5 Easy Ways To Give Leftovers A Delicious Makeover

Using all of your leftovers is more about making a easily with versatile ingredients than about being resourceful or storing food properly.

The first dinner you make, for example, should use ingredients that can be easily repurposed and that will stay for at least one night. Here are five recipes that will help you make over your leftovers with a delicious new twist. No more microwaving cheap pizza.

1. Roasted Chicken And Vegetables To Vegetable Soup

Your first meal will be Real Simple’s roasted chicken with vegetables with a maple-mustard sauce. The chicken and the vegetables roast together, so you can keep the hands-on work to a minimum, according to Real Simple.

By saving half of the vegetables, you’re already ready for tomorrow night’s dinner, which is a roasted vegetable soup with chicken melts. The second recipe takes a little more work because you have to blend the soup, but the results are totally worth it. And who doesn’t love breaking out the blender every once in awhile?

2. Black Bean Chili To Chili-Stuffed Peppers

This slow-cooker black bean and zucchini chili is a little bit smokey and spicy thanks to canned fire-roasted tomatoes, according to Real Simple. Save half of it for tomorrow night’s creative dinner: chili-stuffed peppers with cabbage slaw.

These recipes are also two of the easiest dinner recipes ever. For the first one, you throw everything into a slow cooker for the day, and for the second, you stuff some peppers and toss them into the oven. Lazy cooks can rejoice!

3. Slow-Cooker Pork Chops To Sweet Curry Pork With Acorn Squash

Your dinner for night one—slow-cooker pork chops with vegetables of your choice—is super simple and delicious. The pork chops slow cook in a simple broth that you could also add potatoes, carrots or other veggies to.

The next night, you’re going to use any leftover vegetables and half of the cooked pork chops to make a sweet curry pork with acorn squash, courtesy of Yuppie Farm Girl.

4. Crispy Black Bean Tacos To Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

I have personally verified the ease of preparation and delicious quality of these recipes. Your first dinner is a crispy black bean taco with feta cheese and cabbage slaw, from Epicurious. It’s super simple because the ingredient list is simple and all of the items are very easy to find.

You will save the black beans, green onions and the feta to add to the next night’s dish, which is quinoa enchilada casserole. Though the casserole takes a few more veggies than the tacos, it’s just as easy. Once the quinoa is boiled and the veggies are cut, you throw everything into a bowl and put it in the oven.

5. Brown-Sugar Glazed Salmon To Salmon Fried Rice

Salmon two nights in a row? Sounds like a meal plan fit for a queen. Real Simple’s first recipe, brown-sugar glazed salmon with green beans, shallots and rice, won’t take you much time at all, and the salmon broils in a mixture of brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, which equals perfection.

You’ll save half the fish, green beans and rice for the next nights dinner: salmon fried rice with cabbage and chilies. Mixed together with ginger, peas, cabbage and hot peppers, the Asian-inspired dish is unique and healthy.

Who said leftovers have to be boring?

Photo by SweetOnVeg