The Moist Maker Leftover Turkey Sandwich
A double-decker of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce with an extra slice of bread soaked in hot gravy hidden in the middle. Inspired by a 1998 sitcom episode, not official.
Edited by JP Lambiase
Change the estimate
Swaps change the price only: cook any meat to its own safe temperature. Where these numbers come from
The sandwich was made by his sister Monica, and her secret, as Ross explains it, is an extra slice of gravy-soaked bread in the middle that he calls the Moist Maker (InsideHook, November 23, 2018:). The show never gives a recipe, so every version is somebody's reconstruction.
🎬 The full story: 10 Leftover Turkey Recipes From Around the World (One Is a Sitcom Sandwich)
🇺🇸 This one is American
A double-decker of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce with an extra slice of bread soaked in hot gravy hidden in the middle. Inspired by a 1998 sitcom episode, not official.
🇺🇸 The original
The oldest American leftover recipe here is 1896 scalloped turkey: cold turkey layered with buttered crumbs and gravy and baked. See the Scalloped Turkey (Fannie Farmer, 1896) recipe.
📖 : How Long Do Thanksgiving Leftovers Last? → 📖 Origin story: What Is the Moist Maker Sandwich? →
Why it works the kitchen science
The middle slice is the point
Toasted bread soaked in thick gravy holds the gravy like a sponge, so it moistens the turkey and stuffing on both sides without leaking out of the sandwich.
Toast everything first
Toasted slices stand up to wet layers; untoasted bread soaked in gravy falls apart before it reaches the sandwich.
🧰 You'll need 9 items
Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
Appliances
Pans and pots
Tools
Supplies
Step by step
- Step 1
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until it smells toasty. Slowly whisk in the broth and simmer, whisking often, 5 to 7 minutes, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt and pepper and keep it warm over low heat.
- Step 2
Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread the stuffing in a small baking dish, sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the gravy, cover with foil and heat 15 to 20 minutes, until it reads 165°F in the center.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, toast all 12 slices of bread until lightly golden.
- Step 4
Pour some of the gravy into a shallow dish. Lay 4 of the toasted slices in it, turn them once and let them soak about 30 seconds per side, until saturated but still holding together. Lift them onto a plate.
✓ What it should look like - Step 5
Build each sandwich: spread a slice of toast with mayonnaise, add 2 lettuce leaves, 2 tomato slices and 3 oz turkey. Lay a gravy-soaked slice on top (the Moist Maker), then a quarter of the hot stuffing and 1/4 cup cranberry sauce.
- Step 6
Spread the last slice with mayonnaise and set it on top, mayonnaise side down. Push a long toothpick through the middle, cut the sandwich in half and serve with the rest of the warm gravy for dipping.
The Moist Maker Leftover Turkey Sandwich
Serves 4 · 4 three-slice sandwiches · 40 min total
Gravy for soaking
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups turkey broth (or low-sodium chicken broth)
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Sandwiches
- 12 slices sandwich bread, white, whole wheat or sourdough
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 8 lettuce leaves
- 8 tomato slices
- 12 oz leftover roast turkey breast, sliced (about 12 slices)
- 2 cups leftover stuffing
- 1 cup cranberry sauce
- 4 long toothpicks or skewers
Equipment: Oven, Baking dish, Medium saucepan, Instant-read thermometer, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Whisk, Aluminum foil, Toothpicks
Method
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until it smells toasty. Slowly whisk in the broth and simmer, whisking often, 5 to 7 minutes, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt and pepper and keep it warm over low heat.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread the stuffing in a small baking dish, sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the gravy, cover with foil and heat 15 to 20 minutes, until it reads 165°F in the center.
- Meanwhile, toast all 12 slices of bread until lightly golden.
- Pour some of the gravy into a shallow dish. Lay 4 of the toasted slices in it, turn them once and let them soak about 30 seconds per side, until saturated but still holding together. Lift them onto a plate.
- Build each sandwich: spread a slice of toast with mayonnaise, add 2 lettuce leaves, 2 tomato slices and 3 oz turkey. Lay a gravy-soaked slice on top (the Moist Maker), then a quarter of the hot stuffing and 1/4 cup cranberry sauce.
- Spread the last slice with mayonnaise and set it on top, mayonnaise side down. Push a long toothpick through the middle, cut the sandwich in half and serve with the rest of the warm gravy for dipping.
