Loaded Turkey and Stuffing Sandwich
This is not your ordinary leftover turkey sandwich! This one is loaded with all the leftovers, not just turkey! Grilled on a panini press or in the frying pan, this hardy sandwich might just be better than turkey dinner itself!
The day after a turkey dinner, be it Thanksgiving, Christmas or just because you wanted to roast a turkey, the fridge is filled with a gold mine of leftover options. But the ultimate is the leftover turkey sandwich!
I think I take after my dad and his love of the “hot turkey sandwiches” my mom always made for him with the leftovers. He liked it simple; just a slice of bread, piles of turkey smothered in hot turkey gravy, served open face. I remember when I was first married and dared to add stuffing to my sandwich. The rest is history. For ever since, I’ve grabbed whatever leftovers are in the fridge and created a delicious sandwich that rivals the main event!
The Ultimate Day After Treat
This delicious sandwich is like an all-in-one holiday dinner. Everything just melts together on a delicious crispy bun. And yes, even the bun is a leftover! Served with a side of leftover Brown Sugar Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and It’s a thrifty and delicious dinner or lunch idea.
It’s All in the Layering
The cranberry sauce goes on first followed by the cheese. Then the turkey slices. The cheese will melt right into the turkey slices. The stuffing goes on next and grabs onto the drizzle of gravy to help it from sliding off. Top it off with another dollop of cranberry sauce, add the top of the bun and it’s ready to be heated up!
After your layers are complete, carefully transfer sandwich to a preheated panini (sandwich) press or to a preheated skillet on the stove top. Heat until cheese is melted, the bun is toasty and everything is heated through. I usually do two cycles on my sandwich press to get it just right.
Panini Press versus Frying Pan
I love the convenience of the panini press myself. Most have floating top plates that will allow a thick sandwich to be grilled. Position the sandwich near the back of the press and hold a knife along the front of the sandwich to keep it from sliding forward while you gently close the lid. Most sandwich presses have a “ready” light that will come on once the heat cycle is complete. I find two cycles get everything hot and the bun perfectly toasted.
Whether I am using the press or the frying pan I recommend you always wear oven mitts!! I am all about safety in the kitchen!
The frying pan will work perfectly well, but I would advise buttering the top and bottom of the buns just a bit and then pressing down lightly with a heat proof pot lid while wearing oven mitts to help melt the cheese and contain the heat.
Ingredient Ideas and Swaps
- leftover dinner rolls, kaiser rolls, panini buns or sour dough bread
- white or dark turkey breast sliced thin, or use leftover chicken anytime of year
- stuffing or mashed potatoes (or both!)
- cranberry sauce; homemade, canned, whole berry or jelly
- Dijon mustard or mayonnaise
- left over turkey gravy or used canned if there isn’t any gravy left
- cheese; use pretty much any cheese that you might stock at the holidays, like cheddar, gouda, gruyere, or brie
This sandwich turns leftovers into something so delicious it will make you want to roast a turkey just because! It brings all the coziness of a turkey dinner into one toasty, melty bite perfect for slow afternoons after a busy holiday. However you build yours, I hope it delivers all the comforting flavours of a holiday dinner with family!
I’ve included a recipe card below for reference, but feel free to adjust the quantities to your liking!
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Loaded Leftover Turkey Sandwich
Equipment
- 1 Panini Press or Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 1 kaiser roll, dinner roll or panini roll, split Or 2 slices sour dough bread
- 1-2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
- 3-4 pieces sliced cheddar cheese to cover the roll
- 2-3 slices of leftover turkey
- ½ cup leftover stuffing
- 2-3 tablespoons gravy
Instructions
- Preheat panini press.
- Spread cranberry sauce on bottom of roll, spreading to cover. Arrange cheese slices to cover cranberry. Layer on the sliced turkey. Spoon about a half cup of stuffing onto the turkey, arranging to cover. Drizzle with gravy and top with a few dollops of additional cranberry sauce. Cover with top of roll and press down lightly. Carefully transfer to preheated panini press and grill until cheese is melted, bun is toasted and all ingredients are heated.
