Remaking Leftovers into a Second Meal

With food costs rising at a breakneck pace you need to fully utilize the food you have. That especially applies to leftovers! With a few simple strategies you can find something to do with every scrap of food you have left in your refrigerator - no matter how small it is. With these strategies in mind you can make us of planned or unplanned leftovers in a snap!

1) Make This Meal with the Next Meal in Mind

I like to make what I call "stackable" meals. I make something knowing that if there is any leftover I can use it as a base or ingredient in an upcoming meal. This way my family has variety and I don't waste any food.

One of my favorite examples of this would be making meatloaf or meatballs, then using any leftover meat in tacos, then using any leftover taco meat in chili, then using any leftover chili in a Sheppard's pie. Leftover chili can also go on top of a taco salad or corn chips. Cover it with cheese sauce and you have delicious nachos.

Another example would be to make baked potatoes and top them with chili from the previous example. Then scoop out the potatoes and make loaded baked potato skin from the shells and potato soup from the inside. Mash the insides and use them to top a Sheppard's pie or cube them, fry them in oil and serve with a nice quiche or omelet the next morning for breakfast.

Finally, if there is any potato soup leftover it will make a nice base for a creamed soup to which you add vegetables (like extra veggies left over from a Sheppard's pie) and chicken. You can also leftover cheese sauce (like from your nachos) and leftover broccoli for a quick broccoli cheese soup.

2) Start with the End in Mind

Another way to use leftovers is to have a dish in mind and then drop whatever you have into it. Many dishes lend themselves well to the wide variety of leftovers you may have. Several of these include:

Meatloaf - Bits of cheese, chopped leftover bacon, leftover vegetables and even gravy are all wonderful mixed into a meatloaf. Leftover quiche and even casseroles can also be chopped finely and mixed in with wonderful results!

Chili - Leftover mushrooms, cheese, beans of any kind, vegetables, and even gravy or tomato soup or leftover spaghetti sauce can be incorporated in to a chili with great results. I even use the last bit of mustard, ketchup, or even French dressing in a bottle in my chili. People always tell me they love my chili which I find amusing since I rarely make it the same way twice. Yet it always tastes fantastic!

Casseroles - Using a base of noodles (which can be leftover from spaghetti and meatball day) you can add any type of meat, cheese, vegetables, gravies, and even leftover bread to make an awesome casserole. Just remember to mix in a few eggs to bind it and creamed soup or milk to moisten it. Top it with leftover crumbled rolls or bread (even garlic bread) and you have a wonderful meal.

Quiche - Take 4 eggs, 1 cup of milk, spices, and any assortment of leftovers that you have to use for a filling. Cheese, meat, and vegetables in any combination are ideal. Place in an unbaked 9 inch pie shell and bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with a small side salad of fresh greens and your family will never know it was made from leftovers!

Omelets - Omelets work the same way as quiche. They are very forgiving. You can make them with all leftover vegetables or include meat and cheese. Even if all you have is cheese leftover you can still make an awesome omelet. Top them with a simple cream sauce or cheese sauce. A hearty meat filled omelet is fantastic topped with leftover gravy!

Sheppard's Pie - leftover chili, BBQ sauce, gravy, vegetables, finely chopped leftover meat, even leftover casseroles can be mixed up and covered with mashed potatoes and made into a delicious Sheppard's pie.

Soup - There are many leftover foods that work well in soup: Meat, poultry, cheese potatoes, veggies, mashed potatoes, gravy, noodles, rice, red beans, chili, Sheppard's pie, garlic bread, nacho cheese sauce, butter beans, baked beans, bits of cheese and other soups. If a chunky soup would look a bit too different get out your hand blender and puree it into a creamy texture. Leftover Noodles, rice, and leftover bread will all mix into a delightful creamy soup that will pair well with a nice salad of greens!

3) Keep A Few Things in Mind

When combining leftover foods to make a new dish, keep a few things in mind:

a) Strongly flavored leftover foods like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, onions, etc should be used sparingly. They can overpower a dish quickly.

b) Make sure your leftover food is still good. Always keep food safety in mind.

c) If you don't make many leftovers at the same time freeze them until you have enough to use. If you are fond of making soups out of leftovers, like I am, keep a plastic container in the freezer and drop bits of leftovers in until you have enough for a pot of soup.