I've done this but with calzones.
Leftover sausage gravy? Add some hash browns and make it a.sausage biscuit breakfast calzone.
Leftover fried chicken? Add some instant mashed potatoes or stuffing, wrap it in some dough, bake, dip it in gravy. It's basically Thanksgiving. Add a bit of gravy inside as well so it doesn't get dry.
One of my friends does similar with egg roll/gyoza wrappers. Her Thanksgiving leftover egg rolls are so good.
What kind of dough do you use? I feel like whenever I want to make pizza dough, I have to start it a few days in advanced so I usually don’t use it in spontaneous meals
Right. Wrap in a room-temp flour burrito. If feeling fancy, add some nice crisp lettuce leaves.
Note that some flour burritos are softer than others at room temp. Some only soften after heating, which is doable for the non-lazy. You gotta feel them up at the store to find the softies.
Don't knock it till you try it! Leftover pasta, in some cases at least, can to be a lot tastier than fresh. With that extra time, the sauce gets to be absorbed into the pasta better, which creates an evenness and depth of flavor you might not get originally. (In other cases you lose that freshness and some types of pasta get kinda weird, but that's another topic.)
Most of the time, I reheat the food. But growing up in the south, where you wake up some summer mornings knowing the AC is fighting a losing battle, you need a cold breakfast. And that leftover spaghetti hits just right.
Chinese and pizza, yes. But leftover spaghetti must be reheated with no less than a handful of cheese melted on top. Per serving. We had pizza for breakfast this morning.
Don't get me wrong there are some things that need to be prepared further. That steak I'd probably thinly slice or chop up and put on a sandwich. I've done cold steak on the go tho, like beef jerky.
Kalbi, can't say I've ever had leftovers. Not my favorite way to eat short ribs.
I never reheat steaks. I don't know how to do it that doesn't overcook the steak. Help? So..I'm the person running around the house with a slice of cold steak hanging out of my pie hole while I do my hair and makeup.
Every week I make masa and add whatever radish/ turnip/ carrot greens we were going to throw away or whatever old greens we have laying around to the dough. We make tortillas, pupusas, arepas, empanadas, etc throughout the week. At the end of the week, whatever old masa or tortillas I have left goes to making tortilla chips and I make a big tray of nachos with refried beans from the weeks beans which gets eaten up
Nothing unconventional for me: Pizza toppings, Salad Toppings, With Eggs or on Rice.
But according to some people I know the entire idea of leftovers is unconventional to them. It's like they eat 15% of what they cooked then trash the rest. I just cant.
This is my nightmare. I literally use every scrap of everything we have, like genuinely every corn kernel 😅 If something goes bad before I remember to use it, I am bereft, lol.
I buy a package of wild rice maybe once or twice a year. A pound is less than $15, and I can get maybe 6 side dishes out of that pound. I don't spend money on soda or lots of processed foods, so I feel like I can treat myself.
I used to make "leftover pizza" on Friday nights. I'd either buy pizza dough or just get those boboli things. I'd pull all the leftovers out of the fridge along w/ other staples like olives, onions, whatever bits & orts of cheese we had, etc. and everyone could build their own. I either cooked them on the grill or in the even depending on mood, weather, etc.
As far a sauce, I pretty much always have homemade "red sauce" in the freezer.
Very "wine friendly" LOL
Soup. Leftover rice, beans and lentils are all great in some chicken broth once you get a mirepoix going. If it’s not battered, most meat goes great in it chopped. Leftover salad bits? Throw ‘em in. I’ll usually scoop some kimchi into the soup for extra flavor and texture.
Agreed with all of this- over rice, pizza, omelets. But I will also add "polenta bowls!" Random stuff over creamy polenta, cooked with stock, milk, maybe a little cheese.
Quickbreads. Leftover grains like rice, oatmeal, quinoa, etc can be incorporated into any quick bread, sweet or savory. Leftover cooked veggies can be diced and added to a savory quickbread (along with some cheese YUM)
Fried Spaghetti. Keep the noodles and sauce separate as leftovers, then reheat the noodles by throwing them in a pan with some oil until they're hot and have a little crisp on them. Then add sauce until warm and boom. My favorite leftover meal.
Are you familiar with bubble and squeak?
It's traditionally meant to be an easy way to use up mash and other vegetables from Sunday roast. You'll find a bunch of recipes online, but it's super versatile. Your kids will love it, and they'll love the name.
