Leftover Stuffing Savory Waffles

This recipe turns leftover Thanksgiving stuffing into perfectly balanced custardy-creamy waffles. Find out how to upcycle more leftovers — turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin — as part of the series. 

Yield: 4 medium waffles
Active Time: 5 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking per waffle 
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the waffles: 

⅓ cup frozen spinach, defrosted and dried
4-5 Thrive Market Organic Breakfast Chicken Sausages
2 cups leftover stuffing (Need a recipe idea? Try this plant-based recipe or this gluten-free one.) 
1 egg
½ cup Thrive Market Organic Turkey Bone Broth or broth of choice
½ cup bottom-of-the-drawer or wilted radicchio, kale, or bitter greens, optional 
Thrive Market Avocado Oil Spray

Optional toppings: 

Fried egg 
Soft herbs like chives, dill, and chervil
Dollop of creme fraiche, sour cream, or nut-milk alternative 
Pat of butter
Drizzle of Thrive Market Organic Robust Maple Syrup 
Thrive Market Organic Whole Black Peppercorns, freshly cracked 

Instructions:

Preheat your waffle maker to medium high to ensure a crisp waffle.

Make sure frozen spinach is defrosted and well-drained/-dried. You can press it between a few sheets of paper towel or a kitchen cloth to remove excess water. Set aside.

Cook the chicken sausages in a skillet (or air fryer), then cut or tear into small, bite-sized pieces. Set aside. 

In a medium mixing bowl, add leftover stuffing, the defrosted/dried spinach, and sausage pieces. Mix to combine. Taste for salt, but chances are the stuffing was well-seasoned and won’t need any more. Crack in the egg and mix well to fully combine. 

Depending on how loose or moist the “batter” is, add 1 tablespoon of broth at a time, mixing to combine. You’re looking for a well-hydrated but somewhat thick batter, like a loose rice pudding or hearty bowl of oatmeal. Your batter should not be as loose as a traditional pancake or waffle batter; a wetter/looser batter will take longer to cook through and crisp up, and may fall apart in the waffle maker. You can also add a few pieces of leftover hearty greens — sad and wilted welcome! — to the bowl.

Spray the hot waffle maker lightly with cooking spray.

Add ½ cup of batter to the center and close the waffle maker. Each waffle will take roughly 8-10 minutes, depending on your type of waffle maker. Your waffle is done when the outside is crispy, golden brown and the inside is nice and custardy. 

Repeat with remaining batter, spraying waffle maker in between each batch. 

Serve with your preferred toppings: a fried egg, a dollop of sour cream with lots of soft herbs, or a pat of salty butter and a drizzle of maple syrup, with lots of cracked pepper. 

Recipe credit: Aubrey Devin

Photo credit: Elisha Knight

Download the recipe PDF here.