Homemade Crunchwraps … Using Thanksgiving Leftovers!
Thanksgiving leftovers are delicious for the first day or two, but after that point I’m looking for other ways to repurpose or freeze them because I just. can’t. eat. another. bite. If you’re someone who loves nibbling on the leftovers from your Thanksgiving feast for days afterwards, good for you. But if you’re like me and quickly tap out on eating leftovers nuked in the microwave, this Thanksgiving Crunchwrap recipe is going to be your new best friend this holiday season. Like the original Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell, this Thanksgiving leftovers version has layers of flavors and textures that keep you coming back for bite after bite. Unlike the original Crunchwrap Supreme, the recipe I’m sharing with you isn’t Tex-Mex inspired in the slightest. Instead it’s Thanksgiving food inspired! The tostada and flour tortilla base is loaded with leftovers like mashed potatoes, roast turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. It’s like having the entire Thanksgiving feast in a single dish! This recipe is easy to customize and can be made using pretty much any combination of Thanksgiving leftovers you have taking up space in your fridge. Flexible, easy recipes like this are so nice to have tucked up your sleeve after the intense amount of work you spent preparing for your Thanksgiving dinner!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Crunch Wraps
Think of this Thanksgiving wrap as more of a general tutorial for repurposing your leftovers than as a strict recipe. You’re more than welcome to swap out any of the leftovers mentioned in the recipe card for other Thanksgiving foods you need to use up. If a flavor combination sounds good to you, add those ingredients to your Crunchwrap! Easy as that. Here are the Thanksgiving leftovers I used to make my Crunchwrap Supreme:
Burrito-size flour tortillas Leftover mashed potatoes Leftover cooked green beans, green bean casserole, or loaded bacon green bean casserole Corn tostadas Leftover roasted turkey or slow cooker turkey breast Leftover cranberry sauce or apple spiced cranberry sauce Leftover stuffing Provolone cheese Leftover turkey gravy or mushroom gravy (for dipping)
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make a Thanksgiving Crunchwrap
Making a Thanksgiving Crunchwrap Supreme is incredibly simple! I’ll walk you through how to fold a Crunchwrap, so don’t worry about it. It’s very easy – it just looks like it’d be hard to do but it’s not! Step 1: Lay one of the burrito-size tortillas on a cutting board and cut into quarters. You’ll be using these as filler pieces later on because without them, your crunchwrap won’t close. If you want, you can then cut a pentagon out of each of the four quarters. It’s not necessary, but if you want to be extra about things, this is what the cut outs look like. You can ultimately discard those little scraps and keep the large pieces to lay over the top of your mound of crunchwrap supreme ingredients. Step 2: Working one tortilla at a time, begin layering on the leftovers. Add the leftovers to the center of each tortilla in this order: Step 3: Fold the Thanksgiving wrap into the signature Crunchwrap Supreme shape. Start with one side of the bottom tortilla and gently fold it inwards. Repeat as you continue to fold around each side, tucking each side over the other until a star-like shape is formed on top. Place the Crunchwraps folded side-down on a plate until you’re ready to toast them. Step 4: Heat a little oil in a skillet, then place a Crunchwrap folded side-down in the hot oil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side to toast all over. Step 5: Repeat with the remaining Thanksgiving Crunchwraps until all have been cooked. Heat up a little gravy before serving, and dig in!
Tips for Making a Thanksgiving Leftovers Crunchwrap
Buy large flour tortillas. You need very specific tortillas for using as the base of the Thanksgiving leftover Crunchwraps. The tortillas should be made with flour so they’re soft, pliable, and can be folded to create the Crunchwrap shape. They also need to be burrito-sized and not ‘taco’ or ‘street taco’ sized, otherwise you won’t be able to layer on all of the Thanksgiving leftovers! What to do with extra flour tortillas? Make my Loaded Smothered Beef Burritos! Don’t overfill the Crunchwraps. You need about ¼ cup or less of each of the various leftovers to fill the tortilla. Any more than this and you won’t be able to seal the Crunchwraps and fry them! Mix and match the ingredients. This is a very flexible recipe that can be made with pretty much any Thanksgiving leftovers you have on hand. I’ve given tons of recipe variation ideas in the section below. Don’t make the Crunchwraps in advance. They lose their crunchiness if they’re stored in the fridge, so they’re best eaten right after being fried. Make sure your leftovers are still good before using. Hopefully this is a no-brainer, but if it’s been a few days since you had your Thanksgiving dinner you’ll definitely want to check that the leftovers are all still good to eat before layering them into the Crunchwraps.
Easy Crunch Wrap Recipe Variations to Try
You can use any Thanksgiving leftovers you want to make the Crunchwrap Supremes. I have lots of ideas that deviate a bit from the classics and you can mix-and-match based on what you have on hand and enjoy: Rather than turkey, use leftover shredded chicken (from a whole roast chicken or my perfect 20-minute baked chicken) or just pick up a rotisserie chicken and use it for homemade chicken crunch wraps! Stir in a couple tablespoons of taco seasoning to the chicken. For homemade beef crunchwrap supremes, make a pound of taco-seasoned ground beef. Top with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, fold up like I instruct here, griddle them in a skillet like I instruct, and serve with sour cream or hot sauce for dipping.
