9 Easy Dinners to Make When You Can’t Eat Another Bite of Thanksgiving Leftovers

These easy meals will leave you feeling nourished, not stuffed.

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Editor
Mimi Young is an editor and pastry chef. She has also curated and written numerous recipe roundups for Serious Eats.
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Published November 28, 2025
Overhead view of pouring chutney into pan

Serious Eats / Larisa Niedle

I love repurposing Thanksgiving leftovers—turkey congee, stuffing waffles, shepherd’s pie—but after day three, I’m done. At some point, Thanksgiving needs to be over. These nine easy, satisfying recipes will help you reset after the holidays, carrying you through the post-holiday slump and easing your palate back into everyday cooking before the next round of festivities.

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  • Perfect Fried Rice

    Overhead view of egg fried rice

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    I'll be honest, I probably make fried rice for dinner at least once a week. You don’t need a lot of ingredients—just rice, egg, and a smattering of scallions—though I also like to toss in some frozen peas or some finely diced colorful vegetables. Whatever pan you use, make sure it’s properly preheated to keep the rice from sticking, and cook the egg first for the right texture and even distribution throughout the dish.

  • Lebanese Lentil Soup

    Lebanese brown lentil soup in a bowl with a dollop of yogurt served with pieces of potato and lentils visible

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    You’ll definitely want to put this warm, nourishing soup on your weekly rotation. Fragrant with onion, garlic, cumin, and cilantro, and thickened with potatoes and Swiss chard, it comes together in under an hour. Fresh lemon juice adds brightness at the end to balance the earthiness of the cumin-scented lentils. Add a rich, tangy dollop of labneh or sour cream to finish it off.

  • Rustic Miso Soup With Tofu and Seaweed

    20160302-miso-soups-feature-vicky-wasik-6.jpg
    Vicky Wasik

    Miso soup is pretty much a complimentary starter in Japanese restaurants where I live—usually serviceable, but nothing special. Not so with this rustic, homestyle version, which brings the deep, complex flavors of miso to the forefront. A robust scratch-made dashi and a blend of dark and mild miso give the soup real heartiness and substance.

  • 15-Minute Honey-Mustard Salmon

    Side view of honey mustard salmon

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    If you’re the type of cook who keeps frozen salmon fillets on hand for easy weeknight meals, you’ll want to keep this recipe in your back pocket. Slather a mixture of mayonnaise, grainy mustard, and honey onto thawed fillets, then broil for about 15 minutes until the top is caramelized. While the salmon cooks, steam some veggies and prep a simple grain, and you’ve got a complete dinner ready to go.

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  • Pasta al Limone

    20171206-pasta-alla-limone-vicky-wasik-13
    Vicky Wasik

    Think of this as a far more flavorful, grown-up take on kids’ “buttered noodles,” made with plenty of fresh lemon and a shower of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Using only starchy pasta water and butter to form the sauce lets the brightness of the lemon really shine.

  • Spaghetti Puttanesca (Spaghetti With Capers, Olives, and Anchovies)

    Spaghetti Puttanesca

    Photograph: Melissa Hom

    Made primarily from pantry ingredients, this weeknight pasta packs a serious flavor punch and delivers major bang for your buck in just 15 minutes. Hand-chopped garlic and anchovies melt together in olive oil to form an intensely umami base, while chopped capers, olives, and crushed San Marzano tomatoes complete the sauce, which is emulsified with a bit of starchy pasta water.

  • Shrimp With Cilantro Sauce

    Overhead view of finished dish

    Serious Eats / Larisa Niedle

    For these plump shrimp bathed in a spicy chutney of cilantro, chiles, and lots of garlic, the shrimp are first marinated in salt, baking soda, and a bit of the chutney to keep them juicy and snappy. A quick sear then builds deeper flavor. Whole and ground cumin add earthiness that balances the bright freshness of the cilantro.

  • 30-Minute Tuscan White Bean Soup

    tuscan-white-bean-soup-kenji
    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    The beauty of this recipe is that you don’t need to soak beans or own a pressure cooker to make a soup packed with flavor in just 30 minutes. All you need are a couple of cans of white beans and plenty of staple aromatics you probably already have in your fridge. It’s also a perfect opportunity to use that Parmigiano-Reggiano rind you’ve been saving in the freezer.

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  • Vegetable Lo-Mein

    20121023VeggieLoMein.jpg
    Kerry Saretsky

    This is guaranteed to be faster than takeout delivery and much healthier. Start with whatever mix of colorful vegetables you have in your produce bin—we like carrots, cabbage, snow peas, mushrooms, and scallions—slice or shred them, then give them a quick stir-fry. Add freshly grated garlic and ginger and some pre-cooked lo mein noodles, and dinner is served.

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