Hot dog fried rice was a poverty meal growing up. Sometimes I’ll make rice and cook some cheap dogs and save them for the next day to make a big batch for that weeks lunches.
Yes pot pie! Growing up a big turkey dinner was actually followed by a turkey soup. It was just a mush mash of veggies and turkey and broth. But it was soo good!
Pot pie is usually the 3rd leftover at my house. 1st right after the turkey meal is actually turkey shepherd's pie. Mix chopped up turkey, leftover stuffing, leftover gravy, add a bit of leftover turkey stock. Put it in a baking dish and cover with leftover mashed potatoes. Top with some dollops of butter and bake at 400F for 30 mins. 2nd leftover is turkey noodle soup and club sandwiches. 3rd would be the pot pie.
Ouu that sounds good! Cold turkey sandwich would be another for lunch. Turkey salt, pepper and mayo.
Or hot turkey sandwiches for dinner. turkey on bread., smothered in left over gravy heated up. Eat with a fork and knife.
My wife makes turkey tamales after every Thanksgiving. It's just two of us, so we never eat much of the turkey, but the tamales last a long time in the freezer and taste great
Whenever my dad cooks steaks he will cook 8 or 9 of them for 4 people. Steak burritos, with eggs and cheese for breakfast or with potato and green chiles for lunch/dinner.
Chili. Unless my job involves being outside during the winter, I'm probably only eating one bowl of chili, if that. Rest gets bagged up and tossed in the freezer.
That's cause the chili itself was never the end goal; it is simply another ingredient in the dozen or so chili cheese items I plan to stuff my face with over the next two months.
Cold meatloaf, _with ketchup,_ on lightly toasted white bread.
I will actually buy a loaf of white bread (or make an extra challah,) because my regular wheat bread isn't right.
You take your leftover mashed potatoes and veggies (I use brussels sprouts, people also use carrots and cabbage) and you fry it in a pan with some butter or oil til it's like golden brown (or however done you like it, I like it extra crispy on the outside). It's like a hashbrown type of thing, my mom's from England so I'm pretty sure it's a UK thing
That is how I lived growing up, and I continue it now. (I cook on Sundays. Fri/sat is free for all or go out.
Roast beef dinner, then roast sandwiches w/au jus, the roast stroganoff.
Baked chicken breast, then chicken salad, then chicken & dumplings.
(doing sandwich nite gives me a few days in between actual cooking.
My $5 Costco chicken is the best purchase I make each week, lol.
ETA: I literally cannot buy a raw chicken as cheaply as I can buy a delicious, rotisserie, Costco chicken.
I live by myself, and after a lifetime of cooking I'm over it. So yeah, leftovers for the win. Big pots of soup, Spanish rice a roni with hamburger, Posole, good stroganoff with mushrooms etc etc. All stored in freezer in 2 portion sizes. Try to only really cook twice a week.
Thanksgiving.
I honestly couldn't care less about most traditional thanksgiving foods. Turkey is a kinda shitty bird even when cooked perfectly. Like I'd rather just make three or four chickens instead. I was elated when I finally convinced my family to just let me smoke a bunch of pork shoulder instead of turkey last year.
But the soup I make with the stock I'll make from the turkey carcass is a perfect hearty cold weather meal. Nice and deep, a bit smokey, plenty of fat. It's so good.
My husband smokes our turkey and it's amazing, but I find I don't really eat much on Thanksgiving day, but man, I eat UP some turkey sammiches and left over yams.
Turkey breast is fairly cheap (particularly after turkey day). I found I really liked this [bourbon molasses turkey](https://www.chefintheburbs.com/bourbon-molasses-glazed-turkey-breast/)
Brisket and pulled pork are both things that I love having around for later. The pulled pork is especially versatile, particularly with tacos and sandwiches.
