Do you have leftover rice, potatoes, chicken, or ham in the fridge from the weekend get-together at your place? You must be tired of making a meal for today’s dinner after all the arrangements, and you don’t want to order food as you will have more leftovers.
So, why not turn the leftover items into delicious dinners? Cooking
meals with leftovers will provide you with a fresh flavor, and it will save
time, energy, and money.
In this article, we have collected quick and easy delicious dinner
ideas with leftover foods. Let’s jump to the recipes so that you can figure out
what you are going to have for today’s dinner.
1.
French Onion Soup
With Leftover Bread
Most individuals would consider throwing out leftover bread because it
has a shorter shelf life than other foods. However, you can make French onion
soup with the leftover bread.
The recipe is high in calcium and flavonoids and is highly nutritious.
So you're making a great and nutritious meal for your family today.
Ingredients:
Butter, olive oil, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaf, vegetable
stock, crusty or baguette bread, and cheese.
Recipe:
In a large stockpot, melt butter and oils before adding garlic, onion,
and spices. Pour in the vegetable stock when the garlic and onion have
caramelized. While preparing the soup, slice the bread and warm it slightly to
soften it. You can toast it and smear it with butter before serving it with the
soup.
To serve, take an oven-safe serving bowl or mug and place a piece of
bread at the bottom, then add soup and another bread loaf on top. You can use
grated cheese to cover the meal. Broil for a few minutes to melt the cheese,
then garnish with thyme.
2.
Shrimp Fried Rice
with Leftover Rice
Having leftover rice and cooked shrimp in the fridge can be a game
changer as shrimp adds its own extraordinary flavor to any dish. And fried rice
is the best option to cook for dinner as it is easy to cook, requires
ingredients you will find in the kitchen, and the cooking time is less than
thirty minutes.
However, before tossing the shrimp in the fried rice, check whether it
is still edible. Do you know how
long does shrimp last in the fridge? You can use it
in the dish if it is cooked and stored in the freeze properly for 3 or 4 days.
Ingredients:
Rice, shrimp, vegetables, eggs, onion, salt, pepper, and oil.
Recipe:
Pour in oil and add onion and other vegetable options you have in the
fridge. Toss in the shrimp and add eggs. After that, add the leftover rice and
seasonings, and spices to taste.
3.
Pancakes with
Leftover Milk
Pancakes can be the comfort food you are looking for that will give
you an escape from the daily spicy food. Nevertheless, you can add new
variations to the traditional pancakes to make them more appetizing.
Although traditional pancakes can be your go-to option for today’s
dinner, you can also try Russian Syrniki Pancakes or Mediterranean aubergine.
Ingredients:
Milk, sugar, eggs, baking powder, and flour.
Recipe:
Whisk eggs and sugar together for a few minutes and add milk, flour,
and baking powder to make the pancake batter. You can add a little bit of
butter before pouring the batter into the hot pan and cover the lid.
Enjoy fluffy-sweet pancakes with honey or maple syrup.
4.
Fish Wraps with
Leftover Salmon
You will find plenty of dinner ideas with leftovers that allow you to
use the food item as a tortilla wrap or sandwich filling. It is a quick dish to
prepare and can be made only by heating and mixing the leftover items.
So, if you have leftover salmon or any other fish sitting around in
the fridge that you don’t wish to waste, start preparing for a wrap.
Ingredients:
Whole wheat tortilla, kale or fresh spinach, sliced vegetables, salt,
pepper, and sauce.
Recipe:
Reheat the leftover fish in the oven or on a skillet and make small
pieces. You need to take a bowl to make the filling.
Add all the vegetables in the bowl, for example, cucumber, bell paper,
and the usual salad dressing you love.
Add salt and any sauces you want to taste in the wrap, even though
garlic, chili, or mixed sauce are better options.
Heat the tortilla if mentioned in the packaging. Otherwise, you can
take one, make a wrap and have it if it is ready to eat.
5.
Sandwich with
Leftover Ham, Eggs, and Cheese
Do you have a waffle maker in your kitchen and leftover eggs and ham
in the fridge? If yes, let’s make a sandwich rich with cheese and the flavor of
eggs and ham.
Ingredients:
Olive oil, bread, eggs, pepper, salt, and cheese.
Recipe:
You need to preheat the waffle iron after lightly applying oil to the
top and bottom of it. While you are heating it to medium-high heat, prepare the
filling of the sandwich.
