I also really love Thanksgiving. It's my second favorite holiday. What's better than sitting in a room with family and friends and eating a ton of food? I love all the memories that come with it. I love the feel of Christmas coming. I love the parades and the coziness of it all. And I love the leftovers.
Thanksgiving leftovers are great. I could eat them just fine, as is, cold out of the fridge. But i know people who have no idea what to do with the extras and don't want Thanksgiving part II.
Which is why we started making Thanksgiving casserole. Casseroles are great! They're easy! you throw stuff together, you bake it in an oven, you eat it! easy! They're also a great comfort food for the cooler weather. Those nights that it's chilly and you just want to sit in a blanket and not actually cook a meal but still want something that fills you up and tastes homemade, a casserole is the answer.
The thing about Thanksgiving Casserole is that for us, there isn't really a specific way to make it. There's no measuring. There's no exact directions to follow. It's great and easy. We also make a variation of this when we don't have the thanksgiving leftovers that's just as easy that I'll probably share in another post.
I'm sure others have made this before, but here's how we do it at my house.
Thanksgiving Casserole
This is literally a "throw what you want in" type dish, but there are some things that are important to it being "Thanksgiving" casserole.
- turkey
- mashed potatoes
- gravy
- stuffing! (i love stuffing the most, so i add lots)
- veggies!! (if you're like me and picky about veggies, you don't even have to add them haha)
- (optional topping) cheddar cheese
- (also optional) cranberry sauce or jelly (that's what I use)
Heat your oven to 350 F. Depending on how many people you want to feed, grab out a pan. We use a 9x13 glass pan, but metal works fine too. A lot of this is just guessing as well, so if you've got an 8x8, you'll probably want to cook it for less time.
I like to start with potatoes. The lumpier and less liquid-y, the better. My mom loves her potatoes smooth and almost soup-like, but it doesn't hold well in this recipe. Layer your potatoes, thick as you'd like, but remember, it is the base of it so you'll want a decent layer. You could also start with stuffing, but I like the stuffing better on the top with the cheese.
Next add a thin layer of gravy. Maybe just drizzle it on and spread it out a bit. You could go heavy, but it will make it more of a soup-y casserole. If that's what you like though, go for it!
Then, add turkey and any veggies you like. you can just rip (or cut if you aren't the hands-on type) the turkey up into smaller, manageable pieces. (I had no idea until recently that people actually sliced turkey fancy rather than cutting chunks off and setting it on a plate, like my family does haha. We don't do fancy well.)
Carrots would be great, maybe some chopped celery. Corn if you like it, which I don't haha. Those green beans that were just going to sit in your fridge? Throw 'em in! you could even get weird here and do a casserole in a casserole, adding a layer of green bean casserole if you've got that.
Also, put your cranberry sauce/jelly here. I just chop off chunks from the can and throw it in, no reason to spread it out. You can add a little more gravy too, if you'd like.
Then comes my favorite, the stuffing. I love Stove Top. LOVE it. It's been my favorite part of the dinner since i was a kid. So i add a ton. You can add what you'd like though, onto the top of your casserole.
Add some more gravy, so the stuffing doesn't dry completely out, and then you can top with cheddar cheese if you'd like. I love the flavor the cheddar gives to it, and it melts nicely into the stuffing.
Grab a piece of foil and cover the top. Heat for 30-35 minutes, till it's hot. You'll probably see gravy boiling on the sides and the cheese melted. I take the foil off for the last 5 minutes so the cheese gets all the way melted before I take it out. Smaller pans I'd say probably 20-25 minutes. Let it sit a few minutes and there you go!! A delicious casserole that uses up your leftovers from Thanksgiving, and feels like a whole new meal.
You literally can add anything you'd like to it. You can also put stuffing on bottom, and potatoes on top if you'd like more uniform "pieces" of casserole, though normally we just dump a spoonful into a bowl and call it good.
If anyone tries this, let me know how it goes for you! Also, if you have anything to add, any tips, different ingredients that you tried, share it!
I hope everyone has an amazing holiday season! Thanks for reading!!
