Repurpose your leftovers into delicious Thanksgiving Burritos. Use any holiday dinner foods like green beans, turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and more and roll them up inside a large wheat tortilla.
I am a big believer in transforming leftovers! Check out this post all about repurposing leftover chili.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a big batch meal that means no cooking the next day. But my family and I usually get tired after eating the same thing more than twice in a row.
Sure, you can always freeze leftover for another day. But transforming leftovers into a different meal altogether is my favorite!
It was during the last holiday season that this idea for a burrito filled with Thanksgiving leftovers was born. We don't really use the microwave to warm up individual plates of food.
But I was so tired of taking out individual containers of turkey, and gravy, and green beans, and stuffing from the fridge and warming them up individually for the third time...
I happened to have large tortillas wraps at home, because I was testing these vegan burritos back then. So I tried filling one of the wraps with some of the leftovers.
And it turned out to be one of the most epic lunches I ever had!
How to Make Thanksgiving Burritos
First, I thought about which specific food items would go well together. I wanted turkey and gravy to be part of the burrito. But also wanted to avoid leaky gravy mess everywhere.
So I shredded some turkey meat and combined it with the gravy. The shredded meat could absorbed more of the gravy, for more gravy flavor right with the turkey and less gravy leaking all over and outside the burrito.
I placed the turkey-gravy mix in the center bottom of a large tortilla wrap. Then I spread a little cranberry sauce below the meat so that I could enjoy both gravy AND cranberry sauce with the turkey bites.
On the other side of the gravy meat I spread some leftover stuffing. Because I love gravy on my stuffing (as well as on turkey and mashed potatoes).
As the last ingredient I added roasted green beans for the veggie side dish component of this thanksgiving burrito.
To wrap up the burrito, fold over the sides first. Then roll the tortilla up tightly from the bottom.
Which Thanksgiving Leftovers make a good burrito filling?
Now the pictures above include the leftover combination that I thought would go well together. Of course, you can fill your burrito with whatever leftovers you have on hand. But I am not going to guarantee that any random combo will taste good.
So put a little thought into which foods you enjoy and would go well together. Sweet potato casserole or leftover mashed potatoes with turkey meat would also be delicious in my opinion.
But then I would leave out the stuffing - just to not make it too much of a mix where in the end you can't taste any individual foods anymore. Sticking to 2-3 items + condiments is a good rule of thumb.
The only food I'd advise to avoid are salads - at least if you plan on warming up the burrito. Warm salad just doesn't sound delicious in my books.
Can you make ahead these burritos?
Yes, absolutely!
I already mentioned how much I despise first packing up all leftovers into individual containers. And then dragging out and reheating everything separately afterwards.
So if you enjoy Thanksgiving Leftover Burritos, you could just wrap up as many as you want (and can eat within 3-4 days post holiday). You might even be able to take care of all your leftovers that way. If you so wanted.
Store the filled burritos wrapped in parchment or foil in the fridge. Then reheat when ready to eat.
How to warm up Leftover Turkey Burritos
- Panini Press
Place your burrito in the panini press until heated through. I love this option because the heat from the top and bottom of the press warms up the burrito quickly. And I love the crunchy browned 'grill marks' - Frying Pan
Preheat a frying pan and place the burrito seam-side down. (That's the method I used in the pictures)
Flip the burrito occasionally to warm it evenly throughout. You could even put a lid on the pan to speed up the reheating process. - Microwave
Reheating a burrito in the microwave is the quickest method. But not everyone likes using the microwave (we don't). And you also don't get any crunchy, browned outside this way. - Oven
Place the parchment or foil wrapped burrito in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until the burrito is warmed through the center.
Let me know:
I'd love to hear which typical Thanksgiving foods you'd love to eat wrapped up in a burrito on day 2 or 3?
Ingredients
- Tortilla
- Turkey
- Green beans
- Stuffing
- Gravy
- Cranberry sauce
Instructions
- Shred turkey and mix with gravy.
- Lay out tortilla and add filling (roasted vegetables, cranberry sauce, turkey, gravy, stuffing).Fold edges and roll up.
- Warm in a panini press, pan, or microwave.
- Make ahead, wrap in parchment or foil.
- Refrigerate and reheat when ready to eat.
Common Questions
A Gobblerito typically consists of Thanksgiving leftovers wrapped in a large wheat tortilla. Common ingredients include shredded turkey mixed with gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and roasted green beans, among other possible components.
Yes, you can freeze burritos. It's best to wrap them in parchment paper or aluminum foil and then place them in an airtight and freezer-safe container. Frozen burritos can last for several months if stored properly.
There are several methods for reheating meal prep burritos. You can use a panini press for quick and even heating with a crispy exterior, a frying pan for stovetop reheating, a microwave for a speedy option, or an oven for a slower but more thorough reheating process.
To store burritos, wrap them in parchment paper or aluminum foil and keep them in the refrigerator. They can be stored for 3-4 days post-holiday. Make sure to reheat them thoroughly before consuming.
More Thanksgiving Dinner Leftover ideas:
Recipe
Thanksgiving Leftovers Burrito
Ingredients
- 1 large (whole wheat) flour tortilla
- roast turkey
- green beans
- stuffing
- gravy
- cranberry sauce
Instructions
- If you are using turkey and gravy in your Thanksgiving burrito, shred the turkey meat and combine it with the gravy. This allows the meat to absorb at least some of the gravy, for the best turkey + gravy flavor.
- Lay out your large tortilla and arrange your preferred leftover combination in the center bottom of the tortilla wrap.
- I suggest a combination of roasted vegetables (like green beans), cranberry sauce, turkey meat, gravy, and stuffing.
- Fold the outside edges of the tortilla over the thanksgiving filling. While holding in the sides, roll up the burrito from the bottom.
- Warm up the burrito in a panini press, a preheated pan, or in the microwave.
- You can also make ahead several Thanksgiving burritos, then wrap them in parchment or foil. Refrigerate the burritos, then reheat when ready to eat.
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