inspired recipe for turkey leftovers, livened up with a dash of herbs and spices and a tasty Mexican twist for a moreish brunch or dinner dish.
Nadiya Hussain’s Chicken, Brie, Cranberry and Pink Pepper Pithivier
A pithivier is a classically French puff-pastry pie, which can be filled with either sweet or savoury ingredients. Here, Nadiya uses chicken (but you could easily swap in turkey or other meat), spiced and sweetened with pink peppercorns and cranberries, enveloping a centre of melted Brie.
Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Leftover Turkey Casserole
“This dish is by no means a sexy show-stopper, rather a nostalgic warmer and something my brother and I are always so happy to be greeted with at the table”, says Jessie Ware. Take about 15 minutes to prep this recipe, then leave the oven to do the rest of the hard work.
Eat Well For Less Turkey Lasagne
This recipe uses turkey mince, but you can easily swap in leftover cooked turkey. Simply skip the first step, then shred in the leftover meat along with the spinach. This recipe is a lighter take on lasagne, made using Quark in place of the classic white sauce.
Boxing Day Pasties
This is a super-easy recipe for Boxing Day pasties from Jack Monroe’s A Year in 120 Recipes, which you can fill up with whatever is left from your Christmas dinner. These pasties give even the most succulent turkey sandwich a run for its money.
Brie and Bacon Risotto
This recipe from Jack Monroe is the ideal way to use up whatever’s left from the cheese course, and any bacon that didn’t get cooked for Christmas breakfast, combined together to make a deliciously rich and creamy risotto.
Smoked Ham and Piccalilli Salad
If the Christmas festivities have left you feeling a little full, this Gizzi Erskine recipe for a light but satisfying salad is the perfect way to balance out the over-indulging, and still make the use of any leftover Christmas ham.
Bonkers Bread and Butter Panettone Pudding Tart
Jamie Oliver certainly knows how to make a cracking pudding, and this recipe from Jamie’s Comfort Food is no exception, bringing together the very best of British and Italian Christmas baking. So if you’ve got any leftover panettone, you know what to do.
Ham, Pea and Mint Casserole
A simple and comforting casserole recipe from Jack Monroe, great for making the most of your ham leftovers, and just what you’ll need to warm you up after a chilly Boxing Day walk.
Ed’s Victorious Turkey Hash
Jazz up whatever’s left of your Christmas turkey with this inspired recipe from Nigella Lawson’s famous Christmas cookbook, Nigella Christmas, bringing delicious flavours of the Mediterranean into your Boxing Day feast.
Quick Cassoulet
If you’re left with more Christmas ham than you know what to do with, Tom Aikens’ quick and easy cassoulet is a foolproof way to make the most of those meaty flavours.
Turkey Sloppy Joes Tasty Slaw with Gherkins and Chilli, Homemade BBQ Sauce
These turkey sloppy joes from Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook are a real crowd-pleaser, perfect for a family gathering on Boxing Day.
Chocolate Orange Blondies
A celebration of a truly classic Christmas flavour combination, these chocolate orange blondies are the answer to a glut of leftover Terry’s.
From the book
Finch Bakery
Peanut Butter Chocolate Fondant
And last but definitely not least, what to do with all that chocolate? This peanut butter chocolate fondant recipe from Step-By-Step Desserts is an easy solution to that problem.
