These days, the less we go to the shops the better. So instead of popping out to the shops to buy something to make for supper, why not use up leftovers instead. I’ve put together a list of 7 easy meals that you can make with leftovers that will not only keep you out of the shops, but will help ease the strain on the purse strings too. Why not make one of these meals with leftovers tonight.
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Don’t throw away your leftovers – use these ideas to transform them into delicious meals that the family will love.
Pork in garlic sauce
Whenever I buy a pork roast, I always buy one larger than I need, purely so that I can have enough leftover to make this delicious pork in garlic sauce. It packed with broccoli, mushrooms and beansprouts and loaded with Asian flavours of ginger, soy and oyster sauce, with just a hint of chilli and a load of garlic.
This dish tastes better than any Chinese takeaway – or as hubby says ‘I’d pay good money to eat this in a restauarant‘.
- Quick to prepare – once you’ve prepped your vegetables, it only takes 15 minutes to put together.
- Versatile – you can swap out the vegetables for whatever you happen to have in the fridge at the time. Try making it with chopped onions and julienned carrots instead of the broccoli. (Or just add them in addition). You can also play around with the flavours. Want more heat – just add extra chilli; want to tone down the garlic – just add the amount you like.
- Full of sauce – serve it over rice or chinese noodles to mop up all the lovely flavours.
Ham and mushroom tagliatelle
This is my favourite pasta dish. It’s based on a recipe I found years ago which was originally intended as a dipping sauce to be served with potato wedges. I adapted the recipe to turn it into a pasta sauce to use up leftover ham or gammon, and it’s now become a regular on our meal rotation.
Curried dough balls
These little gems are made with the fabulously easy 2-ingredient dough. It’s a great way of using up leftover curry, bolognese or chilli. Children love this – the dough balls are a bit like meat-filled doughnuts 🙂
Fish cakes with a crispy coating
If you’ve got leftover mashed potatoes why not mix them with fish and turn them into fishcakes. (If you’ve got leftover fish as well so much the better, although I do provide instructions for poaching your fish first).
Lamb curry in pita
This is my favourite way of using up left over lamb. The curry recipe is based on a traditional South African Cape Malay curry recipe, which is quite mild. It is ideal for those who don’t enjoy a spicy curry, although if you do prefer a hotter curry you can just increase the chilli.
Serve this curry inside a pita bread. It makes a nice change from eating curry served over rice.
Bolognese sausage rolls
Everybody loves a sausage roll. They make the perfect light lunch, or even just a snack if you’re feeling peckish. Make them with homemade pastry and fill them with leftover homemade bolognese, or just use shop-bought pastry if you have some in your freezer.
Chicken and mushroom quiche
And last, but by no means least, here is my recipe for a quick and easy quiche made with leftover chicken. To be honest, it’s more of a pie than a quiche, but as long as it tastes good it doesn’t really matter what you call it 🙂
This is delicious served either hot or cold. Serve it with a bowl of creamy mashed potatoes and a side dish of peas for a simple easy supper.
Well, there you have it, 7 easy ways to use up your leftovers. Which is your favourite I wonder. Let me know in the comments below. And if you have ideas for using leftover I’d love to hear what they are.
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