27 Recipes That Will Reinvent Your Leftovers
Being able to make use of your leftovers is great, but being able to make them exciting is something else thing entirely. A little creativity and a well-stocked pantry go a long way here—it’s the difference between using the rest of that chicken to make a run-of-the-mill noodle soup and using it to make a rich and spicy lemongrass-scented tom kha. The difference between tossing yesterday’s farro into a grain bowl and making it into cheesy, savory veggie-packed meatballs.
We asked our staffers what leftover ingredients had them stumped and picked our favorite recipes to give them a little inspiration. Soon they’ll all be reinventing last night’s dinner into something low-waste and surprisingly delicious. (Right, guys?)
CHICKEN
Roasting a chicken once a week is a wonderful ritual that makes your house smell incredible, and with these recipes in your arsenal, you’ll never run out of ideas for keeping those leftovers interesting.
Korean Chicken Sliders
This recipe is a marriage of American BBQ fare (buns, slaw, and mayo) and the sweet, spicy, fermented flavors of a few key Korean ingredients (gochujang and fish sauce). If you have cooked chicken, just toss it with the Korean marinade and let it simmer for fifteen minutes.
Curry Chicken Salad
We like to make a big batch of this and snack on it throughout the week or eat it for lunch. If you don’t have time to cook your own chicken, an organic rotisserie chicken works well here.
Tom Kha
Yes, this is our cheat version of the Thai takeout classic. Don’t skip the fresh-squeezed lime at the end—it really makes it.
Kale Caesar with Chicken and Crispy Chickpeas
The star of this salad is the dressing—it’s a creamy cashew riff that might be better than the dairy- and egg-laden original. The texture of cashews almost mimics the delightful crumbliness of Parmesan.
Chicken Bone Broth
When you’ve picked all the meat from the bones, don’t toss them: Make stock! This versatile broth is great for sipping, making soups, or using in any recipe that calls for chicken stock.
Zucchini and Chicken Lettuce Cup Salad
Skip the marinade and grilling step and toss cooked chicken into this light, yet filling, Chinese-inspired lettuce cup salad.
RICE
The obvious choice for leftover cooked rice is fried rice, of which we have several iterations (kimchi, wakame and zucchini, quick with seaweed, and the Thai-style kitchen-sink edition). But you can change it up other ways, playing into the pleasantly glutinous texture of rice. Note: The congee and rice pudding give directions for using uncooked rice, but you can make those dishes with cooked rice, too. Just start by adding about ½ the amount of liquid called for and let simmer, stirring consistently and adding extra liquid as needed. For the arancini, just skip the first two steps to use cooked rice.
Ginger-Chicken Congee
It doesn’t get more comforting than congee. The creamy rice porridge is so easy to make, and finishing with fresh ginger at the end adds brightness and keeps it light.
Arancini
Who wouldn’t like a fried risotto ball stuffed with mozzarella? The answer is no one. Just one warning: They’re spicy!
Honey-Rose Rice Pudding with Pistachio-Cardamom Crumble
A hybrid of rice and chia pudding that has a stick-to-your-ribs satisfaction without being at all heavy.
GRAINS
Making a big batch of grains is a pro meal-prep move, and their uses go well beyond salads and grain bowls.
Buckwheat Stuffed Peppers with Tahini Dressing
It’s amazing how chargrilling peppers with nothing more than olive oil, salt, and pepper intensifies the flavor and aroma. Here, it’s paired with nutty buckwheat and creamy tahini
Jessica’s Eggplant and Cauliflower “Meatballs”
Veggie meatballs can be kind of a bummer, but these ones, loaded with roasted veggies and lots of parm, are insanely good. You can make the mixture ahead of time and bake just before serving.
Faux Bibimbap with Crispy Quinoa
A grain bowl with all the usual (beloved) suspects—and with the addition of crispy quinoa. It’s a fun textural surprise next to the creamy avocado and chewy brown rice. Crispy quinoa on top of everything, please.
PASTA
We usually don’t recommend cooking extra batches of pasta—the texture tends to suffer if you’re not using it right away. But if you happen to have some left over, these options will still have nice flavor and texture.
Vegan Mac ’n’ Cheese
A dreamy baked pasta dish. You can also add cooked veggies for more heft and fiber.
Double-Duty Kale Pesto Pasta
In this veggie-packed take on a classic pesto pasta, we snuck in a bunch of kale to up the nutritional ante. It’s a flexible pasta salad.
Cold Dan Dan Noodles
These super tasty cold dan dan noodles are tossed in a peanut sauce bursting with umami and a subtle but fiery kick, then topped with fresh cilantro and cucumber for a crisply satisfying crunch.
GREENS
If you’ve got bunches of chard, kale, collard, or spinach to work through from your latest CSA box, try these recipes. Don’t worry: They’ll work even if your greens are looking a little sad.
Kale and Butternut Squash Lasagna
Even carnivores won’t miss the meat in this vegetarian lasagna. The different components do take some prep time, but the whole thing can be made and assembled up to a day in advance.
Green Shakshuka
A play on the traditional shakshuka, this flavorful, bright green dish is going to be your new favorite breakfast for dinner, or Sunday brunch at home.
Beans and Greens Soup with Harissa
Sweet and fragrant saffron and earthy, spicy harissa make this soup an upgrade from your average beans and greens soup. The smell of the broth alone will make you really excited about this super healthy dinner.
HERBS
It can seem like a race against the clock when you’re trying to use all your herbs before they turn. Most of these recipes are herby sauces that are many different cuisines’ answer to that problem. The one nonsauce recipe is a simple chicken soup with cauliflower rice, but almost any version of chicken soup would be improved with a final sprinkling of fresh herbs.
Grilled Bavette or Hanger Steak with Uruguayan Chimichurri
Chimichurri goes well with anything grilled—with tons of fresh herbs and a good hit of sherry vinegar, it adds a zing.
Green Goddess Dressing
Use up any sad herbs languishing in your fridge in this creamy dressing. Skip the water and use it as a dip, or thin until it’s just pourable and toss with Little Gem (or whatever your heart desires).
Grilled Veggie Salad with Chermoula
North African chermoula is herby and bright, with smoky, earthy depth from cumin and paprika. Paired with the slightly charred veggies, it’s the perfect match for a bed of tender baby kale.
Pesto
Homemade pesto takes all of five minutes to make: We highly recommend making your own. We love adding a handful of roasted cherry tomatoes for sweetness and color.
Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup with All the Herbs
This version of a classic chicken and rice soup is lighter and brighter, but it still comforts. Finishing the soup with lots of herbs and fresh lemon juice is key, so don’t skip it.
ONIONS
These recipes will work for those stray onion halves that seem to accumulate in the fridge throughout the week. Feel free to combine red, yellow, and white onions or even shallots.
Frittata with Caramelized Onion and Greens
Caramelized onions are brilliant in tarts, on sandwiches, and on cheeseboards, but our favorite way to use those jammy alliums is to pair them with bitter greens in a frittata.
Green Beans in Spicy Brown Butter with Crispy Shallots
The crispy shallots in the recipe are the real star, and you can use this frying method for any kind of onion you have on hand.
Pickled Red Onions
Easy to make, and the lime juice in the brine adds a citrusy brightness to whatever you put these on. It takes sandwiches and salads to a new level.