Roasted Turkey – You can use a mix of your leftover white and dark meat but you solely the turkey breast is fine. Or you try roast chicken or leftover glazed ham, honey baked ham. If you serve pork tenderloin or pork loin for Thanksgiving, they’re also fair game. Mashed potatoes — Of course there’s classic mashed white potatoes but if you have browned butter mashed potatoes, funeral potatoes, or any type of sweet potato including – sweet potato casserole, candied yams, roast potatoes – they will all be great. You want a starchy side for this component. Green beans — Replace with green bean casserole, roughly chopped roasted Brussels sprouts, baked asparagus, etc.
Corn tostadas — Corn tostadas are located next to where soft taco shells are sold in your grocery store. There are usually white and yellow corn, either are fine. Feel free to use tortilla chips or corn chips instead. Fritos fans, they are perfect here. Don’t ask how I know this! Cranberry sauce — Omit entirely or use store-bought preserves. Fig preserves, plum jelly, hot pepper jelly, even bacon jam will all work. Stuffing — Replace with cornbread stuffing, stovetop stuffing, thinly sliced skillet cornbread or sweet potato cornbread, or try ripping up Parker House rolls or pumpkin dinner rolls and using those instead. Vegetable casseroles – You want something like a creamed corn casserole or cauliflower gratin. If you have a broccoli-based casserole to use up, go for it. Provolone cheese — Swiss, white cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, and Muenster cheese would all be good swaps. Gravy — Dip the Crunchwraps in additional cranberry sauce or omit the gravy entirely. Mushroom fans, this is the best mushroom gravy you’ll ever try which is easy to make, too.
Can Crunchwraps Be Made in Advance?
Not really, no. You could possibly assemble the Crunchwraps and cook them within 24 hours but the corn tostada in the middle of the wrap will likely lose its crunch. So I’d say, no, you can’t make this recipe in advance.
Can Thanksgiving Crunchwraps Be Frozen?
I don’t suggest freezing the Thanksgiving leftovers wraps. The corn tostada will lose its crunchiness, and the flour tortilla might become soggy as the leftovers release moisture within the wrap. Therefore, I really don’t even recommend storing leftovers in the fridge. Consume what you made at the time you make it. Plus, why do you want to save leftovers of leftovers? Eat things up and keep the contents of your fridge and freezer going down, not up!
Can I Double the Homemade Crunchwraps Recipe? Or Halve it?
Yes by all means! If you happen to be stuck (or luckily stuck, depending on your perspective) with lots of leftovers, this easy crunch wrap recipe with Thanksgiving leftovers doubles or triples very easily. Or perhaps you’re feeding a big family for lunch, afternoon snacks for all the kids and cousins, or are using this recipe for a quickie dinner with your leftovers, yes you can certainly double the recipe. Small family or just you and your spouse and need to halve the recipe and make two rather than 4 crunch wraps? By all means, halve all the ingredients and make as directed.
Is It Possible To Bake or Air Fry Crunch Wraps?
Baking: As much as I would like to say yes you can bake them and achieve the same results, it’s not true. You won’t really achieve a truly crunchy texture unless you brush on a pretty decent amount of oil. If you want to try it, I would bake them on a nonstick baking sheet at 350F for about 15-20 minutes, or as needed, flipping once midway through cooking. Don’t forget to be generous with the amount of vegetable or canola oil you brush over the flour tortillas though! I do a version of this in my Beef Taco Salad Bowls with Baked Flour Tortillas. Air Frying: I am not much of an air fryer user but this is one recipe where I think it could be handy. You’ll still need to brush them with oil or mist or spray them with oil or cooking spray. Then air fry them as needed. Because I have never tried, I can’t say for sure how long it will take or the temperature. But 360F for about 15 minutes total are my guesses, flipping once midway through. I doubt you’ll be able to make more than one at a time though which is a big drawback so somone will be babysitting an air fryer for about an hour, and not eating together, and someone is eating a cold crunch wrap if you wait for them all to be air fried. Womp!
More Easy Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes:
Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Crescent Rolls — Looking for a recipe to use a variety of your Thanksgiving leftovers? These stuffed crescent rolls are QUICK and EASY to make using leftovers from your Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy! It’s a flexible recipe so feel free to use the leftovers you have on hand to make these crescent roll rollups. Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Turkey and Cheese Sliders – Juicy turkey, Swiss cheese, and cranberry sauce all nestled in soft Hawaiian rolls that are brushed with butter and topped with poppy seeds for the BEST turkey sliders! FAST, EASY, and takes advantage of leftover turkey! Deli turkey also works. Turkey Wild Rice Soup – Take advantage of leftover holiday turkey, and make this rich, creamy, and very hearty soup! Made with an array of vegetables, seasonings and herbs, and of course plenty of wild rice and turkey! EASY, ready in an hour, and made in one pot! No turkey? Use leftover or rotisserie chicken. Comfort food the whole family will love especially when the weather is chilly! Turkey Noodle Soup – Have leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Make this turkey soup! It’s easy and tastes like grandma’s homemade chicken noodle soup, but with turkey! Easy Turkey Pot Pie – Wondering what to do with that leftover turkey from the holidays? Make this easy turkey pot pie recipe! It’s hearty, creamy, comforting, perfect for chilly weather, and EASY to make! Turkey Tetrazzini – Wondering what to do with your leftover Thanksgiving turkey? This rich casserole features al dente spaghetti, a decadent cream sauce, tender vegetables, cheese, and of course your extra turkey! It’s EASY to make and may be even better than your Thanksgiving feast!
