Thanksgiving Leftover Sliders (Turkey, Stuffing & Cranberry)

Thanksgiving dinner leaves a trail of delicious containers, and the day after might be the best part of the holiday if you know what to do with it. These Thanksgiving leftover sliders take the three stars of the Thanksgiving table — turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce — and stack them into warm, pull-apart rolls that taste like the holiday in sandwich form.

Everything goes into the oven in one baking dish. A layer of shredded turkey meets a generous scoop of stuffing and a bright streak of cranberry sauce, all held together with melty cheese and sealed under soft sweet dinner rolls brushed with garlic-herb butter. Twenty minutes of baking turns the whole thing golden and gooey, and you can pull each slider right out of the pan.

This is the kind of recipe that makes Friday-after-Thanksgiving feel like its own event. It feeds a crowd with almost no effort, uses up the leftovers that are crowding the fridge, and reheats beautifully if any survive the first round. Whether you are hosting a leftovers party or just want the turkey sandwich to end all turkey sandwiches, these sliders deliver.

The beauty of this recipe is how forgiving it is. Leftover turkey breast, dark meat, or a mix of both all work. Store-bought rolls are perfect — no homemade bread required. And the cranberry sauce, whether it is the jellied kind from a can or homemade whole-berry, melts into the warm filling and gives every bite that sweet-tart Thanksgiving flavor. Once you make these sliders once, the day after Thanksgiving will never just be a turkey-sandwich day again.

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Ingredients

Makes 12 sliders.

• 12-count package sweet dinner rolls (such as Hawaiian rolls), kept connected
• 3 cups shredded or sliced leftover cooked turkey (white or dark meat)
• 2 cups leftover stuffing, roughly crumbled
• 3/4 cup cranberry sauce (whole berry or jellied)
• 6 slices provolone or Swiss cheese (or 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, for the topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
2. Slice the rolls. Without separating the rolls, use a long serrated knife to slice the entire sheet in half horizontally, keeping the top and bottom sheets intact. Place the bottom sheet into the prepared baking dish.
3. Layer the turkey. Spread the shredded or sliced turkey evenly over the bottom half of the rolls, going edge to edge so every slider gets some. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Add the stuffing and cranberry. Crumble the stuffing over the turkey in an even layer. Dollop the cranberry sauce over the stuffing and spread it gently with the back of a spoon — it does not need to be perfectly even; streaks are fine.
5. Add the cheese. Lay the cheese slices (or scatter the shredded mozzarella) over the cranberry layer so they cover the surface. This helps hold everything together when the sliders melt.
6. Close the sandwiches. Place the top sheet of rolls over the cheese, lining it up with the bottom sheet.
7. Make the butter topping. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, Dijon mustard, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Brush the mixture generously over the tops of the rolls, letting it drip into the seams between them. Sprinkle with Parmesan if using.
8. Bake covered. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the filling is heated through.
9. Uncover and brown. Remove the foil and bake for 5 to 7 more minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the butter topping is bubbly at the edges.
10. Rest and pull apart. Let the sliders rest for 5 minutes so the cheese sets slightly. Use a sharp knife to cut along the roll lines if needed, then pull the sliders apart and serve warm.

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Tips for the Best Sliders

• Warm the filling slightly first. If your leftovers are straight from the fridge, cold stuffing can slow the melting. Warm the turkey and stuffing in the microwave for 60 to 90 seconds before layering so the sliders heat evenly.
• Do not skimp on the butter topping. It is what makes the roll tops golden, glossy, and flavorful. Brush it on generously and make sure some seeps between the rolls.
• Keep the rolls connected. Slicing the whole sheet at once keeps the layers even and makes the sliders pull apart neatly after baking. A long serrated bread knife gives the cleanest cut.
• Cover with foil first. The covered bake steams the sliders and melts the cheese without over-browning the tops. Uncovering at the end gives you the golden finish.
• Go edge to edge. Spread every layer all the way to the edges of the pan so the corner sliders are just as loaded as the middle ones.
• Choose cheese that melts. Provolone, Swiss, and mozzarella all melt smoothly and bind the layers. Avoid pre-crumbled hard cheeses, which melt unevenly and can turn greasy.

Storage and Reheating

Store leftover sliders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, cover with foil and warm in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until heated through — the foil keeps the rolls from drying out. A quick zap in the microwave (30 to 45 seconds per slider) works in a pinch, though the tops will not be as crisp. These sliders are best eaten within a day or two; the rolls soften the longer they sit with the cranberry sauce. Freezing is not recommended, as the thawed rolls and cranberry layer tend to turn soggy.

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Nutrition

Estimated per slider (1 of 12): 285 calories, 14g fat, 6g saturated fat, 22g carbohydrates, 9g sugar, 16g protein, 2g fiber, 420mg sodium. These values are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data and will vary based on your specific leftovers, the brand of rolls, and the type of cheese used.