National Leftovers Day

National Leftovers Day is observed every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving and celebrates one of the best parts of any big holiday feast - the delicious extra food waiting in the fridge the next morning, while shining a spotlight on a smart kitchen habit worth practicing all year long.

Rather than viewing day-old dishes as a chore, this fun food holiday encourages you to cut down on food waste, save time, and stretch your grocery budget by transforming yesterday's ingredients into fresh, healthy, home-cooked meals without relying on fast food.

National Leftovers Day Dates (2026–2030)

National Leftovers Day is always observed on the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving.

• 2026: Friday, November 27
• 2027: Friday, November 26
• 2028: Friday, November 24
• 2029: Friday, November 23
• 2030: Friday, November 29

National Leftovers Day History & Origins

• No Official Founder: Unlike many modern food holidays created by a specific brand or publicist, National Leftovers Day has no single documented founder or official proclamation. Instead, it developed organically in the United States as a lighthearted way to celebrate the inevitable fridge full of extra turkey, stuffing, and side dishes after Thanksgiving.

• The Rise of "Leftovers" (Late 1800s): While people have stored extra food for centuries, the specific word "leftovers" was coined around 1890. This followed Carl von Linde's invention of the practical refrigerator in 1876, which allowed home cooks to safely keep and repurpose cooked meals rather than relying solely on salting or canning.

• Wartime Thrift & Economic Necessity (1910s–1940s): Reusing leftovers became a major cultural focus during World War I and the Great Depression. Government campaigns framed stretching meals and avoiding food waste as a patriotic duty, and New Deal rural electrification loans in the 1930s brought refrigerators into millions more American homes.

• Modern Storage & Reheating (1940s–1970s): Leftover culture boomed after World War II with the invention of airtight home storage and quick reheating tools. Earl Tupper introduced Tupperware in the 1940s, followed by Saran Wrap in 1953, Ziploc bags in 1968, and affordable home microwaves in the 1970s.

• A Counterpoint to Black Friday: In recent decades, National Leftovers Day gained traction on social media alongside Black Friday. It serves as a relaxing, budget-friendly counterbalance to holiday shopping, encouraging people to stay home, reduce food waste, and get creative in the kitchen.

Tips for Leftovers

Ready to make the most of your fridge? Below are some simple, healthy tips from Kerry at Healthy Diet Habits on how to plan for leftovers and creatively repurpose them into brand-new meals your family will love.

Leftovers are a poor name for a wonderful treat and a healthy diet habit to practice! The name denotes an item that is not worthy and already done with! Many cringe at the thought, yet they are a lifestyle solution to save time and practice frugality. They can be used for a new breakfast, lunch, or dinner meal.

A healthy breakfast can be last night's dinner, and in many cultures that's the case. You can also collect the remains from any meal and save them in a freezer bag for a glorious soup. They are so important that I would say, Double your meals and plan for leftovers!

Simple Tips for Planning and Using Leftovers:

• Buy a roast, or any meat that is more than you can possibly eat. Cook it in your slow cooker, along with double the amount of carrots, potatoes, onions, and peas or vegetables you love. After dinner, dice the remaining meat, and vegetables and you have got a ready-made stew that can be served as is, or over rice for your next lunch or dinner meal.

• Chopped meats and vegetables could also be added to eggs for a breakfast scramble or omelet.

• Chopped meats and vegetables can quickly be stir fried together for a stir fry meal or fried rice meal with added rice and an egg.

• Always cook double or triple the amount of rice that you need. Rice can be added to egg dishes, soups, stir fries, or even served alone as a breakfast cereal with some dried fruit, sugar and cinnamon added. Cook large pots of rice and freeze them into family serving size packets for use with stir fries, which take less time to cook than rice.

• Chopped meats will come in handy for the protein part of a salad lunch. Just add the meat, greens, chopped fresh vegetables or fruits, and top with your favorite light dressing.

• Chopped meats and fresh vegetables can fill a sandwich. Meat salads used to be sandwich fillers back in the day before processed lunch meats became popular.

• Chopped meats and vegetables can fill a breakfast burrito. Salsa, green chilies, and tortillas mix well with most foods.

• Any remaining pasta makes a healthy breakfast choice. I grew up in Australia and a favorite there is spaghetti or baked beans on toast. It seemed odd at first, but breakfast can be anything that sounds good to you. Many people skip this meal because they dislike cereal or eggs, but who says you can't eat your favorite meals for breakfast.

• Any remaining foods can be saved in a freezer bag for your next pot of soup. Soups should be a weekly staple.

The idea of leftovers is not to just get stuck with them, but to plan for them! Make bigger meals, put the leftovers away to discourage overeating, and then you have another meal idea ready to go that does not need to look anything like the original meal.

