Leftovers don’t have to mean repetitive meals. With a little creativity and a few simple ingredients, you can transform yesterday’s dinner into a brand new culinary experience. Discover how to breathe new life into your leftovers and enjoy brand-new and delicious meals without the extra effort with these 13 recipes.
Easy Shrimp Scampi
Got leftovers from a shrimp cocktail tray? Turn them into Shrimp Scampi, which is a quick and easy meal to make any night of the week. It requires minimal prep time and delivers a restaurant-quality meal.
Get the Recipe: Easy Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp Scampi Over Linguine
Made the Shrimp Scampi mentioned earlier but don’t want to serve it plain? No worries. Simply boil water for the linguine and serve with the shrimp scampi for a brand-new dinner tonight.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Scampi Over Linguine
Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce
Here’s two great ways to use leftovers to create this yummy Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce meal. One, if you have leftover pizza dough. And, two, take leftover jarred sauce and add goat cheese to it. You’re welcome.
Get the Recipe: Goat Cheese Pizza Sauce
Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls
Transform leftover cold risotto into arancini, cheese-filled fried risotto balls. They taste just like the ones Trader Joe’s used to sell. This recipe is a great choice for repurposing risotto into a tasty new dish.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Trader Joe’s Arancini Rice Balls
Easy Cold Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
Do you have leftover cooked pasta from another night? Well, you can create a brand-new meal, not by heating it up again with sauce but, instead by making this Easy Cold Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing.
Get the Recipe: Easy Cold Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
Grandma’s Deviled Eggs
Did you make hard boiled eggs for egg salad or old fashioned potato salad earlier this week and you have leftover cooked eggs in the fridge? Turn them into deviled eggs that taste just like what Grandma made.
Get the Recipe: Grandma’s Deviled Eggs
Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
This Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole Recipe uses three different leftovers from your party or your freezer: rice, chicken, and cheese. This recipe is a practical option for a quick and easy meal using leftovers.
Get the Recipe: Easy Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
Sweet Potato Fajitas with Zesty Lime Sauce
If you served sweet potato fries at your holiday BBQ, here’s a clever way to reuse those leftover sweet potatoes. Add them to Sweet Potato Fajitas. No one will ever know you’ve incorporated leftovers into an entirely new dish.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Fajitas with Zesty Lime Sauce
Chicken Pot Pies
This is a brilliant solution for leftover chicken or other meats from your party. Just combine them with peas, potatoes and carrots into a pot pie topped with puff pastry and, voila, a hearty meal made from leftovers.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Pot Pies
Cheesy Leftover Taco Meat Pasta
Did you make too many hamburgers for your holiday BBQ? Crumble them and use in this cheesy taco pasta recipe. It’s a flavor combination that lets you make dinner fast and efficiently, without waste.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Leftover Taco Meat Pasta
Brisket Fried Rice
You might not think about making fried rice with leftover brisket, but it’s a great idea. You can serve your family a Southwestern, spicy meal that’s easy to prepare from brisket leftovers from your holiday BBQ!.
Get the Recipe: Brisket Fried Rice
Brisket Chili
You can make this easy Brisket Chili with the leftover brisket, plus beans, peppers, and corn in a thick and chunky tomato base. It’s a hearty and flavorful way to repurpose barbecue leftovers.
Get the Recipe: Brisket Chili
Cheddar Chicken Bake
With this Cheddar Chicken Bake, you have a tasty way to make the most of your leftovers, including chicken and maybe quinoa you made for a cold salad. In no time, you have a brand new dinner to serve.
Get the Recipe: Cheddar Chicken Bake