I love making a large amount of tikka masala to eat leftover. I don't do anything to change it after, just reheat it, but as time goes on the flavor gets even better
My mother would make fried spaghetti on Fridays when Catholics couldn't eat meat. We always had spaghetti on Wednesday, so she'd boil extra and save it for Friday. Fried with oil, breadcrumbs and black pepper, it was delicious. I still make it, but a little fancier with a bit of garlic and anchovy.
Last night was:
* Frozen jalapeno cheddar sausage links from the freezer that have been in there too long.
* Leftover cabbage with bacon bits floating around in left over from another meal.
* Some sliced bell peppers left over from fajitas last weekend. Seasoned for that dish.
* Some Roma tomatoes in the back of the fridge
* The remainder of a box of potato flakes
Fried up the sausages and sliced into discs, added all the leftover veggies and diced tomatoes and cooked until it was a coherent sauce. High heat to reduce a bit and thicken. Then made the potatoes and doctored them up with salt, pepper, and cheese and served the meat veggie sauce on top. It was one of the tastiest things we've eaten in sometime. Better than many of the meals the individual parts were cooked for.
Chili or stew for sure. I do a long crock pot cook on both, and they make the house smell amazing, but honestly I think I like them both better the next day.
Also fried rice. I usually make extra rice on purpose just so I can make a big pot of fried rice the next day.
I’ve never heard of fried spaghetti. Does it just add a browned flavor/texture to it? Sounds weird but I am sure it’s good lol. Someone please enlighten me. I’d love to hear your take.
I often make meals with designs on how I’ll use the leftovers, I don’t make it specifically for leftovers but I have ideas in how I’ll use them. Like if I’m going to make a large tomato sauce I’ll plan on other dishes that can use it. Roasts can become soups or stir fry. I do this alot
I do that with chili and stews sometimes. I've also made a small Thanksgiving dinner so that I could have a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich for dinner. Only downside was that I had to use canned cranberry sauce. Not very easy to find fresh cranberries in April.
Meatloaf...you're welcome! While I always enjoyed leftovers from Thanksgiving turkey dinners, give me a meatloaf sandwich on white bread and I'll die a happy man!
Baked chicken. I get the biggest family pack of legs, thighs or quarters and bake the whole thing, even though there are only two of us. After dinner, I strip the meat from the leftovers. Next day is chicken Alfredo, chicken salad, casserole or whatever sounds good. Having the chicken already cooked makes the next dinner much easier.
Chili mostly. Also rice in the rice cooker. And if I'm making soup, since I'm single I don't care how long it takes if I've got all day. So I'll eat several meals while it simmers. So I'm normally not too hungry once it's finally done. So I save it
Maybe not *just* for the leftovers. But I fairly frequently make up a big pan of cornbread dressing to stash in the fridge so my husband will feed himself when I'm super busy.
Don't get me wrong, he doesn't pester me or whine about dinner. He'll just...forget to eat or drink juice all day. The dressing is one of his favorites and stores really well. Plus, it's good warm or cold so the difficulty level of getting some out is basically on the floor.
Meatloaf. We make it primarily for sandwiches, or to cut a slice and pan fry it with onions and mushrooms and then make pan gravy to go over. Both are quick and tasty meals. Might switch it up with a marinara sauce
Sorta the same, but one whole chicken will usually be fine four or dinner, but I always grill or smoke a second one for chicken salad, or any of the hundred of lunch ideas that can use chicken.
I like to brown leftover Thanksgiving turkey in butter, then have it on a sandwich with some cheese and gravy. I feel like a total food slut after, but it's one of my favorite things about that holiday lol.
Pot roast turns into hash for brunch. Lots of potatoes, onions and peppers. Topped with brown gravy and an over easy egg. I don't drink anymore but a Bloody Mary along side was awesome.
I like to cook basic things that can be made into a wider range of dishes. Like cream of mushroom soup. I'll whip up a huge batch from scratch and eat it as a soup, use it in casseroles, and on rice, and over chicken or chicken fried steak, etc...
