What meals make excellent leftovers?

[Contrary Housewife]

Check out the recipes for this show: Sandra's Money Saving Meals : Sandra Lee : Food Network

She makes one meal, like a roast with potatoes, then shows you how to make a 2nd meal out of the leftovers. And all the recipes are supposed to be inexpensive, either using cheap ingredients or making frugal use of more expensive ingredients.

[pop goes the weasel]

I make what my FIL called boiled dinner. It can be made with a cheap cut of beef, if you can find such a thing anymore, or very well browned hamburger. Throw in tators,cabbage,carrots and mushrooms after the meat is tender and cut in chunks. Cook til veggies are done. I make a huge batch and make veggie soup one night and beef stew for another meal. I have even made enough to can veggie soup.

[mndtrp]

I can do the most with a turkey or whole chicken. A roast can also be turned into countless other meals.

Being that meat can be rather expensive, I've taken to adding other things to stretch the meal. Quinoa, rice, barley, beans, tomatoes, any other veggies I can find.

[MomToTwoBoys]

What I was primarily looking for are one-pot options that I can just take back out of the fridge and reheat the next time. The kind of leftovers that don't require anything extra the second night for them to be used up.

I guess I can expand to meats that would make secondary leftovers using the same ingredient I used before. For example, if I made ham, I'd want to use potato for two different meals. I don't want to have to buy something on top of that to make a tertiary meal (although, ham and scrambled eggs in this house is a good breakfast dish for us).

But the other ideas you all have given me are pretty good too.

[Paws]

well, I use the planned over system...

Have chili the first night, freeze some for another quick meal, and the remainder can be used to make chili mac for another night.

Cook a roast with veggies in gravy one night, then shred the left overs, add the gravy, and add it to some cooked rice...roast beef and rice for another night. Serve it with the left over roasted veggies on the side. Can also use it to make a beef pot pie, wraps, sandwiches or a casserole.

Roast a whole chicken with veggies and baked potatoes one night, then take the left over meat, chop up use for a chicken casserole, chicken and dressing, country casserole, chicken tettrazzini, chicken and rice, chicken wraps, chicken salad sandwiches, tacos, soups, stews, and can even add bbq sauce to the meat to make chicken bbq sandwiches. Take the baked potatoes, skin, and dice to make potato salad, twice baked potatoes, or mashed potatoes as a side dish. Use the left over veggies to serve as a side with another dish.
Can use turkey in the same ways...

After having a ham for dinner the first night, dice up some to use in scrambled eggs, omelettes , or fritattas. Can use to make ham fried rice, ham scalloped potatoes, add to loaded baked potatoes, ham salad sandwiches, and don't forget about the classic ham sandwiches.

One could dice up uncooked round steaks or a small roast to use for beef soup/stew, beef kabobs, beef and rice, beef casserole, hamburger helper, beef fajitas, beef and onions with pasta, etc...

Make a bunch of patties with hamburger meat and cook...and have hamburgers one night, another night-add patties to mushroom and onion gravy and heat through, serve with either rice or pasta. If any patties remain, crumble up and make a batch of spaghetti or hamburger helper...can use in taco soup, hamburger soup, chili, nachos, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, etc...

Same principle applies to rice...

[janal14]

I make a tomato-less chicken tortilla soup (I'm allergic to tomatoes) in the slow cooker that re-heats really well - if you're interested in the recipe let me know. I almost always double it, which nearly totally fills my HUGE slow cooker, and my fiancee will eat it for lunch every day for a week.


I made a mexican mac and cheese last night that I made up from scratch - it reheats really well - fiancee had it for lunch and dinner today. Cook up some pasta. Make a white sauce on the stove (butter and flour roux, add milk). Add shredded cheese of your choice to the sauce and stir until melted and incorporated - I used pepper jack and a mexican blend. Stir a package of taco seasoning and a can of chopped green chilies into the sauce. Mix the pasta with whatever you happen to have laying around that would be good/add some protein. I've done combinations of black beans, cooked chicken or turkey, canned corn, homemade corn salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped red onion, etc. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta, stir to combine, and then dump into a greased casserole pan. Bake at 350 until bubbly. If you like your mac and cheese crunchy, bake uncovered, if you like a more creamy, stovetop style, cover with foil while baking.

I don't eat it, but my fiancee loves it when I do a corned beef in the crockpot. He'll re-heat the leftovers with the leftover sides from the night. I usually keep a package of the refrigerated mashed potatoes (these go on sale very frequently here) in case we run out of sides - then we can just throw those in the microwave for a few minutes. If there's still leftover corned beef, then I'll chop it up and scramble it with eggs in the morning.