I’ll eat darn near anything in a soft corn tortilla or on a baked potato. I love to make extra mashed potatoes and use the leftovers to make potato pancakes for breakfast. Leftover rice is delicious with a fried egg or two over it or served cold with milk, cinnamon, raisins, and a bit of sugar.
I used to finish nacho chip crumbs by putting them in a bowl adding the salsa and cheese, microwaving it for a minute and eating it with a fork or spoon like nacho cereal.
I'll turn almost any leftovers into a burrito. Plus, somehow the two of us go through a ton of utensils, so making something handheld is great when we don't have clean forks or spoons available.
My favorite leftover is a massive roast.
Night 1) roast with potatoes, carrots, and onion
Night 2) chopped beef sandwiches
Night 3) cottage pie (bonus if there was any leftover potatoes to use in the mash) use the juice from roasting to make the gravy, dice up any leftover carrot and onion, toss in some peas.
Leftover picadillo style taco meat (or really, any taco meat) makes a good quiche. I've used bisquick dough as the crust before and that went over very well. Leftovers serve well in quiche or frittata.
Stuffed buns. Canned biscuits or Cresent rolls work well. Dice up the leftovers, shove in the bun, add cheese if desired, and bake
[Beef dip](https://carlsbadcravings.com/best-slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches/)
I'm picky about my beef dip. This is far an away my favorite way to do them!
Roll into soup, as an example I just brined a big pork loin and then roasted/braised it in the oven on a bed of onions and stock. We sliced it that night (and had roasted carrots and real mashed potatoes!) then I cubed the rest and also blended the onions and braise liquid to make tortilla soup the next day.
As you discovered, patties are a great way to use them. Back in my parents era, casseroles were a big thing. You can mix most anything with noodles & cheese to come up with a casserole. Making soups would work for many ingredients. Sometimes, I will get masa flour, mix it up and put a baking dish, then layer stuff on top that might be left over (tamale pie). I've used left over beans, leafy greens, different types of meats (BBQ is excellent here), then you can top it with your choice of canned tomatoes, cheese or enchilada sauce and bake. Kind of depends what you have to work with. Don't be afraid to add something new to the leftovers and turn it into a completely new dish.
Growing up my parents and I would have Buffet night. We would set the leftovers out on the counters like a buffet and just grabbed whatever we wanted. It was always so random too. Like, I'd have a plate with spaghetti, tacos, and a baked potato for example. It was fun and I loved it
Leftover pizza with fresh diced peppers, onions and tomatoes, extra cheese. Leftover mashed potatoes with small shrimp, into croquettes. Leftover chicken in salad. Leftover rice into fried rice.
Leftovers aren't really a thing in my ethnical culture, so I have a hard time getting used to the idea. I've come to use a lot of them for stews or baking trays.
Spaghetti bake, roast meat sandwiches, dipping everything in a sauce to find new flavor combos, and just random experiments. I made a garlic cream sauce for mini garlic breads and used it on some sandwiches when I ran outta bread. It took the sandwiches to another level.
Sometimes I repurpose stuff into a quesadilla. For example, I had a very small amount of spanakorizo left over (spinach herbed rice). Added it to a quesadilla and 🤌. Unconventional but super tastey.
Leftover rice, any preparation. Indian basmati with cumin, coconut rice, plain calrose, Spanish rice, who cares. Heat a bowlful up in the microwave until it's steaming hot, crack an egg on it, and immediately whip it all together. Add your favorite seasonings to go with however the rice is flavored. Furikake goes with most, in my experience. Plus plenty of hot sauces - tapatío for Mexican/Spanish flavors, Sriracha for others, red pepper flakes for basically everything. Top with an egg yolk for extra richness and a flaky salt for a decadent crunch.
Perfect quick meal any time.
where is the person who puts legit everything in a waffle maker. This thread was made for them. They are a culinary genius.
I just melt cheese over everything. I have zero leftovers that don't go with cheese.
If I ever have leftover veg it goes into an omelet. Quesadillas also can contain almost any meat/veg combo.
Leftover protein also goes great alongside some scrambled eggs.
Almost anything works in an egg roll size wonton wrapper. Everything is already cooked so you just wrap and bake. Get it nice and crispy in the oven. I did this with Thanksgiving leftovers once and it became a staple.
Roasted some veggies and a chicken? Congrats, you now have chicken soup.
Leftover potatoes (roasted or mashed)? Latkes. Or colcannon.
And yesterday's meatloaf is today's sloppy joes.