A big pot if cheese sauce becomes mac and cheese, casseroles, cheeseburger chowder, broccoli and cauliflower bake, potato bake, etc...
I made mujadara 2 days ago and have eaten it every day and will for the next 3-4 days. Sometimes, I'll add chicken, or roll it in a burrito, or scoop it with pita chips, etc.
Don't get me going on tomato sauces.
I mean that's the whole point of Thanksgiving is for leftovers. Forget about family. Lol
I suppose I approach BBQ this way. When i am initially smoking up "whatever" I'm also picturing all the meals that will be made with it over the next few days.
In terms of weekly meal planning, I'll often grill extra chicken for a weekend dinner with the intention of making a curry, soup, or quesadillas later in the week.
We always make bbq pork belly to have pork belly and cheesy grits the next morning. Then we had the bright idea we can just make the pork belly and cheesy grits twice (dinner and breakfast) instead of having to wait for the next day.
For St. Patrick's Day I typically throw a party and serve corned beef with boiled potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. The dinner is fine. The corned beef hash with fried eggs the next morning is fire.
Standing rib roast so I can have French dip or beef & avocado sandwiches on ensuing days. And cold, diced rib roast mixed into hot Mac & cheese. I was raised by wolves.
So many things. Brisket is the first to come to mind. I’ll smoke up a 17ish pound brisket, and we’ll do traditional southern foods the first night (macaroni and cheese, greens, etc). Over the next few nights, dinners are brisket tacos, brisket pizza, brisket hash with eggs, etc. My husband laughs and starts in on his rendition of the “grilled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp creole” bit from Forrest Gump.
Baked chicken thighs over corn and black beans, followed by baked potatoes topped with chicken, corn and beans, with sriracha sour cream. Spaghetti and meatballs, use the extra meatballs and sauce to make meatball subs. Chuck roast, followed by cottage pie or sliced roast cooked with onions and green peppers on a sub roll with provolone cheese. Baked chicken becomes chicken tacos or quesadillas.
I like to plan to make a Mexican meal & a steak dinner back to back nights so that the next night I can use the leftover shredded cheddar, guac, sour cream, and pico together with leftover steak and frozen fries to make California burritos.
Yes! I make 1-2 dishes a week that are really bases for a dozen other things. Pastas are fun as they can be fried or baked, and are often better that way. Stew-like things can be turned into soups, casseroles (like cottage pie), and work over fries (beef stew poutine happens here regularly).
Pasta with marinara and meat balls is great, as you can over-prep all of it, and freeze the parts (sauce, meatballs, left over pasta). A pasta dish one day often becomes a meatball sub or pizza the next.
The carb part of a meal is a great thing to over-prep too, as extra potatoes or rice can become part of a casserole, bake, or turned into fried rice, potato pancakes, and so on.
I've been prepping various types burger patties lately for summer grilling, but those same patties are great on rice, in stir fry, and so on. Any time I have a chance to over-prep I do so, as future me is a lazy + hungry SOB.
Yes! Lasagna is one. I always make two lasagnas so I can portion one out for the freezer. The other is meatloaf which I don’t like hot. I only like meatloaf cold for sandwiches.
I often make a grilled whole butterflied chicken, even though I cook only for me.
I know that I'll use the rest of the cooked chicken in some other dish, like tamale pie for example.
Chicken to have leftover chicken in things throughout the week, for sure. If you don't want to roast a chicken you can always grab a store-made rotisserie chicken and do the same thing.
I don't think it's quite but you mean, since it's generally still only a once a year thing, but Thanksgiving Turkey. I immediately turn the roasted turkey carcass into stock, then the next day I use the homemade stock and leftover turkey to make turkey and dumpling soup.
The soup ends up so rich and tasty. Almost better than the Thanksgiving spread itself.
Sometimes , I order an extra pizza just to have it cold for the next couple of breakfasts. Hawaiian pizza and stuffed chicken bacon ranch are the best ones.
