$50 Thanksgiving Dinner + A Week of Leftovers

I made a full Thanksgiving dinner plus a week of meals using the leftovers for about $50 for my family of 4. The goal was to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, carrots, and dessert, then make sure those ingredients didn’t go to waste after the holiday.

The $50 grocery budget covered the Thanksgiving dinner and the ingredients I used for the leftover meals throughout the week, aside from a few basic pantry staples I already had on hand. We turned the leftover turkey and sides into turkey pot pie, tacos or burritos, turkey noodle soup, turkey salad sandwiches, and Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches.

Budget note: Grocery prices vary by store, location, and brand. This $50 total includes the Thanksgiving dinner and ingredients for the leftover meals, aside from a few pantry staples I already had on hand for my family of 4 from my Walmart in Utah.

The first part of this meal plan is the full Thanksgiving dinner. Save the extra turkey and sides because we’ll use them throughout the rest of the week.

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1. Roasted Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 whole 17-pound turkey
• 5 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp celery powder
• 2–3 tsp sage
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp rosemary

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, salt, pepper, celery powder, sage, thyme, and rosemary.
3. Brush the seasoned butter all over the turkey, including inside the cavity.
4. Roast according to the turkey’s weight and package directions, checking the temperature as it cooks. A 17-pound unstuffed turkey may take approximately 4¼–5¾ hours, but cooking time varies.
5. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer. The turkey is safe to eat when it reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing.

Let the turkey rest before carving.

Want another option? Try my Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey with Mashed Potatoes for an easy slow cooker version with turkey, potatoes, and homemade gravy.

2. Pumpkin Crumble Dump Cake

Ingredients and instructions

Follow the recipe here: Pumpkin Crumble Dump Cake.

This easy fall dessert is a great addition to your Thanksgiving table without needing to create a recipe from scratch.

3. Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients and instructions

Follow the recipe here: Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes.

These creamy, flavorful mashed potatoes pair perfectly with turkey and gravy.

Want a different potato side? Try my Creamy Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes.

4. Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 box of stuffing mix
• Ingredients listed on the box
• Diced celery and onion (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare the stuffing according to the package directions.
2. For extra flavor, sauté diced celery and onion until softened before adding them to the stuffing.
3. Mix everything together and serve warm.

Want homemade stuffing instead? Try my Easy Thanksgiving Stuffing or Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing.

5. Turkey Gravy

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups turkey drippings
• 1 packet of the gravy mix that comes with your turkey

Instructions

1. Prepare the gravy according to the packet directions, using the turkey drippings as directed.
2. Stir until smooth and heated through. If needed, adjust the liquid according to the packet instructions.

6. Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 can cranberry sauce

Instructions

Open the can, slice or spoon the cranberry sauce into a serving dish, and serve alongside your Thanksgiving meal. Save the leftovers for the recipes later in the week!

Prefer homemade? Try my Homemade Cranberry Sauce.

7. Honey-Roasted Carrots

Ingredients

• 6 carrots, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• A small dash of pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Toss the sliced carrots with olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, and pumpkin pie spice.
3. Spread the carrots in a small baking dish.
4. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the carrots are tender, stirring halfway through if needed.

Want another holiday side? My Southern Sweet Potato Casserole is sweet, buttery, and topped with a crunchy pecan topping.

Want homemade bread too? These Easy One Hour Dinner Rolls are soft, buttery, and can be made from start to finish in about an hour.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a bowl, combine the chopped turkey, carrots, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mixed vegetables, cream of chicken soup, salt, pepper, minced onion, sage, and thyme. Stir until well combined.
3. Lightly spray a pie dish with cooking spray and press one pie crust into the bottom.
4. Pour the filling into the crust and spread it evenly.
5. Place the second pie crust over the filling. Seal the edges and cut a few slits in the top to let steam escape.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is hot. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.

I also have another Turkey Pot Pie on the site if you want another easy way to use turkey after the holidays.

9. Easy Turkey Tacos or Burritos

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bag microwaveable Spanish-style rice
• ¾ cup water
• 2 tbsp taco seasoning
• 8 tortillas

Instructions

1. Prepare the Spanish-style rice according to the package directions.
2. In a skillet, combine the turkey, pinto beans, cooked rice, water, and taco seasoning.
3. Stir well and simmer until heated through and the flavors have combined.
4. Spoon the filling into tortillas and roll into burritos, or fold them into tacos.

Makes approximately 8 burritos, depending on the size of your tortillas.

10. Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 6 carrots, chopped
• 4 ribs celery, sliced
• 1–2 tbsp cooking oil
• 8½ cups chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
• ¼ cup leftover turkey gravy
• 1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• ½ bag egg noodles

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the carrots and celery and cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
3. Pour in the chicken broth and stir in the turkey, leftover gravy, and cream of chicken soup.
4. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.
5. Add the egg noodles and simmer for another 8–10 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve warm.

Soup is one of my favorite ways to stretch leftover meat into another filling family dinner. If you want another cozy option, my Chicken Pot Pie Soup is another simple comfort-food recipe.

11. Turkey Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
• 2–4 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp leftover cranberry sauce
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1–2 tbsp mustard
• A dash of salt
• A dash of black pepper
• Bread for serving

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the chopped turkey, celery, cranberry sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper.
2. Stir until everything is evenly coated. Add more mayonnaise or mustard to taste.
3. Spoon the turkey salad onto slices of bread and serve as sandwiches.

12. Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwiches

Ingredients

• Sliced bread
• Leftover turkey, sliced or chopped
• Leftover mashed potatoes
• Leftover stuffing
• Leftover cranberry sauce
• Leftover turkey gravy

Instructions

1. Warm the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy.
2. Toast or warm the bread, then drizzle or spread a little gravy over it.
3. Layer the mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, and cranberry sauce on top.
4. Finish with another spoonful of warm gravy, if desired, and serve immediately.

How This $50 Thanksgiving Dinner Stretches Through the Week

The best part of this meal plan is that the Thanksgiving groceries aren’t just paying for one big dinner. The turkey becomes the base for five additional leftover meals, and even the smaller Thanksgiving sides get reused.

The leftover carrots, stuffing, and cranberry sauce go into the turkey pot pie. Turkey becomes tacos or burritos with beans and rice. More turkey and a little leftover gravy become turkey noodle soup. Cranberry sauce gets another use in the turkey salad, and the classic Thanksgiving sandwich uses several leftovers at once.

That gives you the big Thanksgiving dinner plus five different ways to use the leftovers, all from the same roughly $50 grocery budget aside from a few pantry staples.