5 Ways To Utilize Leftovers
Many times you must have glanced into the refrigerator and noticed, way in the back, a container that has been overlooked and forgotten for weeks. People waste food in their homes for various reasons, including overcooking and neglecting or failing to consume leftovers. While leftovers can be heated and eaten as is, it can be fun to experiment with different flavors. You can make the most of your leftovers by coming up with new ways to prepare them! Cooking for leftovers can help you save money and reduce food waste. Leftover grains such as rice and pasta, proteins such as beef and chicken, vegetables, and sauces are examples of leftovers. Here are five ways to utilize leftovers.
Plan for a “Leftovers Day”
When planning your weekly meals, leave a day open for leftovers; so you don’t have to buy extra ingredients while grocery shopping. Think outside the box and create a new meal using produce and leftovers from your refrigerator!
Toss it into a salad
You can use almost any leftover to make a healthy, nutritious salad. You can make a taco salad with leftover enchiladas or nachos and make a BBQ chicken cobb salad with leftover grilled chicken and corn. Finish with any leftover vegetables from your fridge, such as tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and mushrooms. You can also make croutons from any leftover bread that is going stale.
Make an Asian-inspired stir fry
You can make fried rice with leftover rice and your choice of protein and fresh or frozen vegetables. Another option is to sauté any leftover vegetables with a protein like chicken, pork, or tofu, then season with your favorite stir-fry sauce or leftover sauce and serve over brown rice.
Create a delicious casserole, pasta, or pizza
Casseroles, pasta, and pizzas are simple meals to transform leftovers because you can make simple changes based on your food preferences and be creative with all the ingredients you use. They’re great for using leftover sauces, protein, vegetables, or even leftover pasta. You can make casseroles for any meal of the day, whether it’s a breakfast casserole with eggs, hash browns, sausage, and vegetables for breakfast or a beef noodle casserole for dinner. You can also make a traditional pizza crust from leftover tortillas, naan, whole-wheat bagels, portobello mushrooms, sweet potatoes, or eggplant.
Pickle your vegetables
Pickling your vegetables is a fun way to use any leftover vegetables in your fridge and a common way to preserve foods and add a zesty, tangy flavor to them. Some popular pickled vegetables are onions, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, peppers, olives, and radishes. Pickled vegetables are delicious on top of tacos, sandwiches, and burgers or as a refreshing side dish to a barbecue meal.
Make a bowl of soup
Soups are a healthy way to use leftover produce and protein, and they can be quickly prepared in a pressure cooker or slow cooker when you’re on the go. Leftover foods such as pre-cooked chicken, zucchini, kale, celery, potatoes, and rice are just a few examples.