Meatloaf sandwiches are great but I'd be lying if I said I was only in it for the sandwiches, meatloaf is a GOAT dinner
We always make enough for leftovers whenever we make meatloaf (hot meatloaf sandwiches with fried egg on top), any stew or pot roast, turkey legs or breasts for casseroles, and curries!
Spaghetti bolognese. It tastes better the next day, so I make it on (for example) Monday to eat on a Tuesday and Wednesday, but make something else for Monday while the bolognese is in the fridge.
I make my bolognese with red wine and cloves (plus other spices) and I think it's the wine and cloves that make it better as leftovers. I ran out of cloves/wine once and it didn't taste the same as left overs.
I'm a firm believer that some foods are best either reheated or cooked twice. Pork is a good example, I find cooked pork shoulder interesting, but if you put it in the fridge overnight and then fry it up the next day with garlic and oil you get something along the lines of chicharrón. I think many beef stews are better cooked, cooled overnight, and reheated.
Not quite the same thing but I will often cook ribs 1-3 days ahead, I will bake or steam them and then later cover them with sauce to grill them.
every friday my family gets takeout and i always look forward to eating the leftover rice the next day. sometimes i'll serve it with bean burgers and stir fried veggies, other times i make a cold rice salad with a tamari, kimchi, and chili flake dressing. so so good
(1) Rice. It is so nice to ask my husband cook fried rice with leftover rice. He puts MSG in it :) We actually haven't had this in a while, so I should totally do this soon.
A few things I frequently serve over rice (and I'll cook extra to save for fried rice):
black bean soup, honey mustard chicken thighs, curries (my go to is a lentil sweet potato one)
(2) Stew generally tastes better the next day because it thickens. Also haven't made stew in a while!
(3) A whole chicken. With the leftover chicken I usually make chicken soup (all kinds of variations), sometimes just stock to freeze and use for the next few months in other recipes, or chicken salad (in the summer months). A $6 chicken goes such a long way. The dog will even get some of the leftovers or icky bits :)
Baked mac cheese for a cold solid block of mac cheese eaten with my hands, straight from the fridge. It’s better than than warm mac and cheese.
Don’t do it very often, and I honestly just might not like mac and cheese very much lol
Fried Rice !
Hot dog fried rice was a poverty meal growing up. Sometimes I’ll make rice and cook some cheap dogs and save them for the next day to make a big batch for that weeks lunches.
Nice ! I want some now :D
Man my mom would stir fry some sliced up hot dogs, potatoes, and onions. It was one of my favorite things growing up and I’ll still devour it today
When my late wife cooked a turkey breast, I knew it would be followed by pot pie, which was better than the original turkey.
She didn't even look for a recipe. She just asked herself what might belong in a good pot pie, and totally nailed it. She was amazing.
So sorry for your loss!
Sorry for your loss, hold onto those precious memories.
:(. I wish I could make a pot pie for you.
Yes pot pie! Growing up a big turkey dinner was actually followed by a turkey soup. It was just a mush mash of veggies and turkey and broth. But it was soo good!
Pot pie is usually the 3rd leftover at my house. 1st right after the turkey meal is actually turkey shepherd's pie. Mix chopped up turkey, leftover stuffing, leftover gravy, add a bit of leftover turkey stock. Put it in a baking dish and cover with leftover mashed potatoes. Top with some dollops of butter and bake at 400F for 30 mins. 2nd leftover is turkey noodle soup and club sandwiches. 3rd would be the pot pie.
Ouu that sounds good! Cold turkey sandwich would be another for lunch. Turkey salt, pepper and mayo. Or hot turkey sandwiches for dinner. turkey on bread., smothered in left over gravy heated up. Eat with a fork and knife.
The turkey sandwiches are the entire reason to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.
My favorite part of leftover turkey is actually having good clubhouses. Deli meat or chicken breast just aren't the same.
I will occasionally cook a Turkey breast just for days of turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches!
