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.
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
Nobody owns this one. Pressing leftover stuffing into a waffle iron became a day-after habit in the 2010s, and the credit is contested. NetNewsLedger wrote in 2015 that the idea "seems to track back" to Rachael Ray making them in 2011; Food Network Kitchen published "Waffled Leftover Thanksgiving Brunch" on a page carrying a 2013 copyright; and Daniel Shumski, creator of the Waffleizer blog, turned the "will it waffle?" question into a 2014 Workman cookbook (Publishers Weekly:), though we could not confirm a stuffing recipe in it. By 2017 Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman was telling NPR's All Things Considered that waffled stuffing gets "nice, deep crags" and can carry an egg (WAMC, November 24, 2017:).
🎬 The full story: 10 Leftover Turkey Recipes From Around the World (One Is a Sitcom Sandwich)
🇺🇸 This one is American
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.
🇺🇸 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.
Why it works the kitchen science
The egg is the binder
Two eggs turn loose, crumbly stuffing into a mixture that holds a waffle shape and sets firm, and the eggs cook through in the hot iron.
More surface, more crunch
The waffle grid gives leftover stuffing dozens of crisp edges, and the pockets hold gravy and cranberry sauce.
🧰 You'll need 8 items
Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
Appliances
Pans and pots
Tools
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat a Belgian-style waffle iron to medium-high and the oven to 200°F to keep finished waffles warm.
- Step 2
Mix the stuffing, parsley and eggs in a bowl until the stuffing holds together when squeezed.
- Step 3
Brush the top and bottom plates of the iron generously with oil. Firmly pack one section (about a quarter of the mixture) into the iron, close it and cook 4 to 6 minutes, until golden and crisp and the waffle lifts out easily.
✓ What it should look like - Step 4
Meanwhile, bring the gravy to a rolling boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low.
- Step 5
Open the iron, lay 3 oz of turkey over the waffle, close the iron and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the turkey is hot (165°F). Move it to a baking sheet in the oven and repeat with the rest, oiling the plates each time.
- Step 6
Serve each waffle topped with hot gravy and a spoonful of cranberry sauce.
Stuffing Waffles with Turkey and Gravy
Serves 4 · 4 Belgian-style waffles · 30 min total
Waffles
- 4 1/2 cups crumbled leftover stuffing
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- Vegetable oil, for brushing the waffle iron
To top
- 12 oz leftover roast turkey, sliced
- 1 cup leftover turkey gravy
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
Equipment: Oven, Waffle iron, Rimmed baking sheet, Small saucepan, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Mixing bowls, Pastry brush
Method
- Heat a Belgian-style waffle iron to medium-high and the oven to 200°F to keep finished waffles warm.
- Mix the stuffing, parsley and eggs in a bowl until the stuffing holds together when squeezed.
- Brush the top and bottom plates of the iron generously with oil. Firmly pack one section (about a quarter of the mixture) into the iron, close it and cook 4 to 6 minutes, until golden and crisp and the waffle lifts out easily.
- Meanwhile, bring the gravy to a rolling boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low.
- Open the iron, lay 3 oz of turkey over the waffle, close the iron and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the turkey is hot (165°F). Move it to a baking sheet in the oven and repeat with the rest, oiling the plates each time.
- Serve each waffle topped with hot gravy and a spoonful of cranberry sauce.
Adapted from Food Network Kitchen, "Waffled Leftover Thanksgiving Brunch", as written for 4. The page leaves the turkey, gravy and cranberry amounts to the cook; the 12 oz turkey, 1 cup gravy and 1/2 cup cranberry sauce are ours. The rolling boil for the gravy and the 165°F checks are ours, from FSIS guidance as quoted by search results and from UGA Extension. Food Network Kitchen's sister recipe, "Leftover Stuffing Waffles", tops the same waffles with mashed potatoes instead. Food Network. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Dry stuffing? Add a spoonful or two of broth until it holds together when squeezed.
- Oil the plates every time; stuffing sticks more than batter does.
- Put a fried egg on top for breakfast, the way Deb Perelman suggests.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Rachael Ray invented stuffing waffles. Disputed: NetNewsLedger (2015) says the idea "seems to" trace to her in 2011; Food Network Kitchen's own recipe dates to about 2013; Shumski's waffle-iron book came in 2014. No source settles it.
- You need batter for a waffle. Folklore: these waffles are just pressed stuffing and egg.
- Reheated gravy only needs to be warm. Folklore: FSIS guidance, as quoted in search results, says to bring gravies to a rolling boil when reheating; we do.
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.
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.
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.
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.