Sandwiches & Burgers Canadian

Thanksgiving Leftover Panini

Leftover turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and cheese are pressed between buttered bread and served with warm gravy for dunking. Thanksgiving leftovers have now entered their second career.

Thanksgiving Leftover Panini

What It Is

This is a hot pressed sandwich built from leftover roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and Muenster cheese, with gravy served on the side.

Origin

Panini are Italian pressed sandwiches, while using Thanksgiving leftovers this way is a modern North American adaptation. The source connects the recipe to Canada, the U.S. and Italy but does not establish one documented inventor.

Fun Fact

Leftover turkey should be refrigerated promptly after the meal and used within a few days. Turning it into a hot sandwich is delicious, but it does not reset the food-safety clock.

Prep
10 min
Cook
8 min
Temp
Panini press or skillet, medium heat
Total
18 min
Servings
2 paninis
(assuming no one present is secretly a moose)
Difficulty
easy
Nut-Free High-Protein
Diet
Nut-Free, High-Protein
Away Mission
320 min walk
(about one moderately tense turbolift ride)
#cranberry #gravy #leftovers #panini #stuffing #thanksgiving #turkey

Ingredients

  • 4 slices ciabatta, sourdough or good-quality white bread
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1½ cups leftover turkey
  • 1 cup leftover stuffing
  • ½ cup cranberry sauce
  • 4 slices Muenster cheese
  • 1 cup leftover turkey gravy

Steps

  1. Heat a panini press or large skillet over medium heat and lightly grease if needed.
  2. Butter one side of each bread slice.
  3. Top two slices with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and cheese.
  4. Close with the remaining bread slices, buttered sides facing outward.
  5. Cook 2–4 minutes, or until bread is golden and cheese has melted.
  6. Serve immediately with warm gravy for dipping.

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Notes

The source makes a claim that Canadians in Newfoundland and P.E.I. 'perfected' this exact sandwich; that is treated as humour rather than documented history.

Nutrition Facts
Per 1 panini
Calories 1440
Burning this off: one Tragically Hip song, played loud, on a treadmill.
% Daily Value*
Fat 42.0 g 56%
Saturated + Trans 20 g 100%**
Cholesterol 330 mg
Sodium 1700 mg 74%
Carbohydrate 134.0 g
Fibre 7.0 g 25%
Sugars 16.0 g 16%
Protein 125.0 g
Potassium 1160 mg 25%
Calcium 700 mg 54%
Iron 12.0 mg 67%
*5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot. Sodium levels calculated in a country with universal healthcare — and it's free, so don't worry about it too much.
**This dish means well. Some numbers above are having a bit of a moment. Delicious? Absolutely. A daily habit? Let's not. Eat it, enjoy it, then maybe take the stairs.

Substitutions

Use sourdough, ciabatta, whole-grain or gluten-free bread. Swap Muenster for cheddar, Swiss or Brie. Add roasted vegetables if they are also glaring at you from the fridge.

Storage

Refrigerate assembled leftovers promptly. Best eaten fresh. Leftover filling components should be used within their normal safe refrigerated storage window.

Freezing

Not recommended assembled. Turkey and stuffing can be frozen separately if they were handled safely before freezing.