How to Make Amazing Meals with Leftovers

Three Steps to Delicious Dinners

Nov 17, 2008 Melissa Morelli Lacroix

These tips and ideas will turn your leftovers into satisfying and appealing meals.

Has this happened to you: the fridge is full of wrapped up leftovers, but no one wants yesterday's chicken or Tuesday's bean casserole? Have you simply snapped, "Too bad," and warmed up the containers of this and that and served a smorgasbord of the week's leftovers? Or have you just cooked something new and ignored the plastic bowls and containers in your fridge until they grew mould inside?

Do not despair. There is hope for you and your family. You can make delicious new meals from leftovers in just a few easy steps. Here's how.

Step 1: Take Stock

Look in the fridge and open those colourful containers filled with leftovers. What do they contain? How long have they been in the fridge?

Check the rest of the fridge, pantry and freezer. What other food stuffs do you have?

Step 2: Make a Plan

Ask yourself, "What would I like to eat today? What would be good?" Then pair together the food you have, i.e.:

* fresh rice and frozen vegetables with leftover roast beef

* canned pasta sauce and fresh noodles with leftover chicken

* cream of chicken soup and frozen corn with leftover macaroni and cheese

* pizza dough with leftover hamburger patties

At this point, you may be able to start cooking:

* The roast can be cubed and tossed into a stirfry.

* The chicken can be cut up and added to your favourite pasta and sauce.

* The macaroni and cheese can add substance to a chicken-corn chowder soup.

* The hamburger can be chopped and sprinkled over pizza crust to create a cheeseburger pizza.

However, you may still be stuck. In which case, you will have to proceed to step 3.

Step 3: Seek Help

Scan recipe books (especially ones dedicated to casseroles) or search cooking websites. Is there a dish that features one or more of your leftovers? If yes, read the recipe and evaluate its potential for substitutions and variations so that you can use the maximum amount of leftovers while still creating something new and tasty.

More About Cooking With Leftovers

With a little creativity, leftovers can be so much more than just warmed-up food from previous meals. They can provide the basis for new and delicious meals. Here are a few tips for successful leftover cooking:

1. Plan ahead

When preparing a meal, ask yourself what other dishes you could make with the ingredients you are using. From there, you can make a plan for the leftovers.

2. Be creative

Create your own combinations of leftovers and fresh food. Cut, slice, julienne. Make substitutions in printed recipes.

Bring out the knives and food processor. Chop and mince. Mix things up. Try new sauces and spices.

3. Say cheese

Cubed, sliced, shredded, whisked with milk and flour as a sauce, cheese can add zip to any dish.

4. Think Soup

Canned soup can make a quick and tasty sauce or provide the base for a homemade soup made with leftover cooked vegetables, beans, pasta or rice.

Leftover casseroles can be puréed and turned into soup by adding water or bouillon.

5. Eat your Veggies

Fresh or frozen, vegetables augment leftover volume and flavour and provide a wealth of possibilities. For example, cold meats can be tossed into salads, or rice or pasta can be added to a variety of vegetables to create hot or cold dishes.

Remember

Leftovers are like oysters, so open your fridge and string together some pearls for tonight’s dinner!

The copyright of the article How to Make Amazing Meals with Leftovers in Recipes is owned by Melissa Morelli Lacroix. Permission to republish How to Make Amazing Meals with Leftovers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The fridge

Leftover casserole

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