Leftovers Again?

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

So, how’s the challenge going? Have you come up with anything that you’d make again—or not? Any chance you’re making a dent in helping to eliminate one-third of the trash (and save some of that $100 billion of annually trashed food) in your part of the world?

Using leftovers in tasty ways is something that takes practice—and the more you do it, the easier it gets. It’ll get to the point where you actually look for what’s left and plan a meal around it. And that’s not only good for the earth and your waistline, but better for your wallet too.

Years ago I kept leftovers, but didn’t make the best use of them. It was crazy, really: Two weeks later I’d be scraping and cleaning out all those containers that were once perfectly edible, but they were now growing things unknown. So if your experience with leftovers is anything but savory, I hope these tips will help you begin to make some order from chaos:

Pretty packaging. Use an array of small containers—it doesn’t matter if it’s Rubbermaid or Pyrex, but having a variety of shapes and sizes will make it easier (and fun—the kids actually love those little squares) to get everyone thinking about what’s left—and how to use it.

Give Them Space. Try designating one shelf or section of the refrig for leftovers. Then you won’t have fresh milk and cheese mixing and mingling with day-old corn or soup. It’s when containers get mixed up that things get forgotten and pushed to the back of the shelf—and start turning into tomorrow’s science experiment. Keep them visible and together and it’ll be that much easier to make something from nothing.

Give Everyone a Choice. Unless you’re the fastest—and most intuitive—short order cook around, it’s difficult to accommodate everyone’s different taste preferences. But if you offer a leftover buffet, that’s exactly what everyone gets. Here’s a super meal for busy days, too:

1. Pull out all the containers and arrange pleasingly.
2. Invite everyone to fill his or her plate and microwave for 2-3 minutes.
3. Dinner’s ready!

There's not another meal in our house that offers such personalized diversity—since this leftover buffet often offers everything from veggie burgers and chicken strips to lasagna and chili.

Get Creative. Yes, I know, sometimes this is easier said than done. But using your imagination can sometimes be the saving grace when everyone’s hungry and there’s a mish-mash of containers on the leftover shelf. Sometimes I can make a stir-fry in some olive oil, other times fry up some veggies with beans or potatoes. Maybe even make a medley to toss on top of a baked potato with cheese, or use prepared piecrusts and fill with meat, potatoes and gravy.

Just remember to try to hang in there—and before long you just might like the idea that you’re having leftovers for dinner—again!

Serves/Makes: 4

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 cups leftover vegetables
• 1 cup diced or crushed tomatoes with juice
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup cheese, shredded