Adapted from "Turkey Moist Maker Sandwich" by Sabrina Snyder of Dinner then Dessert, as published by the National Turkey Federation (eatturkey.org), as written for 4. The reheating rule (165°F) is from UGA Extension. We use leftover roast turkey breast instead of the page's slow-cooker turkey breast. Inspired by, not official. National Turkey Federation. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (4)
Tips
- Have leftover gravy? Skip step 1, but bring it to a rolling boil first, and use it within 1 to 2 days of the holiday meal (Minnesota Department of Health).
- Keep the turkey cold or warm it, your choice; cold turkey is fine inside the 3 to 4 day window.
- Eat it the same day you build it; it is a lot of sandwich.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- The Moist Maker is a real family recipe. Folklore: it is a fictional sandwich from a sitcom script; there is no original recipe to be faithful to.
- The leftover turkey sandwich started in New England. Disputed: Wikipedia cites a 1915 Chicago trade journal recipe and New England claims by the 1950s; neither is proof of a first.
- Folklore: the show describes turkey and the gravy-soaked slice; stuffing and cranberry are what most reconstructions, including the National Turkey Federation's, add.
Every other leftover turkey recipe
Scalloped Turkey (Fannie Farmer, 1896)
The oldest American leftover-turkey casserole we found in print: cold roast turkey in a simple white sauce made with stock from the bones, between layers of buttered cracker crumbs, baked in a hot oven until brown.
Leftover Turkey Pho
The day-after carcass becomes pho: toasted star anise, cloves, coriander and cinnamon, charred-sweet onion and ginger, a little apple and cabbage, simmered into a clear broth and ladled over rice noodles, sliced turkey and fresh herbs.
Turkey Pot Pie with a Stuffing Crust
A creamy skillet filling of leftover turkey, onion, celery, peas and carrots, topped with wedges of leftover stuffing bound with an egg and baked crisp at 475°F, in about half an hour and one pan.
Diner Hot Turkey Sandwich with Gravy
The diner classic, open-faced: toasted white bread, leftover turkey warmed in stock, a scoop of mashed potatoes and a peppery, egg-enriched gravy ladled over everything.
Croquetas de Pavo (Spanish Turkey Croquettes)
Spain's favorite way to stretch leftover meat: finely chopped turkey cooked into a very thick bechamel of milk and turkey broth, chilled, shaped into little logs, coated in egg and crumbs and fried until crisp outside and creamy inside.
Turkey Korokke (Japanese Potato Croquettes)
Japan's home-style croquette with Thanksgiving leftovers inside: fluffy mashed russet potatoes folded with leftover turkey and slowly cooked onion, shaped into ovals, rolled in flour, egg and panko and fried golden, with tonkatsu sauce.
Stuffing Waffles with Turkey and Gravy
Leftover stuffing bound with egg and parsley, pressed into a hot waffle iron until crisp in every square, then topped with turkey warmed right in the iron, hot gravy and cranberry sauce.
Turkey Chilaquiles Verdes
Mexico's own leftover rescue with turkey: a broiled tomatillo and serrano salsa simmered with broth and shredded turkey, tortilla chips stirred in and softened for 4 minutes, finished with crema, aged cheese, onion, cilantro and a fried egg.
Turkey Carcass Noodle Soup
The last thing the bird gives you: the roast turkey carcass simmered four hours with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, white wine and herbs into a rich stock, then made into soup with fresh vegetables, pasta shells and the meat picked from the bones.
Turkey Cobb Salad
Cubed leftover turkey breast in neat rows with chopped egg, avocado, crisp bacon, grape tomatoes, blue cheese and chives on romaine and watercress, every part tossed in its own share of a mustardy red wine vinaigrette.
Leftover Turkey Banh Mi
Twenty minutes to a Vietnamese-American holiday snack: crisp warm baguette spread with mayo and a splash of Maggi or soy, filled with peppery reheated turkey, tangy daikon and carrot pickle, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño.
Turkey Bubble and Squeak
Britain's day-after fry-up with turkey: leftover mashed potatoes, chopped Brussels sprouts and shredded turkey bound with egg yolk, pan-fried in oil and butter until browned on both sides and finished in the oven.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.