Thanksgiving Leftovers Strata for #OurFamilyTable

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Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures said: "We all have them. So, let's think of creatively delicious ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers. Skip the tettrazini and soups, how about a new and different casserole that uses side dishes and turkey. Or maybe a kicked up killer sandwich. Or even something for breakfast! ANYTHING to empty the fridge of all those leftovers." 

Oh my goodness I loved this dish!! It's such a fantastic way to reimagine EVERYTHING leftover from your Thanksgiving meal - and so much room for substitutions depending on what you served that day. That cheesy gravy on top? It's soooo good. I love recipes like this one - all in one casseroles that allow you extreme flexibility in mixing and matching ingredients. I loved the tang of the cranberry sauce in this one, but I would actually use quite a bit more next time as that tang adds a great contrast to the richness of the rest of the dish.

Can you believe we're already talking about Thanksgiving?! It will be here before we know it! So when you have a refrigerator full of tasty Thanksgiving leftovers, make sure you have this group of tasty recipes handy for next-day inspiration! 

Thanksgiving Leftovers Reinvented

• Juicy Lucy Thanksgiving Slider by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Thanksgiving Leftover Mashed Potatoes and Stuffing Pancakes by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Thanksgiving Leftovers Strata by Making Miracles
• Turkey Cranberry Apple Salad by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Turkey Crepes by That Recipe

Thanksgiving Leftovers Strata 

Cheesy gravy

1 cup leftover turkey gravy

1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 

Egg mixture

10 eggs

1 ½ cups of milk

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp black pepper 

1 tsp thyme

Filling 

14 ounce bread loaf, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 cups leftover turkey cubed or shredded

8-oz cubed Velveeta (or use shredded / cubed cheddar / mozzarella, etc. - whatever cheese you have on hand and prefer to use)

1 cup leftover cranberry sauce

1 cup fresh spinach leaves (or leftover greens - sautéed spinach, brussels, collards, etc.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, spread bread cubes out on a baking sheet and bake about 20-30 minutes to toast them (until they feel dry, but not until they are getting darker in color).
2. Set bread cubes aside to cool.
3. When bread is cool, spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread out half of the bread cubes in the pan.
4. Distribute half of the turkey, cranberry, and cheese over the bread. Add all of your greens over this layer, and then layer remaining turkey, cranberry, and cheese. Top with remaining bread cubes.
5. In a medium sized bowl, prepare the egg layer by whisking together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and thyme. Evenly pour the egg mixture over the casserole. 
6. To make the cheesy gravy, combine the gravy and cheese in a small saucepan and warm over medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until some (but not all) of the cheese has melted.
7. Pour the cheesy gravy over the very top of the casserole and let rest / absorb for 1-hour. You can cover with saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator up to over night at this point. 
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake casserole for 45-55 minutes, until bread on top is toasted, and eggs are fully set in the middle.
9. Allow to rest about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe adapted from The Flavor Bender