Leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing; formed into patties, battered, and fried. Sound amazing? They are. Keep reading to find out how to make Thanksgiving croquettes.

This week, I am excited to feature a trio of guest posts by some fellow food lovers and bloggers. About a month ago, I lost a ton of photos to a nasty cyber virus (you can read about it here). In an effort to keep my blog going despite the loss of thousands of photos, these friends stepped up and offered to help. It is most appreciated.

First up is a recipe from my college friend Dan. I’ve been admiring Dan’s food photos on Facebook for awhile now. He’s come up with some really interesting taco recipes, among others.

When he posted this photo of turkey croquettes the other day, I just had to request his recipe. A big thanks to Dan for sharing this delicious Thanksgiving leftover recipe!

About The Recipe: Thanksgiving Leftover Croquettes

Thanksgiving leftovers are one life’s great culinary opportunities. Sure, you could make turkey sandwiches or just reheat, serve, and enjoy the holiday meal again. But Thanksgiving leftovers can be so much more.

Last year, I felt the pain of boring leftovers, and was inspired by a fleeting image of turkey croquettes.

If you’re not familiar with the term croquette, you’re likely familiar with the food. Think mozzarella sticks, crab cakes, or Scotch eggs.

Commonly, croquettes contain a mashed potato and corn/other veggie interior, with a crunchy breadcrumb exterior. (Check out these breakfast croquettes, pictured below.)

I wanted to go beyond traditional potato croquettes and make my croquettes a miniaturized version of Thanksgiving dinner.

So my croquettes include the holy trinity of Thanksgiving: turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.

So, if you still have leftovers waiting in the fridge, pop them open, mix ‘em up and have some fun.

Like what you see? Be sure to follow along on Instagram for pretty photos, tips, and tricks.

More Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Repurpose your Thanksgiving leftovers into something creative like:

• Turkey nachos with cranberry salsa
• Turkey empanadas with creamy dipping sauce
• Turkey chili
• Turkey mole bowls
• Turkey-cranberry wontons
• Leftover turkey salad
• Thanksgiving croquettes (with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and turkey)
• Mashed potato bar with toppings
• Leftover pie crust cookies
• Other Thanksgiving leftover ideas

Continue to Content

Thanksgiving Croquettes

Yield: 24 croquettes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

See instructions below for healthier, oven-baked croquettes.

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Ingredients

For croquettes

• 2 cups diced turkey (dark and/or light meat is fine)
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 2 cups leftover stuffing

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons water
• Flour
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Dice turkey into roughly ¼” pieces. This may be my personal preference, but I like to see the chunks of turkey when I split open the croquette.
2. Mix the mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey in a large bowl, set aside.
3. In 3 separate bowls, place flour, lightly beaten eggs and water, and breadcrumbs.
4. Roll the potato, turkey, stuffing mix into 2-inch balls and coat each in flour, egg, and finally with breadcrumbs. Place on a plate or baking tray. Be sure the give each croquette space so it can dry slightly.
5. In a large skillet, place an inch of oil to fry the croquettes in batches. Serve with reheated gravy or cranberry sauce.

Modification: Roll a smaller version for appetizers. If you’re not a fan of frying, bake the tray of finished croquettes in the top position of your oven at 425 degrees for roughly 20-25 minutes or until the breadcrumbs have browned nicely.

Adapted from Skinny Taste and Epicurious.

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