This requires a little bit more prep the second night, but a lot of times I'll make a 'chipotle-style' burrito bar one night. I'll make seasoned chicken, black beans, corn salsa (let me know if you need a recipe), shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro lime rice, and serve with tortillas. The next night I'll take the leftovers, shred up a bit more cheese, and make off some quick quesadillas on the stove - ten minutes prep time max. Another quick option is to throw the leftovers on top of tortilla chips with cheese, pop in the oven for 5-10 minutes for loaded nachos. (Don't tell anyone, but I actually like the leftover quesadillas better than the burritoes. If you still have odds and ends leftover (chicken, beans, salsa) you can incorporate them into the mexican mac and cheese I mentioned above.

I'll do ham and bean soup in the crock-pot a lot, and that reheats really well. I cook it all day, and with my crock pot, I don't even have to soak the night before. If you don't want to have to make any sides the second day, I'd do a double batch of cornbread the first night - cornbread is so easy that it wouldn't take much more time to double the batch.

I may be back with more...it's late her and I'm under the influence of prescription cough syrup. Let me know if you want any specific recipes.

[janal14]

Oooh! Just had one more thought. Pulled pork. Reheats well for sandwiches or served over rice. Cooks up really easily in the slow cooker. Then, if you have time for a ten-minute prep the second or third night, pulled pork french bread pizzas. Get a loaf of frozen dollar store garlic bread, let it thaw out in the fridge overnight or for a few hours at least. Open up the bread, and spread with pulled pork - I usually nuke the pork for a few minutes to warm it just a bit. Top with shredded mozzarella, then pop in the oven. Mine only takes 7 minutes at 425. Top with black pepper, parmesan, and/or red pepper flakes if you like. This is so easy and tastes so good - totally worth the ten minutes or so it takes to throw together.


Similarly, slow cooker Italian beef reheats really well for sandwiches. Toss a rump roast in the slow cooker, top with 1-2 packets italian dressing mix, a boullion cube or equivalent granules, and 1/4-1/2 cup water. Cook until tender, then shred. If I run out of sides when I'm doing this as leftovers, we'll have the sandwiches with potato chips and raw veggies and dip, or occasionally I'll cook up one of the quick 10 minute rice or noodle packages with sauce.

[MomToTwoBoys]

That would be awesome! I'd really appreciate it. And don't worry, the guys here don't care for tomatoes. I love them but I can do without.

I make a tomato-less chicken tortilla soup (I'm allergic to tomatoes) in the slow cooker that re-heats really well - if you're interested in the recipe let me know. I almost always double it, which nearly totally fills my HUGE slow cooker, and my fiancee will eat it for lunch every day for a week.


I made a mexican mac and cheese last night that I made up from scratch - it reheats really well - fiancee had it for lunch and dinner today. Cook up some pasta. Make a white sauce on the stove (butter and flour roux, add milk). Add shredded cheese of your choice to the sauce and stir until melted and incorporated - I used pepper jack and a mexican blend. Stir a package of taco seasoning and a can of chopped green chilies into the sauce. Mix the pasta with whatever you happen to have laying around that would be good/add some protein. I've done combinations of black beans, cooked chicken or turkey, canned corn, homemade corn salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped red onion, etc. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta, stir to combine, and then dump into a greased casserole pan. Bake at 350 until bubbly. If you like your mac and cheese crunchy, bake uncovered, if you like a more creamy, stovetop style, cover with foil while baking.

I don't eat it, but my fiancee loves it when I do a corned beef in the crockpot. He'll re-heat the leftovers with the leftover sides from the night. I usually keep a package of the refrigerated mashed potatoes (these go on sale very frequently here) in case we run out of sides - then we can just throw those in the microwave for a few minutes. If there's still leftover corned beef, then I'll chop it up and scramble it with eggs in the morning.

This requires a little bit more prep the second night, but a lot of times I'll make a 'chipotle-style' burrito bar one night. I'll make seasoned chicken, black beans, corn salsa (let me know if you need a recipe), shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro lime rice, and serve with tortillas. The next night I'll take the leftovers, shred up a bit more cheese, and make off some quick quesadillas on the stove - ten minutes prep time max. Another quick option is to throw the leftovers on top of tortilla chips with cheese, pop in the oven for 5-10 minutes for loaded nachos. (Don't tell anyone, but I actually like the leftover quesadillas better than the burritoes. If you still have odds and ends leftover (chicken, beans, salsa) you can incorporate them into the mexican mac and cheese I mentioned above.

