How To Use Up Leftover Pumpkin – 10 Healthy Ways To Use Up Leftover Pumpkin And Other Thanksgiving Leftovers

If any one food comes to mind when fall begins, pumpkin is probably it. This is when it is all about pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin cookies. While these are delicious treats, it is important to aim for balance with your health. Here you will learn how to use up leftover pumpkin plus other healthy ways to use up thanksgiving leftovers.

If you’re unsure what to do with all that leftover turkey, keep reading. It is possible to take Thanksgiving leftovers and turn them into new, healthy meals the whole family will love! In their original, unprocessed form, many of the foods, like pumpkin, that we typically enjoy during the fall and Thanksgiving are pretty healthy.

Benefits of Pumpkin in the Fall

Pumpkins are a great addition to a healthy lifestyle. In the fall, they’re usually cheaper because they’re in season. Combine their frugality with their tastiness and you have a near perfect fall combination. Who doesn’t love to save money and eat delicious food?

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Related: How To Make The Most Of Fall Produce For Kids

In addition to how delicious it tastes and how versatile pumpkin is, there are also some great benefits to choosing this vegetable in the fall. Here are some top benefits:

Nutrients You Get from Pumpkin

As you might guess, pumpkin has a lot of amazing vitamins and minerals! In addition to the lower calories and just great taste of pumpkin, enjoying it in the fall can increase the nutrients you are consuming. Some of the nutrients also vary based on whether you are eating the meat inside the pumpkin, or the actual pumpkin seeds. Here are some nutrients you will get:

• Potassium – To start with, your pumpkin meat will contain potassium, which is great for helping to lower your blood pressure and boost your heart health.
• Beta carotene – Beta carotene is found in fruits and vegetables that are an orange color, and that includes pumpkin. 
• Vitamin C – If you need more vitamin C, but aren’t a fan of citrus fruits, you can get a good amount of it in your pumpkin meat. This is not only a beneficial vitamin on its own, but it can help you to absorb iron.
• Nutrients in Seeds – As for the pumpkin seeds, you will get vitamins like zinc, omega 3s, magnesium, and tryptophan.

How To Use Up Leftover Pumpkin – 5 Healthy Fall Recipes

Looking for some healthier ways to enjoy your pumpkin? Here are some quick ideas:

4. Healthier pumpkin spice latte – If you want a pumpkin spice latte without the added sugar, use your pumpkin and spices, then use a dairy-free option like oat milk or almond milk, and add a lower sugar option for sweetening it, such as Stevia or monkfruit.

5. Dessert hummus – Pumpkin and chickpeas pureed with traditional pumpkin spices and maybe a splash of vanilla extract. Use a nut butter for added protein and nutrients and add in a lower sugar option to sweeten it to your liking.

Related: How To Get Kids To Eat Veggies – 13 Healthy Eating Tips

You can also add pureed pumpkin to your pasta sauce. That’s a great way to incorporate extra veggies into kid-friendly meals. Of course, pumpkin will easily blend into many casseroles, as well. Another great option for getting extra vegetables into the kiddos.

How to Use Thanksgiving Leftovers for Healthy Meals

Now that you’ve seen all of the family and cleaning up that massive mess left by children and fun-loving pets, you peer into your refrigerator and what do you see? Tubs, and tubs of leftovers. Every year, it seems to be a struggle to figure out what to do with massive amounts of food leftover from holiday functions.

But, with a little creativity, your leftovers can soon become the best part of Thanksgiving. Here’s some healthy ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers:

1. Hot Turkey Melt

This one probably seems super obvious, but turkey can go a long way in a variety of meals. The easiest of which is to just make a sandwich. Take 2 slices of bread, if you want to get fancy you can use a marbled bread, and slice turkey as thinly as you can.

2. Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Do you have leftover sweet potatoes? Try this to give them new exciting life. Put a small amount of water and oil in a shallow pan and bring to a boil. Place the leftover pieces of sweet potato into the water and oil mixture and cook until warm, then add chili powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Blend for 1 -2 minutes on a high setting and pour the contents into a bowl. You can garnish with parsley. If you want to add a bit of creamy texture to it, you can add plain Greek yogurt. To turn up the heat, add some diced, sautéed jalapeños. 

Related: What is shelf cooking? How can it help you?

3. Turkey Stuffing Chili 

Stuffing can be a tough leftover to do new things with, but here’s one that is guaranteed to make you want to keep it around. You can make a chili by boiling beans until they are halfway cooked and adding celery, onions and green or red peppers.

Once the mixture is soft to where the beans mash between your fingers, add bits of turkey and stuffing, stirring it the entire time for complete mixing. Stir in chili powder, ground cumin, salt, pepper, and paprika. Turn off the heat and you’re done! 

4. Thanksgiving Leftovers Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a great way to use up leftovers because you can throw just about anything into them, melt it all together, and it will taste delicious! Start with a whole grain tortilla then add the ingredients. Leftover veggies? Throw them in. Leftover turkey? Add it in. Leftover cranberry sauce? Great idea, add it!

Add some cheese and top with another tortilla, warm it up, and you’re good to go. You’ve just prepared an easy, shelf cooking approved meal in hardly any time at all. The best part? If you use mostly thanksgiving leftovers, this meal won’t cost much at all.

5. Slow Cooker Turkey Enchilada Casserole

Put that leftover turkey meat and some enchilada sauce in the slow cooker. Make your own enchilada sauce for an added health factor. I bet you could even hide some pureed pumpkin in the enchilada sauce! Cook on high for four hours or low for 6-8 hours. Shred the turkey as needed, cut whole wheat or corn tortillas into strips and mix in.

Next, add some cheese if you wish, then smooth it all out and top with cheese. You could also add black olives, jalapeños, green onions, or whatever you wish. Let it all cook together for another 40-60 minutes before enjoying. This would be the perfect meal for the day after your holiday gathering, when nobody feels like cooking. If you use a crockpot liner, there’s hardly any clean up, too!

Related: How To Seriously Reduce Your Grocery Budget – Shelftember Challenge

How To Use Up Thanksgiving Leftovers

Get creative. You can substitute turkey in for chicken in most chicken recipes. Use leftover vegetables in new casseroles. Take leftover casseroles, add some new vegetables or maybe even leftover turkey and create a new casserole. Leftover pumpkin can become soups, sauces, casseroles, desserts, and more.

The options for using up Thanksgiving leftovers are nearly endless. There are tons of healthy ways to use up leftover pumpkin that don’t include added sugar. As with any shelf cooking adventure, it just requires you to get a little creative. What are some of your healthy ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers? Do you have a secret for how to use up leftover pumpkin? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Until next time,
Stay courageous!