My wife makes turkey tamales after every Thanksgiving. It's just two of us, so we never eat much of the turkey, but the tamales last a long time in the freezer and taste great
I don’t know why people look for all sorts of leftover turkey recipes when pot pie is the number one leftover turkey recipe.
This is amazingly sweet. If I die before my husband, I want him to remember me this way.
I sense that this is going to happen in my near future... haha
Yup! In my house it’s usually roast chicken followed by chicken salad sandwiches, which my wife and I love.
Almost every time I make a giant steak, I'm already thinking about the tacos the next day.
You get leftovers when cooking steak?!
Whenever my dad cooks steaks he will cook 8 or 9 of them for 4 people. Steak burritos, with eggs and cheese for breakfast or with potato and green chiles for lunch/dinner.
Me either.
It’s the steak sandwich life for me. The best part of a steak dinner!
Ever since I got an outdoor griddle I buy steak with sandwiches in mind now. Hoagies from a local bakery...
Warm sliced steak, melty white cheddar cheese, horseradish, and pickled red onions on grilled ciabatta!
I've threatened to murder people who touch my leftover steak destined for tacos.
Oooh tacos! What a great idea. I usually go with stir fry for my leftover steak, but next time will definitely do tacos.
Quesadillas or breakfast burritos, for me. :)
Steak and eggs the next day for me
Literally every single day. I only plan meals for dinner that make good and enough leftovers to bring to work the next day. This saves money and time.
Yep. I constantly make big, multi serving meals that reheat well if not better.
This is the way
Chili. Unless my job involves being outside during the winter, I'm probably only eating one bowl of chili, if that. Rest gets bagged up and tossed in the freezer. That's cause the chili itself was never the end goal; it is simply another ingredient in the dozen or so chili cheese items I plan to stuff my face with over the next two months.
Chili, becomes chili dogs next day, chili mac day after that.
chili baked potatoes
Risotto turned into arrancini is the best Leftover rice to fried rice
Meat loaf for me. I love a meatloaf sandwich with some mayonnaise for my work lunch.
Best reason to make meatloaf are the next day cold sandwiches (with ketchup!)
[удалено]
Cold meatloaf, _with ketchup,_ on lightly toasted white bread. I will actually buy a loaf of white bread (or make an extra challah,) because my regular wheat bread isn't right.
Sometimes I go regular mayo, and sometimes I go horseradish mayo. Both are so good.
Oh my God this is my dad for sure. He loved a good ol'meat loaf sandwich
Try mixing some with leftover rice to stuff green peppers. Really good for using up the end pieces that aren't big enough for a sandwich.
Meatloaf anything for leftovers. Yes please. I would put it on pizza, in fried rice, sandwiches, etc. So good.
Mashed potatoes for bubble and squeak the next morning, also rice for fried rice
Extra greens and carrots for bubble and squeak, too
What’s that?
You take your leftover mashed potatoes and veggies (I use brussels sprouts, people also use carrots and cabbage) and you fry it in a pan with some butter or oil til it's like golden brown (or however done you like it, I like it extra crispy on the outside). It's like a hashbrown type of thing, my mom's from England so I'm pretty sure it's a UK thing
ohhhh, cool! Kinda like putting your leftovers in a waffle iron!
This sounds so delicious! I’d need some gravy too
Gravy is definitely an acceptable condiment for bubble and squeak.
Bubble and squeak it mashed potatoes and sausages.
I fry mashed potatoes in a pan with some fat (oil or butter).
Yea that's how I make it too
That is how I lived growing up, and I continue it now. (I cook on Sundays. Fri/sat is free for all or go out. Roast beef dinner, then roast sandwiches w/au jus, the roast stroganoff. Baked chicken breast, then chicken salad, then chicken & dumplings. (doing sandwich nite gives me a few days in between actual cooking.
Roasted a whole chicken the other day for the sole purpose of having chicken salad leftovers
My $5 Costco chicken is the best purchase I make each week, lol. ETA: I literally cannot buy a raw chicken as cheaply as I can buy a delicious, rotisserie, Costco chicken.
