Christmas leftovers: ideas, a Boxing Day lunch, and how long they keep
What to do with the leftover turkey, roast potatoes, sprouts, stuffing and pudding: quick ideas for each, a Boxing Day lunch timed to land on the table together, and the food-safety rules that keep everyone well into the new year.
First: keeping leftovers safe
- Cool leftovers quickly: slice the turkey off the bone and spread food out in shallow containers, rather than leaving a whole bird or a deep pan to cool.
- Freeze anything you won't eat within two days. Defrost it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours of defrosting.
- Only take out and reheat what you'll eat now. Whatever's left after reheating goes in the bin, not back in the fridge.
These rules follow the Food Standards Agency's Christmas food hygiene guidance on GOV.UK.
What to do with leftover turkey
Turkey curry
Soften an onion with garlic and ginger, stir in curry paste, then add a tin of tomatoes or coconut milk and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the turkey for the last 5 to 10 minutes, until it's steaming hot. Serve with freshly cooked rice or naan.
Turkey, ham and leek pie
Soften sliced leeks in butter, make a white sauce with the leftover gravy or stock and a splash of milk, and stir in the turkey and any ham. Top with ready-rolled puff pastry and bake at 200°C fan for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling.
The Boxing Day sandwich
Turkey, a slice of stuffing, cranberry sauce and a little mayonnaise in good bread. Add brie for a toastie, and press it in a hot pan until the cheese melts.
Turkey soup, from the carcass
Simmer the carcass with an onion, carrot, celery and a bay leaf for 2 to 3 hours to make stock, then strain it. Cook chopped veg in the stock, add the turkey and noodles or rice, and simmer until everything is piping hot. Cool any stock you're keeping quickly and refrigerate or freeze it.
Turkey risotto
Make a risotto with the turkey stock and stir in the shredded turkey for the last few minutes, so it heats through. Our risotto timings guide walks you through it.
Leftover roast potatoes, sprouts and parsnips
Bubble and squeak
The classic: roughly mash the potatoes with chopped sprouts or cabbage, shape into cakes and fry until golden and crisp. Top with a fried egg for a brunch, or serve it with the turkey (see the timetable below).
Sprouts with bacon
Halve the cooked sprouts and fry them hard with bacon lardons (and any leftover chestnuts) until they catch at the edges.
Roast potato and parsnip hash
Cut the roast potatoes and parsnips into chunks, fry them with onion until crisp, add chopped pigs in blankets, and finish with fried eggs on top.
Spiced parsnip soup
Simmer leftover roast parsnips with a softened onion, a pinch of cumin and stock for 10 minutes, then blend. Bring back to the boil before serving.
Stuffing, pigs in blankets, sauces and pudding
- Stuffing and pigs in blankets: reheat them in the oven until steaming hot for a sandwich, or chop them into a hash or a frittata.
- Cranberry sauce: in a toastie with brie or cheddar, stirred into gravy, or with cold meats and cheese.
- Bread sauce: loosen it with a little milk and use it as the white sauce in the turkey pie.
- Christmas pudding: fry thick slices in butter and serve with custard or ice cream.
Boxing Day lunch from the leftovers: ready at 1pm
For 4: bubble and squeak, with turkey and stuffing reheated in gravy, all hot at the same time. The highlighted rows are the food-safety checks.
| Time | Where | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 12:15 | Fridge | Leftovers out: turkey, roast potatoes, sprouts, stuffing and gravy. Use only what went into the fridge within two hours of Christmas dinner.Anything you won't reheat today goes straight back in. |
| 12:20 | Oven | Oven on: 180°C fan / 200°C / gas 6. |
| 12:25 | Worktop | Bubble and squeak: roughly mash the potatoes, chop the sprouts and any other veg, mix with a beaten egg and season. Shape into 8 cakes.Cold mixture holds its shape best. |
| 12:30 | Oven | Turkey and stuffing in: sliced turkey in a dish with a few spoonfuls of gravy or stock, covered tightly with foil. Stuffing in a separate covered dish.The liquid and foil stop the turkey drying out. |
| 12:35 | Hob | Fry the bubble and squeak in a little oil or butter over a medium heat, 4–5 minutes a side, in batches. Keep the first batch warm in the bottom of the oven.Leave them alone so a golden crust forms. |
| 12:45 | Hob | Gravy in a pan: bring it to the boil and let it bubble for a minute. Warm the plates. |
| 12:55 | Oven | Check it's all steaming hot all the way through: the turkey, the stuffing and the middle of a bubble and squeak cake.Not there yet? Give it 5 more minutes and check again. |
| 1:00 | Table | Serve with pickles, chutney and the last of the cranberry sauce. |
Not sure what to make with what's left?
From 1 December, Simmour's Waste not, want not turns your leftovers into three meal ideas and a full recipe, timed like the one above: tell it what's left, or just photograph the fridge. It's part of the optional Simmour Christmas pass.
Simmour also times your own recipes, so Christmas dinner and every meal after it land on the table together.
Free to use, on Google Play or in your phone's browser. Create an account to read your own recipes.
Christmas leftovers FAQs
How long do Christmas leftovers last in the fridge?
Eat them within two days. Cool them quickly, cover them, and get them into the fridge within one to two hours of cooking. Leftover cooked rice is different: eat it within 24 hours. This follows the Food Standards Agency's Christmas food hygiene guidance.
Can I reheat turkey more than once?
No. Only reheat leftovers once, and make sure they're steaming hot all the way through. So take out and reheat only what you'll eat, and keep the rest in the fridge or freezer.
Can I freeze leftover turkey?
Yes. Freeze it once it has cooled, ideally on the day, in portions so you only defrost what you need. Defrost it in the fridge, eat it within 24 hours of defrosting, and reheat it until steaming hot. It's best eaten within three to six months.
Can I eat leftover turkey cold?
Yes, cold turkey is fine in sandwiches and salads, as long as it went into the fridge within one to two hours of cooking and you eat it within two days.
Can I freeze leftover roast potatoes and stuffing?
Yes. Freeze them once cooled. Reheat roast potatoes from frozen in a hot oven, around 200°C fan, until they're crisp and steaming hot in the middle. Defrost stuffing in the fridge, then reheat it until steaming hot.
What can I do with leftover Christmas pudding?
Fry thick slices in butter until warm and crisp at the edges, and serve with custard, cream or ice cream. Or crumble it over vanilla ice cream, or into a trifle with custard and cream.