It is a scene familiar to many households. After dinner is over, you carefully wrap up any leftovers and stash them in the fridge.
Then, a week later, you find them rotting in the fridge and throw them away. So what is keeping your family from finishing up food that is left behind after a meal?
Food waste has always been an issue in kitchens of all sizes. Reducing food waste at home not only helps the environment, it also saves money.
I unashamedly love leftovers. If you take just a little time to cook extra, careful use of leftovers can provide delicious, low-effort meals for the next few days.
In this article, we round up some great ways to turn your Sunday leftovers into exciting midweek meals that you will not need to spend ages preparing. Take a look at how you will be cutting down on waste, without skimping on taste.
Roast chicken
Chicken is possibly the most versatile of all meats, and is delicious, both hot and cold. Roast your chicken slowly on a Sunday afternoon to keep it tender.
This will prevent the chicken from tasting too dry later in the week, too. A roast chicken can stretch so far. If you have got some meat left, shred it up and make a delicious salad or soup. You can also make home-made chicken stock, too.
Parsnips
Elevate this humble vegetable into something spectacular. With parsnips, you can make soup – blend leftover parsnips with plenty of pepper and a touch of cream if you have any, for a luxurious lunch.
Baked potatoes
Baked potatoes are easy to make and with just a spoonful of butter, they taste delicious. But they can also act as a base for some far more exciting lunches and brunches.
Do you know that with baked potatoes you can make twice-baked potatoes? Twice-baked potatoes start similarly to the potato skins where you cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Then you take the potato insides and mash them with milk or sour cream and butter and put them back into the potato to bake for a second time. They are absolutely delicious.
Roast beef
Roast beef is one of those classic comfort foods that nourishes the soul. Typically rubbed with seasoning, seared on all sides, and then baked in the oven, roast beef can be made from a variety of cuts of meat.
If you have leftover roast beef you can stuff it in peppers. Stuffed peppers are such a great way to use all kinds of leftovers. Rice, beef, a blend of different cheeses – all of these ingredients and more can be mixed into a tasty filling, stuffed into a bell pepper, and baked to perfection.
This is a simple dish that does not really require too many ingredients and can be prepared relatively easily, making it a great choice for a week night meal. Since you are working with leftover roast beef, it will be even less time-consuming, which makes the recipe even more approachable.
Gravy
With gravy, you can make frozen stock cubes. Pour the gravy into an ice cube tray and store it in the freezer. These cubes can be added to stocks that you use for casseroles or stews.
You can also make shepherd’s pie; particularly useful if you also have leftover lamb. Fry your meat, onions, carrots, and any other root vegetables – and the gravy (adding some water and spices if needed) – and top with mash when it is all cooked.
Roast pork
Pork is a versatile meat that can be used in a variety of different ways. With leftover roast pork, you can make pork curry. As with any cut of meat, whipping pork into a curry is a brilliant way to use up leftovers.
You could always throw in some extra vegetables such as carrots and cauliflower as well and serve with plain rice.
Salmon
Salmon has a way of taking on new flavours like no other type of fish. Whether you bake, sear, grill, or poach it, you will find appreciation in salmon's versatility and can delight in the exciting flavours you surround it with. If you need inspiration, you can put salmon into quesadillas.
Quesadillas should need no introduction. Enjoyed across Mexico and a favourite part of Mexican cuisine, a quesadilla can be as filling as it is simple to make, and there are all kinds of variations out there.
They can be made from either flour or corn tortillas and another essential ingredient is to stuff it with cheese. Any other ingredients are entirely up to the cook, and salmon is a great choice.
Other leftover meat recommendations
You can use leftover meat in many other dishes, including pies, making sure the filling is very succulent to avoid the meat drying out.
You can read the latest Food digimag here.