Repurposing Leftovers

Repurposing leftovers is a hot topic! Left-over food in general has a terrible reputation. People dislike them. The growing trend of restaurant type eating at home, where each family member grabs a different processed dinner from the freezer, is popular with many busy families! Day old meals don’t stand a chance!

Your goal should be to plan and repurpose foods into new and healthy recipes that can be shared together. This new meal might not resemble the original meal at all!

• Chilies: If you have extra beef or chicken and vegetables, you can turn them into White Bean Chicken Chili, Beef Chili or a Healthy Chili Recipe. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Stews: If you have extra meat and vegetables, chop them and put them together and make a Chicken Stew, Beef Stew, or Pepper Steak, served over leftover grains. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Burritos: If you have extra meat, add a can of black beans, cheese, salad, chopped tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream with your choice of tortillas. You can vary the tortilla, beans, and meats for different burritos. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Tacos: Leftover meats make great soft taco additions. Chop the meat, and serve lettuce, or cabbage, cheese, and salsa. You can vary between hard and soft tacos or the types of meats, fish, chicken, beef, pork or simply beans! Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Tostadas: Toast corn tortillas under the broiler until they are crispy. Top them with beans, chopped meat, cheese, and put them back under the broiler. Top them with lots of salad. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Taco Salad: Make a huge salad and add leftover meat, tortilla chips, canned beans, cheese, and whatever leftover vegetables you can find. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Cobb Salad: Chop all leftovers and line them up in separate groups on a plate. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea for repurposing leftovers.

• Super Salad Meal: Chop all leftovers into a large dinner salad, add nuts, seeds, dried fruits, chopped vegetables, and fruits, canned garbanzo or red beans, and clean out the refrigerator. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Omelets, Scrambles or Quiches: Add any leftovers to make an egg dish. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Sandwiches: Buy good artisan bread and add leftover meats, salads, and cheeses. You can also chop any meat and add a bit of mayonnaise to make a meat salad sandwich. Great idea for a Simple Saturday Meal. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea.

• Meat Loaf: Anything can actually go into a good meatloaf, leftover rice, potatoes, and vegetables; just chop leftovers very finely and add them to the mix of ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey. Add an egg and ketchup or tomato sauce to hold the mix together and spices. Meatloaf can provide another meal of meatloaf sandwiches.

• Pasta Dishes: Any leftover vegetables and meats can be mixed with pasta like Ham Pasta. You can just mix them in and top them with fresh parmesan cheese or mix them into a white or red sauce or use a basic pasta recipe that you love. Great Rotisserie Chicken Idea for repurposing leftovers.

• Salmon or Tuna Cakes: Leftover fish can make great fish cakes or burgers. Just chop onions, peppers, and any other leftover veggies, and add an egg and salt and pepper. Fry them quickly in a bit of olive oil and serve on artisan rolls. Top with chopped cabbage, tomatoes, and salmon sauce or tartar sauce.

• Soups: Chop leftover meat, vegetables, pasta, grains, and beans for Vegetable Beef Soup or Easy Chicken Soup. Cover them with water or broth, and a couple of bags of frozen mixed vegetables or more chopped fresh vegetables, and simmer until all of the vegetables are done. Season with basil, salt, and pepper, and any other loved spices. Great rotisserie chicken idea.

• Slow Cooker Meal: Many slow cooker recipes require cooked meat or rice, so leftovers are great and will save you a step. After dinner one night, you can assemble your next days’ dinner in your slow cooker, place it in the refrigerator, and then program it to cook the next day, before you leave for work. Slow cooker chilies are a great way to repurpose leftovers.

• Stir fry Meal: Most meats and vegetables in a stir fry are cooked separately because of different cooking times. They are added back together at the end and reheated with sauce. It's simple to use leftovers that have already been cooked as additions to your chicken, beef or pork stir fry using whatever vegetables you have on hand.

• Frittatas: These are a simple way for repurposing leftovers. Simply blend 6 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 1 cup cooked pasta, leftover veggies or fresh greens, and cook in your skillet over medium heat until almost done. Add cheese to the top, and chopped herbs, or spring onions.

Repurposing leftovers is a healthy diet habit to adopt, because it discourages grabbing fast food or processed food products. Who wants to eat at McDonalds, when you could quickly whip up a meal at home that you love, and costs little time, energy, or money to prepare?

Creative meal planning and repurposing leftovers will give you a second meal idea that does not look anything like the original meal! No leftover complaints here!

National Leftovers Day is the perfect reminder that the best part of a big holiday feast doesn’t have to end when the table is cleared—and it’s a smart, healthy diet habit worth practicing all year long.

When you double your recipes and repurpose what’s on hand into brand-new dishes, you stretch your food budget, cut down on waste, and steer clear of processed convenience foods.

Whether you are turning Thanksgiving turkey into a hearty soup or tossing extra veggies into a quick breakfast scramble, grab those containers, get creative in the kitchen, and enjoy the simple satisfaction of turning leftovers into a whole new treat!