How to Make Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole Recipe: Southwest Style
Bake up this Thanksgiving leftover breakfast casserole using your Happy Thanksgiving leftover turkey!
Are you one of those people who love Thanksgiving dinner leftovers? I am! In fact, the next day I usually look forward to them even more than the original feast.
This is why I’m excited to share this recipe for a Thanksgiving leftover breakfast casserole southwest style. It’s easy to make and it’s a delicious way to use up some of your turkey leftovers lurking in your fridge.
So why not give it a try? Your taste buds will thank you!
Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole
Maybe the next morning after Thanksgiving you used a few leftovers for a breakfast sandwich in order to get to your Black Friday shopping sooner. However, now you can take a little more time to make a Thanksgiving Leftovers Breakfast Casserole. It is a great way to use up a bunch of turkey and some sweet potatoes in a savory brunch dish.
I also have substitutions for leftover mashed potatoes and leftover stuffing below if you need to use them up as well!
Also, you can freeze your leftover turkey and make this casserole much later in the holiday season. Who wouldn’t appreciate a hearty, warm, egg bake breakfast on a chilly winter morning?
Ingredients for Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole
There are many substitutions listed below for this leftover casserole dish if you don’t have the following on hand.
- 6 ounces red potatoes
- 1 small sweet potato
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 1 large red onion
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper
- 5 cups cooked turkey
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (14-ounce) can black beans
- 6 large eggs
- 2 scallions or green onions
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
For the Sauce:
- 2 ripe Haas avocados
- ½ cup packed cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 lime
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
This delicious breakfast casserole is cooked in the oven in a large casserole dish as it makes six servings. However, you can use a greased square baking pan instead if you are only making four servings.
Substitutions for this Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole
And by the way, if you have more Thanksgiving leftovers you can use these substitution ideas to incorporate them in this leftover casserole.
Mashed Potatoes and Stuffing
Instead of diced red potatoes, you can sauté hash browns with sweet potatoes. It will save time, but you’ll shorten the initial cooking time. Keep an eye on the hash browns so they don’t burn!
Besides cooking potatoes, you can simply dollop leftover mashed potatoes in the bottom of your prepared baking dish as the base for this great breakfast. Mixing in some leftover sausage stuffing would be a tasty addition as well.
This recipe will use up about four to five cups of mashed potatoes, so if you don’t have enough just boost the amount with leftover stuffing. Make sure your casserole dish is about 1/3 full with the potato mixture in an even layer.
Turkey
If you don’t have five cups of leftover turkey, use what you have and add breakfast sausage to the turkey mixture. You could also use ground beef to boost the amount of meat or in place of the leftover turkey.
You can add uncooked sausage to the bell peppers and onion while they cook. Just add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.
Don’t Like Peppers?
Feel free to substitute chopped-up leftover green beans (as long as they are not in a casserole) or other savory leftover veggies from your Thanksgiving dinner.
Also, if the heat from the jalapeno pepper is too much for you, you can absolutely leave it out. So add fresh herbs for a “cooler” flavor profile if you like!
Is Cilantro Not Your Thing?
Use leftover gravy instead. Just about a cup of gravy will be enough to drizzle on top. You can mix in some hot sauce to give it some zip and keep with the Southwest style of the dish.
Not a Fan of An Egg Breakfast Casserole?
Basically, this is your casserole. So, feel free to leave the eggs out of just your portion or even the entire dish if you like. Leaving the eggs out makes it a hash which is a very good brunch dish!
If you are not averse to dairy, instead of eggs put shredded cheese on top of the casserole. Additionally, cheddar cheese or pepper Jack would be great as a topper for this dish.
Keep in mind, the addition of cheese may not allow it to be one of the top-ranking healthy recipes, but indulging in a cheesy brunch dish is divine!
How to Make this Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole
Before you start cooking, liberally coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Then, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Following that, combine diced red and sweet potatoes with the broth in a large sauté pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook until the broth has been absorbed and the potatoes are tender but firm.
Add 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to the pan and stir to coat the potatoes. Season with a few pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until potatoes are mostly crisped and brown. Remove from heat and transfer into the prepared 9×13-inch baking dish.
