Leftover Turkey-Stuffed Crescent Rolls
The planning, assembling, and cooking I do during the lead up to Thanksgiving feels like a marathon most years. From ordering our holiday ham or turkey weeks in advance to assembling as many dishes as possible in the days before Thanksgiving as I possibly can — there just never seems an end to the cooking and meal prepping! As a food blogger, I literally start testing Thanksgiving recipes in the spring. It’s never too early. So, once Thanksgiving dinner is over all I want to do is sit on the couch, talk to my family, and maybe break out the first Christmas cocktail of the season. That’s what I want to do. What I have to do is find a way to use up all of our Thanksgiving leftovers! After a day or two of leftover turkey, I usually repurpose it into something like turkey soup or turkey pot pie. This year I plan on making something even easier with my leftover turkey — loaded turkey crescent rolls! Think of these as being Thanksgiving pigs in a blanket and are perfect as either a brunch item, snack, lunch, or anytime in between. Each and every bite of these stuffed crescent rolls is packed with your favorite Thanksgiving flavors including turkey of course, plus stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy with some cranberry sauce for good measure. It’s like having a Thanksgiving feast literally rolled into one dish! Go ahead and buy a few extra tubes of crescent roll dough at the store before Thanksgiving this year. That way you’ll be ready to start repurposing those Thanksgiving leftovers right away!
Recipe Ingredients in Thanksgiving Leftovers Crescent Rolls
This is a flexible recipe that can be made using almost any leftovers you have from your Thanksgiving meal. What I used for my leftover turkey crescent rolls included:
Refrigerated crescent roll dough Sliced turkey (white or dark meat) or turkey breast Stuffing Mashed potatoes Cranberry sauce Unsalted butter 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 Turkey Crescent Rolls Using Thanksgiving Leftovers
This recipe is a fast and easy way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers! There’s nothing complicated in this recipe whatsoever, just roll out the crescent roll dough and add the leftovers! Step 1: Roll out the crescent roll dough and separate it into the designated triangles. If desired, add a bit of flour to your work surface to prevent sticking, although it’s not absolutely necessary. Step 2: To the widest part of the dough triangle, add a small amount of slices of turkey, a bit of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and about a teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Step 3: Roll up the smaller end of the dough around the filling. Place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the roll ups are prepared. Step 4: Brush each crescent roll with melted butter, then bake at 375ºF until golden brown. You could also do an egg wash. Step 5: Heat the leftover gravy in a bowl or small baking dish and serve alongside the turkey stuffed crescent rolls for dipping.
Tips for Making Thanksgiving Pigs in a Blanket
Room Temperature. I recommend starting with leftovers that have been sitting out on your counter for 15-30 minutes and not very chilled straight-from-the-fridge. The ingredients will be easier to work with, and the rollups will bake up more evenly. The exception to this is the crescent roll dough. That’s better kept in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the rollups. Don’t overfill the crescent rolls. If you try to over stuff them, the dough will rip as you roll it up and the fillings will ooze out in the oven. Line your baking sheet. I used parchment paper to prevent the crescent roll dough from sticking to the baking sheet. Or you can spray your pan well with cooking spray. Mix and match the Thanksgiving leftovers. The crescent rolls can be stuffed with any Thanksgiving leftovers you have on hand, so feel free to get creative! I’ve given some recipe variation ideas in the section below. Don’t add gravy directly to the rolls. You’ll want to reserve the gravy for dipping the baked crescent rolls into. If you add gravy to the filling, the crescent roll dough will become soggy. Use gluten-free or vegan crescent roll dough, if needed. This is more of a tutorial than a set recipe, so you can easily buy whatever type of crescent roll dough that suits your dietary requirements.
Thanksgiving Rollups Recipe Variations to Try
There are so many fun ways to customize this recipe based on your personal tastes and whatever Thanksgiving leftovers you need to use up! Try REPLACING the listed ingredients with one or more of the following instead:
Roasted turkey — Classic turkey or slow cooker turkey breast are great but you can instead use roast chicken, leftover honey ham or orange pineapple glazed ham, or glazed pork loin as the protein instead of turkey. Or, use deli turkey if that’s easier for you! Stuffing — Replace with cornbread stuffing or try thinly sliced skillet cornbread or sweet potato cornbread. I also have an awesome sausage stuffing that would be perfect.
Mashed potatoes — Don’t just think of classic mashed white potatoes. Use browned butter mashed potatoes or any type of sweet potato including: sweet potato casserole, candied yams, roast potatoes. Or, there’s funeral potatoes instead. “Soft” vegetable casseroles – You want something soft that you can roll up in the crescent roll dough so creamed corn casserole or cauliflower gratin are great options. If you have a broccoli-based casserole to use up, go for it.
Cranberry sauce — Omit entirely or use store-bought preserves such as fig preserves, plum jelly, or even bacon jam or hot pepper jelly if you want to kick up the heat a bit. Crescent roll dough — Try using frozen and thawed puff pastry dough instead. Refrigerated biscuit dough can also be used, noting that the bake time might differ.
If desired, you can also ADD one or more of the following leftovers. Just remember to not overstuff the crescent rolls!
Cheese — Add provolone, American cheese, cheddar cheese, white cheddar, Gouda, mozzarella, Muenster, cubed Brie, or Swiss cheese to the rolls. Can’t go wrong with turkey and cheese roll ups! Veggies — Spoon leftover green bean casserole, bacon green bean casserole, or corn casserole into the rolls. Herbs — If you have any more fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage that need to be used up ASAP, finely chop them before adding to the crescent rolls.
Can This Recipe Be Made in Advance?
No, I don’t recommend assembling the turkey stuffed crescent rolls in advance. The filling will make the dough soggy over time, so this is one dish I recommend enjoying hot from the oven!
Storage Instructions for Leftovers (of your leftovers)
These Thanksgiving leftovers crescent rolls are best enjoyed right away, because honestly, what’s the point of creating more leftovers! Although you can store extras in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. When ready to reheat, either nuke in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm or return to a 350ºF and bake until heated to your liking. I do not recommend freezing these crescent rolls stuffed with Thanksgiving ingredients. The various textures in the filling won’t freeze and reheat well, and you’d likely end up with soggy rolls.
More Easy Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes:
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! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! 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! 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.
