After every Thanksgiving dinner, we find ourselves with more leftovers than we thought possible.
Whether your family favorite is turkey or ham, there are hundreds of recipes on the Internet (especially Pinterest) that allow you to make use of your mom’s home cooking after the holiday is over.
We’ve compiled our top five college-friendly Thanksgiving leftovers recipes for those who want to savor the flavor of fall just a little longer.

Slow cooker ham and potato soup
What you’ll need:
– 7 cups potatoes, diced
– 1 medium onion, diced
– 1 large carrot, chopped
– 2-3 cups ham, diced
– 2 teaspoons parsley
– 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
– 5 cups “ready to serve” chicken broth
– 1 cup 2% milk
– 1/2 cup sour cream
– Pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Add diced potatoes, onion, carrot, ham, thyme, parsley, pepper and broth to a slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for seven hours or high for three hours.
3. Remove 2-3 cups of the potatoes/carrots and mash them, then return the mashed mixture to the slow cookers.
4. Add milk and sour cream.
5. Stir and cook an additional 15 minutes.
6. Add pepper to taste and serve hot.

Loaded mashed potato cakes
What you’ll need:
– 4 cups mashed potatoes
– 2/3 cups Colby Jack cheese, grated
– 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
– 1 large egg
– 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until everything is uniformly incorporated.
2. Using your hands, scoop out generous portions of the potato mixture and shape it into patties, which can be as big as you want.
3. Spray a large pan or skillet with cooking spray and set it on the stove over medium/high heat.
4. Cook mashed potato patties, 3 to 4 at a time, for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
5. Serve warm, with sour cream and bacon bits.

Thanksgiving leftovers nachos
What you’ll need:
–  1 bag tortilla chips
–  2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
–  1 pound chopped turkey breast
– 1 1/2 tablespoons Old El Paso original taco seasoning
– 1 (16 ounce) can Old El Paso refried beans
– 1 cup cranberry sauce
– 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro
– 2 jalapeno peppers
– 1 green onion, sliced
– Salt, to taste
– Sour cream, for serving
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Place a layer of tortilla chips on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with one cup of cheese. Top with more tortilla chips (note: you do not need to use the whole bag).
2. Lightly toss turkey with taco seasoning, sprinkle half of the turkey over the cheese. Top evenly with refried beans. Top with remaining turkey. Sprinkle with remaining one cup of cheese.
3. Bake 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted and ingredients are warmed throughout.
4. Meanwhile, make the cranberry-jalapeno salsa: In a small bowl, combine cranberry sauce, cilantro and lime juice. Seed and finely dice one jalapeno pepper and stir into salsa. Add salt to taste.
5. Slice remaining jalapeno, sprinkle over top of baked nachos along with sliced green onion. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Thanksgiving casserole
What you’ll need:
– 1 box Kraft Stove Top Stuffing and the ingredients to prepare
– 1/2 package Kraft Extra Crispy Shake-N-Bake
– 3-4 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey
– 1/2 cup mayonnaise
– 12 ounces prepared turkey gravy
– 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes
– 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
– 1 cup French fried onions
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until everything is uniformly incorporated.
2. Using your hands, scoop out generous portions of the potato mixture and shape it into patties, which can be as big as you want.
3. Spray a large pan or skillet with cooking spray and set it on the stove over medium/high heat.
4. Cook mashed potato patties, 3 to 4 at a time, for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
5. Serve warm, with sour cream and bacon bits.

Cream cheese cranberry dip 
What you’ll need:
– 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
– 1 (14 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
– 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
– 1/8 chopped green onion
– 1/4 teaspoon cumin
– 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
1. Spread cream cheese on bottom of pie plate.
2. In a small mixing bowl, beat together cranberry sauce, cilantro, green onion, cumin and lemon juice. Spread on top of cream cheese.
3. Serve with crackers.