Next, add 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil to separate large skillet. Place over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the bell peppers, onion, and jalapeno stirring to mix. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
Then, add diced turkey, tomatoes, and drained black beans and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often until the onion is translucent and the peppers are soft. Layer the turkey mixture evenly on top of the potato mixture in your 9×13 baking dish.
For a make-ahead option, at this point, you can cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate it. Move on to the next step when you are ready to cook and serve.
Using a large spoon, create 6 wells in the hash; break an egg into each. Then, bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until the eggs are completely set.
Sauce for the Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole
In a large bowl, combine avocado flesh, cilantro, cumin, lime juice, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until pureed. Add water one tablespoon at a time to reach a thick, pourable consistency. Transfer to a zip-top bag (snip the corner when ready to use) or pourable measuring cup.
Finally, remove the hash from the oven and drizzle with sauce or one cup gravy in a zigzag pattern. Top with chopped green onions and cilantro. Serve warm.
How to Store Leftovers
If you have any leftover casserole cover it with aluminum foil and keep it refrigerated. Reheat on medium heat in the microwave – without the foil.
Other Recipes with Thanksgiving Leftovers
If you are looking for more recipes using Thanksgiving leftovers check out this post for over 60 Recipes with Thanksgiving Leftovers.
It contains some great ideas for using up leftover cranberry relish or cranberry sauce in interesting ways.
Wine Recommendations
During the holiday season, my go-to is always bubbly. Pick an inexpensive sparkling wine or a Prosecco to enjoy with this brunch dish.
If you are looking for some inspiration and ideas for Choosing Great Sparkling Wines and Best Champagne for Thanksgiving Dinner or this holiday season, read about it HERE.
Wines that pair well with Thanksgiving dishes will also work. Here are some ideas for Budget-Friendly Wines with Thanksgiving Foods.
Make this Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole
The next time you need a great way to use up turkey leftovers, I hope you’ll remember this recipe!
This (fairly) healthy breakfast option is a perfect way, and one of the easiest ways, to use up leftovers from your Thanksgiving day meal. The great thing is your friends and family will not realize they are eating leftovers again!
I think this casserole is a great dish to share at breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner! This easy recipe can be changed to your liking to use up even more of your Thanksgiving dinner leftovers.
Enjoy your holiday season!
Cheers Y’all!
Psssst….Pass along this gift to your friends. Share with them on social media! Sharing is caring you know!
Southwest Style Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- skillet
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 6 ounces red potatoes with skin cut into ½ inch dice (about 3 cups)
- 1 small sweet potato ½ inch dice
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium red bell pepper stemmed, seeded and cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 medium green bell pepper stemmed, seeded and cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 large red onion cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
- 5 cups cooked turkey diced
- 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 14 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 6 eggs
- 2 scallions finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped for garnish (optional)
- Sauce
- Flesh of 2 ripe Haas avocados
- ½ cup packed cilantro leaves and stems rough chop
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 lime juiced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Water
Instructions
- Liberally coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine diced red and sweet potatoes with the broth in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook until the broth has been absorbed and potatoes are tender but firm.
- Add 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to the pan and stir to coat potatoes. Season with a few pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until potatoes are mostly crisped and brown. Remove from heat and transfer into the prepared 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Add 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil to separate large skillet. Place over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the bell peppers, onion, and jalapeno stirring to mix. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add diced turkey, diced tomatoes, and drained black beans and cook 5 minutes stirring often until onion is translucent and peppers are soft. Layer evenly on top of the potato mixture in your 9×13 baking dish.
- Using a large spoon, create 6 wells in the hash; break an egg into each. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until the eggs are completely set.
- For the sauce: Combine avocado flesh, cilantro, cumin, lime juice, a pinch of salt and pinch of pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Process until pureed. Add water one tablespoon at a time to reach a thick, pourable consistency. Transfer to a zip top bag (snip the corner when ready to use) or pourable measuring cup.
- Remove hash from oven and drizzle with sauce in a zigzag pattern. Top with chopped scallions and cilantro. Serve warm.