Thanksgiving Leftovers Hot Pockets
Updated Nov. 21, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- All-purpose flour, for surfaces
- 1pound homemade or store-bought pizza dough, divided into 6 even balls (see Tip)
- Leftover stuffing
- Leftover roasted or mashed sweet potatoes
- Leftover roast turkey, shredded
- Leftover cranberry sauce
- Leftover gravy
- 1tablespoon heavy cream or milk
- Shredded Parmesan or 3 slices of Swiss or Cheddar, each cut into two rectangles
Preparation
- Step 1
Lightly flour a work surface and lay the 6 dough balls out on top. Dust with flour and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough balls to rest at room temperature until easy to stretch, about 45 minutes.
- Step 2
Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Working 1 at a time and leaving the rest covered as you work, roll and stretch each ball of dough into a circle about 7 inches in diameter.
- Step 3
Working with 1 circle at a time, layer a total 1 cup of leftovers in a log about 2 inches wide and 5 inches long down the center: Start with a layer of stuffing, which absorbs the juices as the pockets bake, then add vegetables, turkey, cranberry sauce and gravy. Do not overstuff.
- Step 4
Fold the top and bottom of the dough over the ends of the log. Lift the right side over the log, stretching it a little to completely cover the filling while making sure the top and bottom stay tucked in. Fold the left side over and repeat. You should end up with a neat package about the size of a Chinese egg roll. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and filling.
- Step 5
Transfer the pockets seam side down to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Combine the heavy cream or milk with 2 tablespoons of leftover gravy (if you have any) and brush the pockets with the mixture. (You can use plain heavy cream or milk if you do not have any leftover gravy.) Use a sharp knife to cut three slits on the top of the pockets for ventilation. Sprinkle the pockets with a dusting of shredded Parmesan or lay a half slice of Swiss or Cheddar on top of each one.
- Step 6
Bake until deep golden brown, 12 to 18 minutes. Serve immediately with extra gravy and cranberry sauce for spooning or dipping. You can also refrigerate the cooked pockets and reheat them in a toaster oven, about 7 minutes at 425 degrees.
- You can also use canned pizza dough or thawed frozen puff pastry for this. Divide and roll the dough into 6 (7-by-6-inch) rectangles. When forming the pockets, fold one side over the other and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Bake as directed.
Private Notes
Comments
I would put the stuffing on top. Because you're going to cook them crease down, right?
I have not tried with those but have tried with eggroll wrappers and they are AMAZING! Everyone loves left-over eggrolls with gravy dipping sauce! I imagine left-over hand pies(pie crust) or turn overs(puff pastry) would be just as amazing and just as big a hit with left-over consumers. The beauty of T-day left-overs is the myriad of ways people have for repurposing them. MMMMMMM! Enjoy!
This was a HIT with both the cook (me) and the various audiences headed home on long drives. Came together in a flash (I used a baking soda recipe for the dough so it didn’t take very long) and the pocket design so much easier to pack up and send with them than bags or containers. Wrapped in foil they stayed warm until the first rest stop. Beginning of tradition CONFIRMED.
An absolute hit! Genius way to serve (and keep) leftovers. My second batch is in the oven right now!
Yes! Made this tonight using my own sourdough discard pizza dough. Ate it like a French Dip with gravy on the side (and some in the pocket, of course). Might have been better than our original Thanksgiving meal.
This is a mesmerizing video. The crunch when the hot pocket is cut in half is my favorite part. I’m in!