Leftovers have such a bad reputation. Personally, I love opening my refrigerator and finding that wonderful something that was already carefully cooked + portioned into a container ready for me to heat + eat. I have learned that many of you don’t share in my love of leftovers! Why not?!? Today, I will help you make the most of leftovers + go from leftovers always end up in the trash to woo hoo, leftovers!
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
The Vegetarian’s Guide to Making the Most of Leftovers
Perhaps the word leftovers is the problem, not the food itself? If it wasn’t good enough to be eaten the first time around, dare we take a second stab at it? Left on the plate, left in the pot, left for someone else, not all that positive sounding. What about the intentional leftover? Now that’s what I’m talking about. Cook once + eat twice! One of my life mottos! If done properly, leftovers can be better than the original meal. What makes them even better? Less prep time, ready to eat when you are, cheaper, with less dishes, let’s do this! Here are my top 5 tips for making the most of your leftovers:
Tip #1 Choose the Right Container
There is nothing worse than looking forward to eating something you saved from the day before only to find it all soggy + inedible. This takes some practice + willingness to get it right but ultimately will pay off in bonus food for days! Here are my top tips:
- Store dressings + sauces separately from grains + greens.
- If there is a large volume of food, break it down into smaller portions.
- Best piece of leftovers advice in this whole article: ditch the container it came in + use glass bowls with lids for storage! With a glass bowl you can pop it straight into the microwave + not worry about transferring your food when you are ready to heat + eat.
- If your leftovers are from a restaurant, change containers as soon as you get home! The containers they give you are for transporting your food to your home not storing your food.
- Make sure you have a secure lid!
- Clear or glass containers work best so that you can see what wonderful treasures are left over + the guess work is gone.
Tip #2 Make a Buffet
When the MVF kids were little, we called it “Leftover Louie”. To this day, I’m not sure where the name originated from but it stuck. Everyone looked forward to Leftover Louie night. It meant we all still ate together but were able to mix + match any leftover in the refrigerator or freezer with any pantry staple, dressing, or condiment. We all made our own creations, plated them in our own unique way, heated or reheated, and ate. Lots of nachos, bowls, and other nameless meals were created on those memorable nights.
Tip #3 Incorporate Leftovers into Another Meal
Sometimes what is left from one meal might not be enough for a stand-alone meal on another day. Make tacos from leftover beans or tempeh, pizza with leftover sauce or veggies, pasta salad with leftover cooked pasta or veggies or dressing. Having some homemade hot sauce or dressing or chutney or even hummus will help you increase the wow factor of boring veggies or grains.
Here you will find ALL of my salad dressing recipes to help you: My Vegetarian Family Salad + Dressing Recipes.
Tip #4 Leftovers for Lunch
Or perhaps breakfast! Cold leftovers right out of the container anyone? Yes, you know you have done it! Cold pizza, noodles, quesadillas? Come on guys, now this is not some sad rejected meal from the night before, this is treasure! Don’t like cold leftovers? Invest in a thermos! Heat your lunch up in the morning, pop it into that fabulous thermos, don’t forget the silverware and you can thank me later!
Tip #5 Don’t Forget the Freezer
If you made something that can be stored in the freezer + you don’t plan on eating it in the next 3-4 days, put it in an airtight container and put it in the freezer! Beans, soups, sauces, gravies, chili, and even chopped veggies such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic can be stored in the freezer just waiting to be repurposed later! I even put leftover cookie dough batter in my freezer for the ultimate leftover.
A Few Other Tips That Might Be Helpful with Making the Most of Leftovers:
Guide To Cooking Recipe-Free Meatless Meals
10 Things To Do On Weekends To Make Weeknight Cooking Easier
Guide To Frozen Vegetables (Myths + Methods!)
How To Find Happiness In The Kitchen
Food For Thought
The food you don’t finish on one night could be made into something better than it was to begin with. Keep an open mind when it comes to leftovers! Stop thinking of them as the uneaten scraps that weren’t good enough the first time around and think of them as something to look forward to that you don’t have to cook or clean up! Some foods are even better the next day. Freeze some for later, toss others into a lunchbox or two, start your own Leftover Louie tradition, or eat the same thing every night plated + jazzed up a little differently. Leftovers are fun, they just need a little marketing help + I’m here for it. I am a leftovers fan, always have been, always will be + I welcome you to my fan club any time!
All the best,
Tara 💚
⭐Did you learn how to make the most of leftovers? Love it? Leave a comment + a rating below!
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