Michael Symon’s Thanksgiving Leftover Hack Is Genius

Chef and Food Network personality Michael Symon is prepping for the winter holiday season. In the weeks leading up to the foodies’ favorite holiday (Thanksgiving, duh), Symon is prioritizing easy, yet comforting dinners that are sure to satisfy his family. This includes his Italian Pot Roast inspired by his mother’s recipe. This cozy dish includes beef slowly simmered in tomato sauce, but Symon uses a smart shortcut to make his.

“I use the Contadina pizza sauce in it because it has some oregano and garlic notes,” Symon tells EatingWell. “I think adding the pizza sauce along with their other products makes it a little bit easier for the home cook. It’s just one less step that they have to do. The one thing I’ve learned while teaching people about cooking is, if you could make things a little bit easier for them, they’re always more apt to try the recipes.”

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Contadina has been a beloved brand in Symon’s family for generations, which is why he continues to partner with them. Through this partnership, we asked the celebrity chef more tips that he has for the home cook, plus his favorite Thanksgiving dishes, including his go-to way to upgrade his leftovers.

Is there an underrated ingredient that you think more home cooks should be using?

Some flaky sea salt is always great to have on hand to finish because I think it adds a little bit of texture and a pop. And I’m in love with dried urfa chili. I tend to use it quite a bit in my cooking because it’s not a chili that adds a lot of heat, but it adds a fruitiness and a slight sweetness and smokiness that I think really helps with dishes.

With Thanksgiving coming up, do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dish? 

We’re having 32 people this year, which is kind of the norm. It’s always somewhere between 25 and 35. My grandfather always made corn pudding. He gave me the recipe when I took over Thanksgiving. It’s creamed corn, corn bread mix, butter, cream, salt and pepper. And we put some grilled fresh corn in it and scallions. If I don’t have it on the table, it would be a revolt, a full revolt. I’ll make two large paella pans of it for the holiday, I literally make enough to feed 50 even if we only have 25 coming over, and it’s always all gone. I could skip stuffing, I could probably not even make a turkey, but if I don’t make the corn pudding, it is a problem. It’s the least chef dish in the arsenal, and it’s my favorite.

Least favorite Thanksgiving dish?

I don’t like canned cranberry sauce. Every year I make homemade cranberry sauce, and my wife grew up with canned cranberry sauce so we have canned cranberry sauce too. And at the end of dinner every year, my homemade cranberry sauce is still sitting there with a spoon in it, and the canned cranberry sauce is gone. Every single year.

Favorite way to eat or use up Thanksgiving leftovers?

I like using them for breakfast the next day because we usually have people staying at the house. I usually take the stuffing and flatten it into pancakes and crisp them up, almost like you would with a potato pancake, but it’s stuffing. And I’ll add eggs over them like a stuffing Benedict. If I was in a pinch for time, I would take it and put it in a waffle maker. Put the stuffing in a waffle maker for breakfast and then put the poached egg on top of that, which is also fun and easy.

And I always make soup the next day. I take anything that’s left of the carcass and I’ll make turkey and dumplings soup for people to take home with them. Or if I have a lot of dark meat left over, I’ll make a split pea soup with the dark meat or ham.

For those hosting for the first time, do you have any advice? 

I like to plan it to the minute. I make a chart and I post it across my social media almost every year. For the past decade, I made a flow chart for the night before for exactly what time things are going in and out of ovens. That way, you really set yourself up for success.

Any food hot takes? Any ingredients that you would never cook with?

I’m allergic to raspberries, so I never cook with those. It always freaks people out that I don’t eat raspberries, but I hate them because they make my throat close, for no other reason!