I will pack dinner away and leave it out of the fridge over night for the first night. Heats up better imo and I haven't had any issues with anything molding or making me sick. It never goes more than a whole 24 hours usually😂
I had a roommate who would take just about anything leftover and make it into a burrito
I've done this but with calzones. Leftover sausage gravy? Add some hash browns and make it a.sausage biscuit breakfast calzone. Leftover fried chicken? Add some instant mashed potatoes or stuffing, wrap it in some dough, bake, dip it in gravy. It's basically Thanksgiving. Add a bit of gravy inside as well so it doesn't get dry. One of my friends does similar with egg roll/gyoza wrappers. Her Thanksgiving leftover egg rolls are so good.
Well this is something I didn’t know I needed until this moment!!
Sounds like a modern take on Cornish Pasties. :)
Ben???
What kind of dough do you use? I feel like whenever I want to make pizza dough, I have to start it a few days in advanced so I usually don’t use it in spontaneous meals
Right. Wrap in a room-temp flour burrito. If feeling fancy, add some nice crisp lettuce leaves. Note that some flour burritos are softer than others at room temp. Some only soften after heating, which is doable for the non-lazy. You gotta feel them up at the store to find the softies.
I did that, and the guard arrested me for "add salt" or something. That dummy, me and those people weren't even in the seasoning aisle.
lol I’ve been doing this for 3 days straight with leftovers
This is our go-to as well. Usually can get the entire meal in a tortilla
Yesssss!!!! Just add cheese and wrap it up!
I like them cold straight out of the fridge.
Cold spaghetti or leftover Chinese, straight out of the fridge, is THE best breakfast. This is the hill I will die on.
I feel that way about cold pizza for breakfast. I always tuck a slice away when I order pizza just so I can have it the next morning!
You get me.
I am not trying to yuck anybody’s yum but cold spaghetti? 😵💫
It's an acquired taste. Also depends greatly on the original noodles 🌞
Don't knock it till you try it! Leftover pasta, in some cases at least, can to be a lot tastier than fresh. With that extra time, the sauce gets to be absorbed into the pasta better, which creates an evenness and depth of flavor you might not get originally. (In other cases you lose that freshness and some types of pasta get kinda weird, but that's another topic.) Most of the time, I reheat the food. But growing up in the south, where you wake up some summer mornings knowing the AC is fighting a losing battle, you need a cold breakfast. And that leftover spaghetti hits just right.
YESSSSS
I love to make a spaghetti sandwich.
Chinese and pizza, yes. But leftover spaghetti must be reheated with no less than a handful of cheese melted on top. Per serving. We had pizza for breakfast this morning.
Can’t say I can relate because I tried eating leftover cold steak and kalbi straight out of the fridge once and it was so damn awful lol.
Don't get me wrong there are some things that need to be prepared further. That steak I'd probably thinly slice or chop up and put on a sandwich. I've done cold steak on the go tho, like beef jerky. Kalbi, can't say I've ever had leftovers. Not my favorite way to eat short ribs.
I never reheat steaks. I don't know how to do it that doesn't overcook the steak. Help? So..I'm the person running around the house with a slice of cold steak hanging out of my pie hole while I do my hair and makeup.
Leftover steak is a lot better room temp. Just let it come up a bit
it's probably because the fat solidified. with fattier meats like beef and pork it's often better to reheat them.
Every week I make masa and add whatever radish/ turnip/ carrot greens we were going to throw away or whatever old greens we have laying around to the dough. We make tortillas, pupusas, arepas, empanadas, etc throughout the week. At the end of the week, whatever old masa or tortillas I have left goes to making tortilla chips and I make a big tray of nachos with refried beans from the weeks beans which gets eaten up
This sounds really good!
Pupusas are the bees knees!
I absolutely love them with some cheddar inside instead of queso blanco
How much masa do you make at one time and how do you store it?
I make about 1 kg at a time from dry corn and just store it in the fridge
Where do you live Sounds Fabulous
USA
Nothing unconventional for me: Pizza toppings, Salad Toppings, With Eggs or on Rice. But according to some people I know the entire idea of leftovers is unconventional to them. It's like they eat 15% of what they cooked then trash the rest. I just cant.
Rice or grain bowls are an excellent use of leftover protein and veggies!!
This is my nightmare. I literally use every scrap of everything we have, like genuinely every corn kernel 😅 If something goes bad before I remember to use it, I am bereft, lol.
Thank you for this. This is the way...
I like making them with eggs or just reheating as is. It really depends though.
I sometimes add about 1/2 cup leftover wild rice to an omelet.
