10 Meals That Make Great Leftovers
Leftovers are great when you are hungry and short on time. These meals taste even better as leftovers.
1. Spaghetti
I like to keep things sweet and simple. This also goes for my food and preparing it. Spaghetti is one of the easiest meals to prepare. With this basic spaghetti recipe, you will only need a few items and about 20 minutes to spare. Your ingredients will be dry spaghetti, 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 can of pasta sauce, 1 pound of ground beef, 1 cup of chopped onion, and my favorite- 1 cup of cheese. You cook the noodles as directed on the box. Cook the beef until brown and then add the other ingredients except for the cheese. Cook for about 10 minutes and then serve and top each plate with your desired amount of cheese. The best thing about this leftover meal is that the next day it has even more flavor. I don’t know how it happens but as the meal has had time to sit and chill the seasoning is enhanced.
2. Pizza
I can eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The key to this being an amazing leftover meal is how you reheat it. Reheating pizza for too long can make the pizza hard and disastrous, definitely something you don’t want to eat. Leftover pizza doesn’t discriminate, it can be store-bought, homemade, or delivered, they all make great leftovers.
3. Chili
Chili is the best leftover dish because once it’s created you can do so much with it. This dish can be eating alone, or made into a sandwich, spread over some nachos or Fritos, or can be poured over some hotdogs to create chili dogs. To make chili is simple, you will need 1 pound of ground beef, 1 diced onion, 3 cans of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of drained beans, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, and 1 cup of cheese. To create this meal cook the meat until brown and then add all the other ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes. Then serve, it’s best hot. You can store chili for up to 4 days.
4. Mac and Cheese
This tasty meal can be added to a meal as an appetizer or can be the main course. This can always make for amazing leftovers. You will need 8 ounces of elbow macaroni, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, ½ teaspoons salt, 2 cups of shredded cheese, ½ cup of sour cream, and 1 cup of milk. Mix all the ingredients together and cook for about 5 minutes then enjoy. I find that this meal is even cheesier as a leftover.
5. Stew
This dish can be made is so many different ways, with various meats, broths, and vegetables. One thing is for sure this meal is great for leftover, possibly because the ingredients marinated in the juices and now have even more flavor. To make this you will need 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 can of beef broth, salt to taste, 4 cups of assorted vegetables cut into pieces, 1 pound of beef stew cut into small pieces, and 1 can of tomato sauce. Cook the meat until brown. Add in the other ingredients and let it cook for about 15 minutes.
6. Chicken Noodle Soup
You will need 1 tablespoon of butter, ½ cup of chopped onion, ½ cup of chopped celery, 4 cans of chicken broth, 1 can of vegetable broth, ½ pound of chopped cooked chicken breast, ½ teaspoon of dried oregano, ½ teaspoon of dried basil, 1 cup of sliced carrots, and 1 cup of egg noodles. Making this meal is easy. Put everything together in a pot and cook for about 20 minutes and then serve.
7. Chow Mein
Every leftover dish doesn’t have to include meat. I’m looking out for my vegetarians. This meal is better as a leftover because as it sits all the flavor soaks into the noodles and the seasonings have had more time to develop. This recipe calls for less than 10 items and can be made in less than 10 minutes. To start you will need, 8 ounces of thin lo mein noodles, 1 julienned carrot, 1 tablespoon of peanut oil, ½ head of thinly sliced cabbage, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, ¼ cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of chicken broth, and ½ sliced onion. Follow these directions closely. Follow the directions on the noodles on how to prepare them. Then drain. Heat up a skillet and combine all the ingredients. Toss in the noodles and eat now or later.
8. Butter Chicken
Not only does this dish make great for leftovers it only takes about 15 minutes to make. To make this delicious meal you will need 1 pound of chicken thighs boneless and skinless cut into bite-size pieces, 3 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, pepper for taste, 10 ounces of milk, and 10 ounces of undiluted tomato soup. Cook your chicken, curry, and garlic powder in a skillet until brown. Then add milk, tomato soup, and pepper. Bring all of this to a boil and let it boil for about 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Then you’re done. You know how leftovers work, eat some now and put the rest in the fridge for later. Simple.
9. Chili Macaroni and Cheese
This dish is the best of two worlds combined, chili and macaroni and cheese. You will need 1 pound of elbow pasta, 2 pounds of ground beef, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 chopped sweet onion, 2 chopped jalapeno peppers, 4 chopped of cloves of garlic, 3 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 tablespoons of cumin, 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper, salt for taste, 1 can of crushed tomatoes,1 can of diced tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of beef broth. These directions should be easy for you to follow since now you know how to make macaroni and cheese and also chili. Cook the pasta as stated on the box and then set aside. Brown your meat and then add in onions, peppers, and garlic. Mix that all together and then add in chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and some salt. Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes and then stir in your broth. Add in tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. We’re not done yet! Add that pasta to the pot and stir. Then you are finished your 2 in one meal.
10. Lasanga
This is comfort food. I can eat lasagna anytime and be satisfied. There are several ingredients you will need to create this masterpiece but this dish can stay good for about 3-5 days after its prepared. This dish calls for a lot of stuff. You will need 1 pound of Italian sausage, 1 pound of ground beef, ½ minced onion, 1 crushed garlic cloves, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans of tomatoes paste, 2 cans tomato sauce, ½ cup of water, 4 tablespoons of fresh parsley, pepper and salt for taste, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, 1 teaspoon of dried basil leaves, 12 lasagna noodles, 16 ounces of ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1 pound of mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. The directions are easy, cook the sausage, ground beef, garlic, and onion until browned. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water and stir. Add in the seasonings, sugar, basil, fennel seeds, salt, and parsley. Simmer for about an hour and stir occasionally. Now cook the lasagna as stated on the package, drain and then set to the side. In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, and salt. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a baking dish spread 1 cup of meat sauce on the bottom. Then arrange 6 noodles lengthwise on top. Spread 1 cup of the ricotta mixture and add the meat mixture on top. Then add noodles then add the mozzarella cheese. Cover up the dish with foil and cook for about 25 minutes. Later on, enjoy the leftovers.