I'll do ham and bean soup in the crock-pot a lot, and that reheats really well. I cook it all day, and with my crock pot, I don't even have to soak the night before. If you don't want to have to make any sides the second day, I'd do a double batch of cornbread the first night - cornbread is so easy that it wouldn't take much more time to double the batch.

I may be back with more...it's late her and I'm under the influence of prescription cough syrup. Let me know if you want any specific recipes.

Oooh! Just had one more thought. Pulled pork. Reheats well for sandwiches or served over rice. Cooks up really easily in the slow cooker. Then, if you have time for a ten-minute prep the second or third night, pulled pork french bread pizzas. Get a loaf of frozen dollar store garlic bread, let it thaw out in the fridge overnight or for a few hours at least. Open up the bread, and spread with pulled pork - I usually nuke the pork for a few minutes to warm it just a bit. Top with shredded mozzarella, then pop in the oven. Mine only takes 7 minutes at 425. Top with black pepper, parmesan, and/or red pepper flakes if you like. This is so easy and tastes so good - totally worth the ten minutes or so it takes to throw together.


Similarly, slow cooker Italian beef reheats really well for sandwiches. Toss a rump roast in the slow cooker, top with 1-2 packets italian dressing mix, a boullion cube or equivalent granules, and 1/4-1/2 cup water. Cook until tender, then shred. If I run out of sides when I'm doing this as leftovers, we'll have the sandwiches with potato chips and raw veggies and dip, or occasionally I'll cook up one of the quick 10 minute rice or noodle packages with sauce.

[Rebookie]

Everything I cook I make enough of for my hubby's lunch the next day.

Spaghetti, Meatloaf, Beef Enchiladas, Chicken Pot Pie ( I make two with a homemade crust)

Chicken and dumplings, Hamburger Helper Stew, Tuna Casserole, Chicken Tetrazini, Ground Beef Stroganoff,

[Natalia]

Around here, leftovers arealmost unheard of. Seems that dh has a meat addiction. No matter how much meat i cook...well....

The best ones for pulling out and eat as leftovers exactly as is would be things that are better the second day: seafood chowder, chicken corn chowder, any soup, stew, boiled ham dinner, pot roast dinner, chicken pot pie, tourtiere, lasagne.

My favorites for a repeat are ones where the meat portion stays the same but with new or slightly altered sidedish so it doesn't seem like yesterdays dinner. For the record, some of these are my favorite meals . bBQ beef or pork roast in the crockpot, shredded. First night is bbq beef or pulled pork on toasted buns. Second night is same meat but with a coleslaw side or steamed vegetable medley.
Hickory ham. First night, served with roasted root veggies that were cooked with the ham. Second ight could be a scalloped ham n potatoes, fried ham and eggs, etc
Tangy meatballs. First night would be rice and corn. Second would be potato salad ..or serve with rice again and have the sauce seperate- first nite tangy sauce, second nite waikiki sauce. Yum!!!!

Chicken/ turkey, dressing, potatoes n veggies. Served Christmas style. Second night chopped up and fried all together in the pan, or layered in a casserole.

[lissaky]

I make what my FIL called boiled dinner. It can be made with a cheap cut of beef, if you can find such a thing anymore, or very well browned hamburger. Throw in tators,cabbage,carrots and mushrooms after the meat is tender and cut in chunks. Cook til veggies are done. I make a huge batch and make veggie soup one night and beef stew for another meal. I have even made enough to can veggie soup.

We make boiled dinner but ours has smoked sausage, potatoes and cabbage in it. Chop up some cabbage and boil it for alittle while, then cut the sausage up in about 2 inch pieces add it to the cabbage, then peel some tators and cut in half add to the pot and cook until the tators are done.
My mom makes hers using ham instead of the sausage.

[Spirit Deer]

Check out some OAMC cookbooks from the library for some recipe ideas. All of those are made to be served later, so would make good leftovers.

[Handy Andy]

Janal14 - "cilantro lime rice"..this sounds amazing!!!

is there a recipe or do you make it to taste?

[shoiji]

Meatloaf - can then be sliced for meatloaf sandwiches, sliced and reheated in gravy for salisbury steak, crumbled up and added to soups, stews, chilli, tacos

I also like to saute some sausage with onions, carrots, and celery. Then add some cooked noodles and some water from cooked noodles. Season with whatever you want. Just two sausage links and about 1 1/2 cups of noodles makes enough for two large servings.

[EmilyD]

I roast a beef roast with carrots and potatoes, then make gravy from the juices.

The second day, I cut up the meat, add fresh onions and water, then chop up the left over pots and carrots, add to the meat and opnions and then add the gravy. It is called beef hash and better than the original beef roast.