The best part of some meals is the leftovers, and one of the best ways to reuse your resources so that they don’t go to waste is to make the most of what you’ve got left over.
With a little creativity, your excess food from previous meals can be ready for a comeback. Let your inner chef run wild by repurposing leftovers into new, delicious meals that are fun for the whole family.
One of the most commonly wasted foods is bread because it can go stale pretty quickly. Fortunately, it’s also one of the most easily reused ingredients. Stale bread makes excellent bread pudding or French toast. It can also be easily turned into tasty, crunchy croutons or breadcrumbs, or used as filler in meatloaf or meatballs. Another commonly wasted food is overripe fruit or wilted leafy vegetables. Both of these are excellent when blended together with some yogurt for a healthy morning smoothy. Some other excellent reuse ideas are that almost any sort of leftover meat or vegetables can be delicious in a moist, eggy quiche, or incorporated into stock.
Here are some delicious tips for reusing leftovers in your kitchen:
Veggies
- Soup: Roasted vegetables add a rich flavor to soups. Puree your leftover vegetables and add them to your favorite stock or soup base.
- Samosas: Use your leftover veggies as a filling for samosas. Mix with spices, then stuff them into dough and bake or fry.
- Veggie Burgers: Mash up cooked leftover vegetables and mix them with breadcrumbs, flour and seasoning. Shape them into patties and pan-fry.
Proteins
- Salads: Leftover cooked chicken, beef, pork or fish can be added to salads for a protein boost.
- Sandwiches: Leftover proteins are perfect for making sandwiches and wraps. Leftover meatballs are begging to become a meatball sub.
- Pasta dishes: Leftover proteins can be added to pasta dishes for extra flavor and protein.
- Tacos: Leftover proteins, especially ones with seasoning, make for delicious tacos with only the addition of a few ingredients for a fun, filling meal.
Pasta
- Pasta salad: Leftover cooked pasta can be tossed with dressing and vegetables to make a pasta salad.
- Baked pasta dishes: Leftover cooked pasta can be used to make baked pasta dishes like macaroni and cheese or lasagna.
- Revitalize Pasta: Add fresh herbs and other veggies or protein to bring your leftover pasta back to life.
Other kitchen items can also be reused, like those cute little glass jars that some yogurt and jellies come in, which can be turned into reusable food containers. Store leftovers in them with a label and date or use them to take your lunch to work with you. Larger glass jars can be used for cereals or baking supplies in your pantry, and plastic tubs are great organizers for nuts and bolts and other small items in your basement or workshop.
Every year, a family of four may waste up to $2,000 on food that they buy but never eat, and each day, more than a million pounds of food makes its way to the Franklin County Landfill. With a little creativity, though, and a willingness to reuse the ingredients we already have on-hand, we can keep more of that good food on our tables and out of the landfill. For more great ideas for using leftovers, plus recipes, videos, and lots of tips to reduce food waste, visit SaveMoreThanFood.org/FreshTakes.
