A Quick + Easy Thanksgiving Leftovers Lunch Recipe
This guest post is by Whitney English of To Live & Diet in L.A. Whitney is an Entertainment Reporter/Host turned Healthy Living Blogger, NASM Certified Personal Trainer and aspiring Registered Dietitian, who lives in the heart of Los Angeles.
One of the best things about Thanksgiving is that for about a week after you have a refrigerator full of tasty leftovers to enjoy. Moms get a break from cooking for a few nights, and everyone is happy to eat their favorite turkey day dishes over and over again after waiting patiently for them all year long.
Well, for a couple of days at least. After that, you gotta shake things up a bit or those dishes you spent an entire day whipping up are going to go to waste.
This year, I’ve come up with an interesting twist on a traditional turkey sandwich to make use of several Thanksgiving staples. I’ve dubbed it simple: The Thanksgiving Melt.
Sweet yet savory, hearty but healthy – this sandwich is the perfect way to entice your family to finish the last bits of the holiday meal.
Not only is it extremely scrumptious, it’s also easy to make and perfect for packing in your Bentgo Lunch Box to take to school, work or along for a holiday weekend road trip.
The Thanksgiving Melt
Ingredients:
1 whole wheat roll
4 oz. turkey
2 tbsp. sweet potato
1 tbsp. cranberry sauce
1 slice provolone cheese
Salt + pepper to taste
Directions:
- Set oven to 450⁰ F.
- Take your leftover sweet potatoes or yams and mash or puree them with a little salt and pepper (avoid including marshmallows if they’re in there).
- Spread about two tablespoons of the sweet potato on the bottom half of the whole wheat bun. Add turkey and top with cheese.
- Place the bottom part of the bun with its toppings and the top half of the bun (face up) on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 3 minutes. Watch to make sure the bun doesn’t burn, but that the cheese melts.
- Remove from the oven and spread the top half of the bun with cranberry sauce.
This sandwich goes great with fruit salad or a side of leftover green beans. Slice it in half and toss it in your Bentgo Lunch Box for lunch on the go.
It reheats easily too – just simply pop the bottom part (not the half with cranberry) back in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave to get the cheese melty again!
If you’re not into the sweet sandwich idea, you can use your sweet potatoes to make a garlicky Sweet Potato Hummus and leave out the cranberry sauce. Either way, you have something a little more unique to impress the fam.
Enjoy!
For more delicious, healthy meals that the whole family will love, visit To Live & Diet in L.A.
Do you have a fun Thanksgiving leftover idea? Let us know in the comments!