Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe Series
1 of 5

If you are like me, you can get a bit overboard when it comes to preparing your decadent Thanksgiving spread. After all, what would Thanksgiving be without bowls overflowing with turkey, stuffing, and mac & cheese (if you are from Delaware)?

The problem is—every year we are left wondering what to do with all those leftover containers stuffing our refrigerators.

This five part series is here to help.

We've prepared creative post-Thanksgiving recipes that will allow you to get the most out of your leftovers. 

Disclaimer : We are not saying there is anything wrong with eating turkey sandwiches everyday for two weeks. On the contrary, if that's what floats your boat why not use these containers that will keep your sandwiches cool while on-the-go?

First, we wanted to share a twist on a mac and cheese recipe. Mac and cheese and stuffing are classic Thanksgiving side dishes—we love them both and can’t decide which one is our favorite. So, we combined them both to make this delicious recipe. We think you’ll enjoy this one. 

STUFFED MAC AND CHEESE
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients: 

1 cup leftover turkey, shredded
1 cup leftover stuffing 
1 box of Cavatappi (or any pasta you like), cooked near al dente
1 tbsp unsalted butter (for coating pasta after cooking)
Salt and pepper to taste

For Roux:

6 tbsp unsalted butter 
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

For Cheese Sauce:

3 cups whole milk 
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded (substitute your favorite)
2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded (substitute your favorite)

For Topping Mix before Baking:

1 1/2 cups panko crumbs 
4 tbsp butter melted
1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
1/4 tsp smoked or regular paprika 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil water for pasta. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside. Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside. For topping, use a small bowl to combine panko crumbs, parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika and set aside.

Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to box instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to pasta to coat it. Set aside to cool.

To prepare cheese sauce, melt the 6 tbsps of butter in a deep saucepan. Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden. Gradually whisk in milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add in salt and pepper as desired. Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. Sauce should be nice and thick. 

Stir in the cooled pasta until combined and pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce. Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish and then layer with shredded turkey, stuffing and remaining cheese sauce. Add a second layer of mac and cheese, turkey, and stuffing. Top with remaining cheese sauce. 

Sprinkle the topping mix over the top and bake, about 30 minutes. To get topping golden brown, broil for an additional 5 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes and enjoy! 

We hope you enjoy the first recipe in our Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe Series! Stay tuned for the other four recipes in this series. Be sure to tag @ZokuHQ in your reimagined Thanksgiving culinary creations and use the hashtag #ZokuCreations

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