5 Easy To Make Meals With The Leftovers In Your Refrigerator
Using the meals and leftovers in your refrigerator to make new meals and leftovers you never thought of can make mealtime interesting again. Follow these recipes to make some really good meals of leftovers that you will never get tired of.
1. Sheperd’s Pie
This is one of my favorite meals and leftovers my mother makes. These meals and leftovers won’t need to be closely followed since it’s designed to be made with whatever you have leftover in your refrigerator.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 cups of mixed vegetables, defrosted
- 10 ounces of tomato soup
- 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of basil
- 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
- 3 cups of mashed potatoes
- 1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cook meat, onions, and garlic in a pot on the stove over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
3. Stir in the soup, mixed vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and basil. Spread into the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish.
4. Spoon mashed potatoes along the top of the dish and then put the cheddar cheese on top of that.
5. Bake it for 25-30 minutes or until it starts to bubble.
2. Bubble’n’Squeak
This is a meal and leftovers recipe I found on the internet a while ago. This recipe uses potatoes, bacon, and cabbage. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 medium-sized head of cabbage
- 3 slices of bacon, diced
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup of cubed ham, cooked
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 3 cups of potatoes, baked, cooled, and thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
- salt and pepper for your taste
Steps:
1. Cook the cabbage for about five minutes in a medium saucepan. Use a small amount of water and drain it when the cabbage is tender.
2. In a cast-iron skillet, cook bacon and onion until onion is soft and bacon is cooked. Add ham, and cook until the ham is heated through. Add butter, and mix in the cabbage and potatoes. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned on the bottom, flip it, and then brown again.
3. Takes about 30 minutes and serves about 6 people.
3. Chicken Parmesan Dip
Who doesn’t love chicken parmesan? You use chicken and marinara sauce to make this meal, along with a few other meals and leftovers in your refrigerator. Here’s the recipe that you should follow to make this dip:
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken, about one chicken
- 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened, about one package
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups of marinara sauce
- 8 ounces of pre-shredded mozzarella cheeses
- 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
- 2 ounces of parmesan cheese, grated, about 1/2 cup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- fresh basil for garnish
- pita chips, or other tortilla chips
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Stir together chicken, cream cheese, salt, pepper, 1 1/2 cups of marinara, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl until mixed.
2. Spread mixture evenly in an 8-inch square casserole dish. Spread the rest of the marinara over the chicken mixture, sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, olive oil, and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over the dip and bake until it’s golden brown and bubbly. It should take about 15 minutes.
4. Let stand about 5-10 minutes, before serving. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve with pita chips or tortilla chips.
4. Grilled Cheeseburger Nachos
Nachos and cheeseburgers are the two best foods ever. You can substitute with whatever you have. This is another meal and leftover that you don’t need to follow closely. Here’s the recipe for grilled cheeseburger nachos:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
- 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing mix, 1 package
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 4 slices of cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 3 tablespoons of ranch dressing
- 1 bag of tortilla chips
- 1 cup prepared pico de gallo, or salsa
- 1 package of shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend
- 1 cup of prepared guacamole
- 1 cup of chopped tomato (2 tomatoes)
- 1 cup fried onions
- 1/3 cup of dill pickles
Steps:
1. Preheat a grill to 400 degrees, and mix beef and ranch mix with your hands. Divide the mixture into 4 equal sections. Shape each part into a 3-inch patty. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Grill the burgers, covered, until the outside is slightly charred, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Put a cheese slice on each burger at the last minute, remove it from the grill, and place it on a table. Let it sit for a few minutes before you cut the burgers up.
3. Stir sour cream and ranch dressing in a bowl while you wait for the burgers to cool. Place the chips on a rimmed baking sheet. Put the salsa over the chips and sprinkle with the Mexican cheese. Top evenly with the chopped burgers. Put the baking sheet on the grill and cover it, and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Place the guacamole and sour cream mixture over the top of the chips and salsa. Put the tomatoes, onions, and pickles over the top and enjoy.
5. Pea Soup
This is my all-time favorite meal and leftovers. There are two main ingredients, peas, and ham. The bone of the ham is what gives this meal and leftover its flavor. This recipe can be changed to whatever you have in your house:
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups of split peas
- 8 cups of water
- 1 large onion
- 2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 ham bone or 2 pounds shanks
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Steps:
1. Boil the water and peas in a pot, uncovered for 2 minutes. Remove from the stove and cover the pot.
2. Stir in onion, celery, and pepper. Add ham bone. Heat to boiling and then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes, or until peas are tender.
3. Remove ham bone, and take the ham off the bone. Trim excess fat from ham and then cut the ham into 1/4 inch pieces.
4. Stir ham and carrots into soup. Heat to boiling, and then reduce the heat. cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
