Wasting food is something we all want to avoid, but sometimes it’s hard to see how the random items left in your fridge can come together to create a tasty meal. If you’re looking to stretch your budget or just make the most of what you have, here is a list of clever strategies to transform those leftover ingredients into something delicious.
Smoothies and Juices
Overripe fruits or salad greens that are no longer crisp can all be used to make easy and nutritious smoothies and juices. While preventing waste is an obvious benefit, you’ll also be taking in plenty of vitamins and minerals, as well as increasing your daily hydration. You can even add yogurt or milk for extra protein and calcium.
Stews, Gravy Dinners, and Casseroles
Gravy dinners, stews, and casseroles all have a talent for taking a bunch of unrelated ingredients and making them taste way better than the sum of their parts! Incorporate whatever carbohydrate, protein, vegetables, and sauce base you have into a delicious and hearty family meal. If you cook for fewer people, try freezing the rest in batches.
Pizza Toppings
Almost any leftovers can find a second life as a pizza topping—from roasted vegetables and corn-on-the-cob to meat scraps and jars of olives. If you don’t have the means to make pizza dough, you can use wraps or sliced bread, like focaccia. So long as you have enough cheese, it’ll taste delicious!
Salads
If you have the base for a salad, then leftover food items make great additions. Cold-cooked vegetables, grains, and any protein (eggs, cheese, chicken, fish, ham) make for a speedy and nutritious meal that’s great for using refrigerator veggies. Try adding seeds or nuts and a good dressing for extra tastiness.
Curry
Just like stress, curries are wonderfully adaptable, and most of us already have the required spices in our cupboards. You can use almost any leftover bean, vegetable, or meat items—just simmer them in canned tomatoes, coconut milk, broth, and curry spices or paste. Serve over rice or with bread to soak up the flavorful sauce.
Eggy Bread
Don’t discard bread that’s past its prime; give stale bread a new lease on life as eggy bread! The drier texture of stale bread soaks up the egg, milk, and other ingredients better than softer, fresh bread, and either dish makes a great breakfast or a tasty dessert.
Pasta Bake
Pasta doesn’t last long, so use leftover spaghetti, penne, or fusilli to make a pasta bake from whatever veggies or protein you have available—top with cheese and herbs and bake until golden and bubbling. Almost any type of pasta will work—just make sure you always have a jar or two of sauce in the cupboard, or better still, make it from scratch.
Croutons
Another great use for stale bread is homemade croutons. Cut the dry bread into cubes, scatter it with herbs, seasoning, and olive oil, and bake it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until crispy. Perfect for snacking on or adding to those soups and salads we were talking about earlier!
Vegetable Dips
Almost any roasted vegetable can be blended to form a delicious dip, from sweet potato and capsicum to onion, aubergine, and carrot. Puree them with garlic, seasoning, olive oil, and perhaps some tahini or other paste. You can even add in leftover legumes like chickpeas, butter beans, and kidney beans for a smoother, thicker texture.
Fried Rice
Like cooked pasta, leftover rice doesn’t last long in the fridge, so use it quickly. A great suggestion is fried rice, which works better with day-old rice anyway. Use a wok and hot oil to sauté some onions, garlic, and other vegetables, then throw in the rice and fry it with a beaten egg and soy sauce. You could throw in meat or fish scraps, too.
Mashed Potato Pancakes
Do you have mounds of leftover mashed potatoes but nothing to go with them? Try frying them up as individual patties. Simply season the mash, shape it into patties, and fry in some hot, clean, and flavorsome oil. You can even add extra leftovers like onions, sweetcorn, cheese, or bacon for extra flavor.
Fruit Compote
Overripe fruit need not be wasted—it will keep for much longer if you stew it with sugar and lemon juice to create a delicious reduction. The compote will give the fruit a few extra days of life and can be spooned over yogurt, porridge, pancakes, waffles, or ice cream for a sweet, nutrient-packed breakfast or dessert.
Pies and Tarts
If you have ready-rolled pastry or the means to make your own, pies and tarts are an extremely versatile way to utilize whatever vegetables, cheese, or meat scraps you have lying about. Experiment with different combinations, and you may well discover a delicious new pie recipe of your own!
Sandwiches
Almost anything can make a delicious hot or cold sandwich—all you need is sliced bread or wraps to hold the whole thing together. ‘Christmas dinner leftovers’ are especially popular for filling bread, with roasted meats, vegetables, jellies, gravy, and even potatoes making a delicious, festive meal with zero effort.
Omelets
Eggs are a nutritious and versatile ingredient that can form the basis of a tasty meal for any time of day—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Because eggs lack a strong taste, Sudden Lunch says you can add almost any leftover items to omelets—cheese, meat, vegetables, and even leftover pasta, rice, or bread!
Broth
If you find yourself constantly discarding old vegetables, peels, and meat bones, try collecting them in a freezer bag instead. Once full, simmer the contents in salted water with some herbs and make your own flavorful broth. Zero Waste Chef recommends using it to make soups or sauces or as a tasty cooking method for other foods like beans, vegetables, and pasta.
Stir-Fries
Stir-frying is great if you have various leftover food items and not a lot of time to cook. You can use various ingredients, from vegetables, meat, and grains to rice, quinoa, and beans. Just grab a wok and keep yourself well stocked with oil, seasoning, and spices. Easy!
Soups
Open the fridge, say what you see, and then add the word ‘soup’ to the end. It’s as simple as that! Soup Addict says that soups are very forgiving dishes that accommodate almost any leftover ingredient, from vegetables that are past their best to the last scraps of meat from a roast. And if the texture of your creation seems odd, you can always blend it until smooth.