10 best leftover recipes

best leftover recipes

best leftover recipes : You don’t save money on food you throw out. According to the EPA, the average American household throws away 25 percent of the food they prepare. On a global scale, between 1.3 and 1.6 billion tons of food are estimated to be wasted each year. Most of this food ends up in landfills that are one of the leading sources of methane—a greenhouse gas. So long story short: Eat your leftovers and save the world (and your money). This chapter will show you how to reinvent leftovers you can enjoy all week.

Leftover Recipe: Pomegranate and Brown Rice Cabbage Rolls

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

$0.54 PER SERVING

1 head cabbage, cored and with ugly outer leaves removed
1½ cups leftover Pomegranate and Brown Rice Salad
1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce, or 3 cups DIY Marinara Sauce
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then carefully place the cabbage in the water, with the open (cored) end down. The leaves will slowly become more flexible and loosen themselves from the rest of the head. As this happens, carefully remove the leaves and place them on a plate.

Once the leaves are cool enough to handle, cut away the stiff stem in the center to make rolling easier.

Use a spoon to fill each cabbage leaf with rice salad. Fold the sides of the leaf over the rice, then roll the leaf forward, creating a fat cigar shape. If the leaf splits, just grab another and roll it over the first. You’ll have extra leaves, so don’t worry. Repeat this process 6 to 8 times until you have a nice little row of cabbage rolls ready for the oven.

Pour half of the marinara sauce into your favorite casserole dish. Place the rolls into the marinara sauce, seam-side down, and pour the remaining sauce over the top, then sprinkle with some red pepper flakes.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve warm, with lots of the sauce from the dish.

Leftover Recipe: Pasta Primavera

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

$1.14 PER SERVING

1 (16-ounce) package whole wheat decorative formed pasta (we recommend using medium shells, bow ties, or capunti)
½ batch leftover Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
1 tablespoon white wine (you may need a little more for the sauce)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 small carrots, cut into thin coins
6 to 8 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
½ red bell pepper, sliced
5 mushrooms, sliced
Crushed black peppercorns, for sprinkling

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package.

Reheat the leftover Alfredo sauce in a large saucepan over low heat until it starts to bubble. If the sauce reduces too much, add a little white wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin it.

In a deep cast-iron skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, then toss in the carrots and cook until tender. Add the remaining vegetables and the white wine. Cook, tossing with a spatula so the vegetables cook evenly, until the vegetables are tender.

Transfer the contents of the skillet into the pan with the Alfredo sauce. Let the vegetables cook in the sauce for another 5 minutes before serving.

Use a ladle to pour the sauce and vegetables over the pasta and sprinkle a few pinches of crushed pepper over the top. You’re ready to eat.

Leftover Recipe: The Big Easy Tacos with Garlic Aioli

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

$0.71 PER SERVING

1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ cups leftover Slow-Cooker Tempeh Jambalaya
2 tablespoons frozen corn
4 to 6 hard taco shells
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 recipe Garlic Aioli
1 lemon, cut into wedges

To reheat the jambalaya, heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Toss in the jambalaya and the corn. Use a spatula to flip the jambalaya a few times to make sure it reheats evenly.

Heat the taco shells following the instructions on the package.

Once the jambalaya is hot, you’re ready to eat! Fill the taco shells with a scoop of jambalaya, avocado slices, and cilantro leaves. Drizzle aioli and squeeze a lime wedge over the top and BAM-O, or something like that.

Leftover Recipe: Corn Beignets

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

$0.81 PER SERVING

Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon applesauce
2 teaspoons egg replacer powder (we recommend Ener-G or Beyond Eggs)
2 ears raw corn
1 cup leftover Slow-Cooker Tempeh Jambalaya
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 recipe Garlic Aioli
1 to 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Fill a soup pot or Dutch oven halfway with oil and heat the oil over high heat. If you have a deep fryer thermometer, check your oil. Once it’s around 350 degrees you’re ready to deep fry your beignets.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk, applesauce, and egg replacer.

One at a time, cut the kernels off the cob. Hold the cob narrow side up. Using a sharp knife, start at the narrow end and cut down, slicing all the kernels off the cob. Continue doing this till you’ve cut all the kernels off both cobs.

In a large bowl, mix together the jambalaya, corn kernels, flour, green onions, and parsley with a large spoon until blended. Then mix in the applesauce mixture.

Using a large spoon, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the batter and drop it into the hot oil. Drop in a few fritters at a time and use a slotted spoon to keep the fritters from touching in the pot as they fry. Once the fritters rise to the top and are a golden brown, use the slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and transfer them to a paper towel–lined plate to soak up any extra oil. Repeat until you’ve used all the batter.

Serve the fritters in a basket with a bowl of aioli alongside for dipping and lemon wedges to squeeze over the top.

