Ways To Use Leftovers (2024)

Hi Friends!

Today we’re going to talk about ways to use leftovers. It’s Recipe Redux day and this month’s challengewas:

Two for One

We’re all about cooking once and eating twice. In short, double dinners are better. Show us how you take a favorite recipe already on your blog – and ReDux the leftovers into a new dish. Or, whip up a new healthy recipe and give suggestions on how to make it a second meal. For example, slow cooker pot roast could become shredded beef tacos; or grilled chicken breasts might morph into chicken salad.

Guys, is this right up my alley or what?! We all know I love food prep. I pretty much complete this challenge weekly. I love cooking once and then repurposing the leftovers into a new dish. I’ve actually been meaning to put together a post about using leftovers for you so this was just the push I needed!

Once I got the ball rolling, I couldn’t stop!Instead of just sharing one idea, I went a little bit overboard and have lots for you! I picked three proteins- chicken, pork and salmon- that we eat a lot of give you a few ideas for repurposing each one!

{Salmon image used with permission from Cotter Crunch}

Roasted Chicken

Day one: Make a Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken. (Or roast one in the oven! I just put mine in a cast iron skillet and roast at 425 for about 45 minutes for a 5 pound chicken)

Eat the chicken with a side of vegetables and rice one night.

Later in the week, use the leftovers to:

• Make pasta salad! Try this Chicken Pasta Salad with Salsa Hummus Dressing.
• Add an asian twist. Saute with veggies and a couple scrambled eggs for Chicken Fried Rice or serve over pad thai noodles!
• Make a sandwich or wrap. One of my go-to’s is chicken, hummus, black beans, red peppers, onions and cheese in a wrap. Or try this Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Panini!
• Use it as a topping for homemade pizza! Make your own crust and add lots of veggies. Check out my 5 Steps To A Healthier Pizza.

Pulled Pork

Day one: Make my Beer Braised Pulled Pork.

Eat it with some bbq sauce and a side of veggies for dinner one night.

Later in the week, use the leftovers to:

• Make pulled pork sandwiches! Add a fried egg and avocado for an epic sandwich!
• Make nachos! Top your favorite tortilla chips with pork, beans, peppers, onions and cheese. Microwave or bake to melt the cheese and top with tomato and avocado.
• Put it in a quesadilla. Add beans, veggies and a little cheese and top with salsa.
• Make enchiladas (can you tell we like Mexican?!) Or make another casserole using leftover meat, frozen veggies and your favorite whole grain!

Salmon

Day one: Grill or bake some salmon and your favorite vegetable for an easy weeknight dinner.

Later in the week, use the leftovers to:

• Make burgers/cakes. Try my Thai Peanut Salmon Burgersor swap it for the tuna in my Tuna Quinoa Cakes.
• Make soup! Try my Salmon Corn Chowder!
• Make a chop salad like this Salmon Chop Salad to pack for lunch! Or just add as a topping to a regular lettuce-based salad or use in lettuce wraps!

Keep in mind that these suggestions aren’t protein-specific. For example, you can definitely use leftover chicken in any of the ideas listed above for pork, etc! Or use the above ideas for different proteins like black beans, lentils, tofu, shrimp, etc. Havelave leftover black beans- make a veggie burger! Use leftover lentilsto make a soup or leftover shrimpto make lettuce wraps. Bonus idea- add eggs. Breakfast for dinner is the perfect way to repurpose leftovers into an omlette or frittata.

[Tweet “Need some inspiration? Here are 12 Ways To RepurposeLeftovers via @leangrnbeanblog!”]

Hopefully this gave you some new ideas for ways to use up those leftovers. This is why I tend to favor prepping ingredients instead of whole meals during my Sunday Food Prep. I’d rather cook a whole chicken and be able to use it 2-3 different ways during the week than cook a big casserole and have just that one option!

If you liked this post, you’ll love my ebook – The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep. It dives into even more detail about how to food prep, troubleshoots common problems and provides tons of tips to make it easier!Click the image below for more details!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

For more Cook Once, Eat Twice ideas, check out all the posts linked up below from other Recipe Redux members!