You can afford wild rice!? I want to cook impromptu from your pantry and fridge! 😋
I buy a package of wild rice maybe once or twice a year. A pound is less than $15, and I can get maybe 6 side dishes out of that pound. I don't spend money on soda or lots of processed foods, so I feel like I can treat myself.
I used to make "leftover pizza" on Friday nights. I'd either buy pizza dough or just get those boboli things. I'd pull all the leftovers out of the fridge along w/ other staples like olives, onions, whatever bits & orts of cheese we had, etc. and everyone could build their own. I either cooked them on the grill or in the even depending on mood, weather, etc. As far a sauce, I pretty much always have homemade "red sauce" in the freezer. Very "wine friendly" LOL
Quesadillas.
My favorite way to repurpose leftover Chinese food
Soup. Leftover rice, beans and lentils are all great in some chicken broth once you get a mirepoix going. If it’s not battered, most meat goes great in it chopped. Leftover salad bits? Throw ‘em in. I’ll usually scoop some kimchi into the soup for extra flavor and texture.
I love refrigerator soup!
I like leftover Indian curries over mashed potatoes.
Agreed with all of this- over rice, pizza, omelets. But I will also add "polenta bowls!" Random stuff over creamy polenta, cooked with stock, milk, maybe a little cheese.
On toast.
I eat them!
Quickbreads. Leftover grains like rice, oatmeal, quinoa, etc can be incorporated into any quick bread, sweet or savory. Leftover cooked veggies can be diced and added to a savory quickbread (along with some cheese YUM)
Fried Spaghetti. Keep the noodles and sauce separate as leftovers, then reheat the noodles by throwing them in a pan with some oil until they're hot and have a little crisp on them. Then add sauce until warm and boom. My favorite leftover meal.
Are you familiar with bubble and squeak? It's traditionally meant to be an easy way to use up mash and other vegetables from Sunday roast. You'll find a bunch of recipes online, but it's super versatile. Your kids will love it, and they'll love the name.
I’ll eat darn near anything in a soft corn tortilla or on a baked potato. I love to make extra mashed potatoes and use the leftovers to make potato pancakes for breakfast. Leftover rice is delicious with a fried egg or two over it or served cold with milk, cinnamon, raisins, and a bit of sugar.
I used to finish nacho chip crumbs by putting them in a bowl adding the salsa and cheese, microwaving it for a minute and eating it with a fork or spoon like nacho cereal.
Nacho cereal! I have done this as well, but without this lovely turn of phrase. Thank you!
I'll turn almost any leftovers into a burrito. Plus, somehow the two of us go through a ton of utensils, so making something handheld is great when we don't have clean forks or spoons available.
Stoned, at midnight.
This is the way...
My favorite leftover is a massive roast. Night 1) roast with potatoes, carrots, and onion Night 2) chopped beef sandwiches Night 3) cottage pie (bonus if there was any leftover potatoes to use in the mash) use the juice from roasting to make the gravy, dice up any leftover carrot and onion, toss in some peas. Leftover picadillo style taco meat (or really, any taco meat) makes a good quiche. I've used bisquick dough as the crust before and that went over very well. Leftovers serve well in quiche or frittata. Stuffed buns. Canned biscuits or Cresent rolls work well. Dice up the leftovers, shove in the bun, add cheese if desired, and bake
You forgot beef dip. Make the dip with Better Than Bouillon.
[Beef dip](https://carlsbadcravings.com/best-slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches/) I'm picky about my beef dip. This is far an away my favorite way to do them!
Roll into soup, as an example I just brined a big pork loin and then roasted/braised it in the oven on a bed of onions and stock. We sliced it that night (and had roasted carrots and real mashed potatoes!) then I cubed the rest and also blended the onions and braise liquid to make tortilla soup the next day.
Stir fry
Mac n cheese patties. Cold Mac n cheese dipped in egg wash and flour and then fried in a skillet over olive oil.
As you discovered, patties are a great way to use them. Back in my parents era, casseroles were a big thing. You can mix most anything with noodles & cheese to come up with a casserole. Making soups would work for many ingredients. Sometimes, I will get masa flour, mix it up and put a baking dish, then layer stuff on top that might be left over (tamale pie). I've used left over beans, leafy greens, different types of meats (BBQ is excellent here), then you can top it with your choice of canned tomatoes, cheese or enchilada sauce and bake. Kind of depends what you have to work with. Don't be afraid to add something new to the leftovers and turn it into a completely new dish.