Take a large skillet and cook whisked eggs with seasoning. You will
have to cook it till it thickens for 3 to 5 minutes and take it off the stove.
Now it’s time to make the sandwich. Set one piece of bread on the iron
and add the toppings. Don’t forget to add tomatoes if you have any. Add cheese
and cover the toppings with another piece of bread.
Close the lid for another 3 to 4 minutes until the bread is brown and
crispy.
6.
Chicken Pot Pie
with Leftover Chicken
Whether you have arranged a barbecue or ordered fried chicken for the
movie night, it is common to have leftover chicken. And the good news is, when
it comes to cooking dinner with leftovers, using that chicken can never go
wrong.
You can follow the old-fashioned pot pie recipe; however, we will
provide you the recipe with mushrooms and leeks for extra punch in the dish.
Ingredients:
Olive oil, chicken, lemon, onions, carrots, water, potatoes, chopped
leeks, unsalted butter, sliced cremini mushrooms, chopped garlic, green peas,
flour, chicken broth, heavy cream, and egg.
Recipe:
This recipe is for 6 to 8 persons serving; you will need some extra
time to prepare the dish. So, try this one out when you have at least 2 to 3
hours to cook dinner.
Pair this dish with white
wine, light up a few candles, and share it with your friends.
●
Cook potatoes, sliced leeks, and carrots in a
cast-iron skillet coated with unsalted butter until the veggies get tender.
Toss in garlic, black pepper, kosher salt, and mushrooms. It may need About 8
minutes total cooking time for the potatoes and mushrooms to cook.
●
If the vegetables begin to stick to the pan, add
1 tablespoon of water at a time. Add 12 ounces of skinless, shredded leftover
chicken and green peas, then turn off the stove.
●
Stir flour into melted butter in a skillet and
simmer over medium heat while stirring frequently. Slowly stir in chicken broth
and continue cooking until the sauce thickens. Blend with some spicy sauce and
heavy cream.
●
Combine chicken and cream mixture by stirring
together. Set the defrosted puff pastry sheet on top of the filling, allowing
the edges to hang over the plate. Cut three or four small slits and brush with
egg wash.
●
Put into an oven that has been warmed to 400
degrees and bake for 20-22 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Give it 15
minutes to settle.
7.
Fried Pasta with Goat Cheese, Eggs, and Tomatoes
Finding leftover recipes with pasta can be
challenging as cooked pasta usually doesn’t taste good after reheating. So, why
not fry it and turn it into a gourmet meal?
Ingredients:
Oil, pasta, eggs, cheese, and tomatoes.
Recipe:
Fill a medium-sized skillet with oils to deep fry the
pasta. Poach eggs and serve with cheese and tomatoes. Bake it to melt the
cheese, and enjoy the dish with mayonnaise.
8.
Curry Samosas with Mashed Potatoes
Since we have moved to fried dishes, let’s have a
look at one of the popular Indian dish-Samosa that you can make with leftover
mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
Olive oil, sliced onion, curry spice, frozen peas,
salt, pepper, pie crust, and mashed potatoes.
Recipe:
Put curry
powder, salt, pepper, and a little bit of water into olive oil and sauté onions
and peas until they are soft. After a few minutes, toss in the leftover mashed
potatoes and stir them in.
To make the
outer layer of the samosa, take the pie crust and then cut it into triangles.
Fold it to make a pocket and fill it with the curry of mashed potatoes.
You
can either bake the samosas or deep fry them in hot oil or taste them with your
favorite sauce.
9.
Hummus with Leftover Steak:
The ingredients we use in this recipe can vary widely
depending on what we already have in the fridge and pantry.
Or, you can take a walk to the nearest store and buy
a can of Hummus Made Easy to try with the leftover meat.
Ingredient:
Steak or ground pork, veggies, cheese, and spices.
Recipe:
You need to trim the fat from the steak and chop it
before being added to the potatoes and other veggies. The addition of cheese
gives it a comforting, golden hue. One serving provides a decent amount of
protein and calcium.
So, you can check your healthy food diet as well.
Conclusion:
Despite
their unsavory reputation, leftovers can help you stretch your food budget and
cut down on dinner prep time.
So throw off
the stereotype of uninteresting leftovers. Before you dump them in the garbage,
consider how you may incorporate them into other delicious dinner ideas with
leftover foods and have a more fulfilling meal.
