Cooking with Leftover Food

Eating your leftovers is a great way to save money, and by doing this one thing alone you can reduce food waste in a substantial way. Most of us end up with leftovers at least once every few days, so why not do what you can to cut down on the food bill?

Many of us get bored when eating exactly the same meal two days in a row, so transform your leftover meal into something new and exciting. Your family might not even realize it is the same food that they ate the night before.

Turkey Dinner

Did you go overboard with holiday celebrations, and make way too much turkey dinner? If you are already stuffed with all the fixings, and need a change from what you just ate, try putting it on the table in a new way.

Create a turkey pot pie if you like. All you need to do is to either make or buy a pie crust, then chop your turkey, stuffing and vegetables into tiny pieces and fill it up to the top rim of the crust. Mix the leftover gravy with leftover potatoes, and pour it over the top of the dry ingredients. Seal with a top crust, or leave it open and top it with cheese if you desire, then cook in the oven until it is warmed up and the crust is cooked through.

The nice thing about this dish is the flexibility of ingredients. Don’t have leftover vegetables? Simply add some from the freezer. No potatoes? Use gravy alone to top the dry ingredients. It can have as many ingredients as you wish, or as few.

Chicken

Leftover chicken? No problem. Chicken salad sandwiches are a great way to use up the remainder of last night’s chicken dinner. Simply chop the chicken into tiny pieces, along with anything you choose such as celery, cashews and even grapes. Mix with some mayonnaise and a little bit of salt and pepper, then load it onto the bun of your choice for a delicious and simple lunch that has all the food groups you could wish for.

Ham

Ham can be easily used for breakfast the morning after your meal. Simply slice into very thin pieces, and fry in a pan with a little maple syrup for a delicious start to your morning. Serve with hash browns and toast.

If ham for breakfast isn’t your style, what about putting a little spin on your next stir fry? Cut the ham into cubes, and then add any leftover vegetables from the night before into the frying pan along with the ham and a little bit of oil. Add any spices you like and fry until warmed. Cook a pot of rice and serve together for an easy but tasty meal.

Beef

If you had beef for dinner but now have too much left in the fridge, why not try out a curry dish? Buy a package of curry mix, and consider trying Thai or Indian as they both have excellent flavors and can hide many other flavors that might be lingering on your leftovers. Chop the beef and any vegetables you may like into a stir fry, then make the sauce and pour it over. Serve with your choice of rice or noodles.

Leftovers don’t have to be a challenge or a drag to eat. Simply try something new, and you will have your family asking for more. Use some of these ideas to put your leftovers to use today, and never waste a morsel of food again.