Leftover Recipe: Pumpkin and Spinach Orzo

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

$0.37 PER SERVING

3 cups leftover Pumpkin Curry Soup (here)
1⅓ cups orzo, uncooked
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
¼ cup coconut milk, from a carton, not a can
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup baby spinach leaves

Crushed black peppercorns or red pepper flakes, for sprinkling

In your largest Dutch oven or stew pot, use a large spoon to mix all the ingredients except spinach and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer until the orzo is tender, then stir in the spinach.

Serve hot, with pinches of crushed pepper over the top.

Leftover Recipe: Savory Pumpkin Biscuits

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

$0.15 PER SERVING

2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup vegan margarine, cold, plus more for serving
1 cup leftover Pumpkin Curry Soup (here)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. Then, using a pastry blender, mix in the cold vegan margarine until the dough resembles pea-size pebbles. Mix in the soup using an electric handheld mixer fitted with a bread hook attachment.

Once the dough is mixed, use floured hands to move the dough to a floured surface and carefully knead it into a large mound. Don’t handle the dough too much; it will melt the margarine and the biscuits won’t be as flaky.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is a little less than 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a pint glass to cut out 10 to 12 biscuits. Place the cut biscuits on the lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve warm with margarine.

Leftover Recipe: Hermes’ Pizza

MAKES 1 PIZZA

$0.76 PER SERVING

1 pizza crust, store-bought or homemade
Cornmeal, for dusting
2 Roma or Campari tomatoes, sliced
⅓ cup thinly sliced leftover Vegan Gyro Meat
⅓ cup baby spinach leaves
¾ cup shredded vegan mozzarella (we recommend Daiya)
2 tablespoons diced red onion
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives
1 or 2 pepperoncinis, sliced
Oregano, red pepper flakes, and vegan Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Roll out the pizza crust following the directions, or follow the instructions on the package.

Dust a pizza stone or baking pan with cornmeal. Carefully move the pizza crust to the stone or baking pan. Reshape it into a circle if necessary.

Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the pizza crust, leaving 1 inch exposed along the edge for the crust. Arrange the slices of gyro meat and spinach leaves over the tomato slices. Spread a few pinches of vegan cheese over the pizza. Add the red onions, olives, and pepperoncini slices, then sprinkle the remaining vegan cheese evenly over the top.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the crust is golden and the vegan cheese has melted.

Serve with oregano, red pepper flakes, and vegan Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

Leftover Recipe: Hestia’s Biscuits

MAKES 12 BISCUITS

$0.49 PER SERVING

Biscuit Batter

Olive oil cooking spray
1 cup vegan Bisquick mix
1 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 teaspoons egg replacer powder (we recommend Ener-G or Beyond Eggs)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon crushed rosemary
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Filling

1½ cups diced leftover Vegan Gyro Meat
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives
¼ cup cubed vegan feta cheese (we recommend Vegcuisine Soy Feta)

Make the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the biscuit ingredients.

Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss all the filling ingredients together with a large spoon.

Place 1 tablespoon of the biscuit batter in each well of the muffin tin. Then place 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center and top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the batter.

Once all the cups are full, bake the biscuits for 20 to 30 minutes or until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. These biscuits stay pretty pale, so don’t wait for them to get golden.

Let the muffins cool slightly on a rack, then serve warm. We recommend serving with some fresh tomatoes and pickled peppers or olives on the side. You know, like the Greeks do.

Leftover Recipe: Pomegranate and Brown Rice Cabbage Rolls

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

$0.54 PER SERVING

1 head cabbage, cored and with ugly outer leaves removed
1½ cups leftover Pomegranate and Brown Rice Salad
1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce, or 3 cups DIY Marinara Sauce
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Once the leaves are cool enough to handle, cut away the stiff stem in the center to make rolling easier.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve warm, with lots of the sauce from the dish.

Leftover Recipe: Turkish Stuffed Peppers

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

$1.92 PER SERVING

4 large green bell peppers
2 vegan Italian sausages, diced (we recommend Tofurky Italian sausages, Field Roast Italian sausages, or 1 package Upton’s Naturals Italian Seitan)
1 cup leftover Pomegranate and Brown Rice Salad
1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce, or 3 cups DIY Marinara Sauce

Cut off the tops of the peppers (keep the top with the stem) and carefully clean out all the seeds, white ribs, and other stuff. If you’ve ever cleaned out a pumpkin for a jack-o’-lantern, it’s a lot like that.

In a large bowl, mix the vegan sausage and rice salad together with a large spoon. Fill the peppers with the rice mixture.

Pour half the marinara sauce into a casserole dish, then take the filled peppers and stand them in the dish, filled-side up. Using a large spoon, pour a little sauce over each stuffed pepper, then replace the pepper cap.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.