65 Amazing Meals You Can Make From Leftovers
I have a problem, and it’s about time I admitted it: I am a big-time food-waster. Each Sunday I go shopping with the honest intention of using every ounce of soymilk and every last spoonful of avocado I load into my cart. And every Saturday I throw away something like a few cups of rice, a half-carton of spoiled yogurt, and sometimes even (gasp!) a whole rotten avocado.
It’s time to make a change. So to help stop wasting food (and money), I’ve rounded up a bunch of ways to make use of the most common extras in the kitchen. Here are 65 creative ideas for meals to make out of leftovers, from French onion soup to banana ice cream. Some of the ideas are made from entire leftover meals (think half a pizza pie); others make use of ingredients that tend to spoil quickly (like, ugh, brown bananas).
Pasta
1. Curried Noodle Patties
From one of our favorite veggie bloggers comes this recipe for a slightly spicy snack. No one will guess that these little patties used to be last night’s soggy spaghetti. Plus they feature tofu for some extra low-cal protein.
2. Spaghetti Frittata
Spaghetti for breakfast? Impossible! For this meal (which works for lunch or dinner, too), you can use plain pasta just as easily as pasta smothered with sauce. Pump up the meal’s protein value with eggs, milk, and some veggies for good measure. Fry in a pan and voila! Frittata.
3. Crisp-Fried Pasta With Egg, Goat Cheese, and Tomatoes
The name of this dish alone is enough to make our mouths water. Instead of letting leftover plain pasta go limp in the refrigerator, crisp up those carbs and turn them into a gourmet, balanced meal. All it takes is a single skillet!
4. Pizza di Spaghetti
Is it pizza? Is it spaghetti? It’s both! There’s no delivery required for this pie that totally transforms regular ‘ol pasta (plain or with sauce). Plus this pie packs more protein than the traditional kind, with eggs, milk, and cheese.
5. Pasta Stir Fry
Stir fries may look fancy with all those colorful veggies, but they’re surprisingly easy to whip up with whatever ingredients you have hangin’ out in the fridge. Just throw together some leftover plain, cooked pasta (hopefully whole-wheat!), veggies (broccoli and mushroom work well), a protein source such as meat or tofu, and your sauce of choice.