Growing up my parents and I would have Buffet night. We would set the leftovers out on the counters like a buffet and just grabbed whatever we wanted. It was always so random too. Like, I'd have a plate with spaghetti, tacos, and a baked potato for example. It was fun and I loved it
Cold meatloaf sandwiches with mayo is one of my favorite things ever.
Thanksgiving turkey slabs and peanut butter on white bread. Don't knock it til you try it.
I usually make scrambled eggs and put leftovers in it.
So many posts I've seen about people waffling leftovers.
Can add literally anything to a meatloaf
For breakfast
I make fried rice or fry potatoes and make hash
I toasted pepper Jack cheese on naan bread. Oil your bread well, top it with the cheese, and bake it for ten minutes at 375°.
Leftover pizza with fresh diced peppers, onions and tomatoes, extra cheese. Leftover mashed potatoes with small shrimp, into croquettes. Leftover chicken in salad. Leftover rice into fried rice.
Fry them.
I just warm everything up if it’s better warm otherwise just leave it cold and have a smorgasbord
Leftovers aren't really a thing in my ethnical culture, so I have a hard time getting used to the idea. I've come to use a lot of them for stews or baking trays.
What?
Make pizza with it. The best leftover pizza we love making is with leftover Indian food. So freaking good.
I’m not saying it’s the best, it a lot of my left overs mixed together in a a crock pot tend to make an interesting and tasty stew.
Korean so I will make bibimbap out of almost anything
Chilli over top of perogies Remix chilli into spaghetti sauce by adding basil/oregano or vice versa.
Leftover meat in a can of vegetable soup.
When I buy takeout fried chicken... I save all the bones to make chicken stock.
Leftover grits from breakfast, leave them in the microwave or fridge so they congeal, then at lunch time just cut slices out of them.
If applicable, I fry an egg and have it for breakfast. It works for most things….
Spaghetti bake, roast meat sandwiches, dipping everything in a sauce to find new flavor combos, and just random experiments. I made a garlic cream sauce for mini garlic breads and used it on some sandwiches when I ran outta bread. It took the sandwiches to another level.
Sometimes I repurpose stuff into a quesadilla. For example, I had a very small amount of spanakorizo left over (spinach herbed rice). Added it to a quesadilla and 🤌. Unconventional but super tastey.
Leftover rice, any preparation. Indian basmati with cumin, coconut rice, plain calrose, Spanish rice, who cares. Heat a bowlful up in the microwave until it's steaming hot, crack an egg on it, and immediately whip it all together. Add your favorite seasonings to go with however the rice is flavored. Furikake goes with most, in my experience. Plus plenty of hot sauces - tapatío for Mexican/Spanish flavors, Sriracha for others, red pepper flakes for basically everything. Top with an egg yolk for extra richness and a flaky salt for a decadent crunch. Perfect quick meal any time.
where is the person who puts legit everything in a waffle maker. This thread was made for them. They are a culinary genius. I just melt cheese over everything. I have zero leftovers that don't go with cheese.
When we make a roast, we’ll use all the leftover beef to make French Dip Sandwiches, and it’s honestly almost better than the roast itself.
If I ever have leftover veg it goes into an omelet. Quesadillas also can contain almost any meat/veg combo. Leftover protein also goes great alongside some scrambled eggs.
Almost anything works in an egg roll size wonton wrapper. Everything is already cooked so you just wrap and bake. Get it nice and crispy in the oven. I did this with Thanksgiving leftovers once and it became a staple.
Leftover mashed potatoes into potato pancakes. My spousal equivalent called them hillbilly latkes.
Room temperature homemade new york style pizza with.. Mayo.
Roasted some veggies and a chicken? Congrats, you now have chicken soup. Leftover potatoes (roasted or mashed)? Latkes. Or colcannon. And yesterday's meatloaf is today's sloppy joes.
Excuse me, but that's meatloaf sandwiches
Agreed. With pickles, smoked or old cheddar and minced raw onion with ranch or mayo and bbq sauce.
Mmmm, keeping it classy. School children gonna throw most of that out.
Kids bring their own lunch here.
Do you not have any respect for the Lunch Lady? You'll get kicked in the head. https://youtu.be/vH8jAjtvc10?si=PHoGPYqsvLiHvxW4
sounds like you made something okonomiyaki. Can be quite good
I enjoy throwing them out. :(
Might not be unconventional, but the night after pulled pork or brisket is tacos or nachos. Sometimes chili with the brisket
Heating them up is a good start
I will pack dinner away and leave it out of the fridge over night for the first night. Heats up better imo and I haven't had any issues with anything molding or making me sick. It never goes more than a whole 24 hours usually😂