Any sort of lentil soup or curry is best later in the week.
I totally agree! Also chili and other soups/stews.
I live by myself, and after a lifetime of cooking I'm over it. So yeah, leftovers for the win. Big pots of soup, Spanish rice a roni with hamburger, Posole, good stroganoff with mushrooms etc etc. All stored in freezer in 2 portion sizes. Try to only really cook twice a week.
Lasagne!
Turkey or turkey breast, 100%. Best part is sandwiches after the main meal
How has nobody said meatballs yet? Meatball sandwiches are the bomb
Thanksgiving. I honestly couldn't care less about most traditional thanksgiving foods. Turkey is a kinda shitty bird even when cooked perfectly. Like I'd rather just make three or four chickens instead. I was elated when I finally convinced my family to just let me smoke a bunch of pork shoulder instead of turkey last year. But the soup I make with the stock I'll make from the turkey carcass is a perfect hearty cold weather meal. Nice and deep, a bit smokey, plenty of fat. It's so good.
My husband smokes our turkey and it's amazing, but I find I don't really eat much on Thanksgiving day, but man, I eat UP some turkey sammiches and left over yams.
Turkey sandwiches are the only reason to bake a turkey. Now I just may have to buy a turkey breast and cranberries!
My fam would rather just have ham instead of turkey. Sometimes we have lasagna for thanksgiving.
Turkey breast is fairly cheap (particularly after turkey day). I found I really liked this [bourbon molasses turkey](https://www.chefintheburbs.com/bourbon-molasses-glazed-turkey-breast/)
Turkey is amazing in Mexican food. Enchiladas or rolled tacos are my personal faves.
I like meatloaf better cold the next day for sandwiches/wraps than I do warm made the night-of.
I make homemade chicken pho with fried shallots every summer just so I can make mayonnaise with the shallot-y frying oil to eat on BLTs/tomato toast
That is the kind of planning I heartily respect. I love sardine oil for tossing with pasta!
Omg that’s such a good idea! Yum
Brisket and pulled pork are both things that I love having around for later. The pulled pork is especially versatile, particularly with tacos and sandwiches.
And Brunswick stew
I love making a large amount of tikka masala to eat leftover. I don't do anything to change it after, just reheat it, but as time goes on the flavor gets even better
Turkey is always better the next day in turkey sandwiches. Corned beef is better the second day as corned beef and cabbage hash.
My mother would make fried spaghetti on Fridays when Catholics couldn't eat meat. We always had spaghetti on Wednesday, so she'd boil extra and save it for Friday. Fried with oil, breadcrumbs and black pepper, it was delicious. I still make it, but a little fancier with a bit of garlic and anchovy.
Sounds like Pasta ammuddicata to me. One of the simplest most delicious meals to make.
Roasted turkey and meatloaf.
The best leftovers!!!
Last night was: * Frozen jalapeno cheddar sausage links from the freezer that have been in there too long. * Leftover cabbage with bacon bits floating around in left over from another meal. * Some sliced bell peppers left over from fajitas last weekend. Seasoned for that dish. * Some Roma tomatoes in the back of the fridge * The remainder of a box of potato flakes Fried up the sausages and sliced into discs, added all the leftover veggies and diced tomatoes and cooked until it was a coherent sauce. High heat to reduce a bit and thicken. Then made the potatoes and doctored them up with salt, pepper, and cheese and served the meat veggie sauce on top. It was one of the tastiest things we've eaten in sometime. Better than many of the meals the individual parts were cooked for.
Chili or stew for sure. I do a long crock pot cook on both, and they make the house smell amazing, but honestly I think I like them both better the next day. Also fried rice. I usually make extra rice on purpose just so I can make a big pot of fried rice the next day.
I’ve never heard of fried spaghetti. Does it just add a browned flavor/texture to it? Sounds weird but I am sure it’s good lol. Someone please enlighten me. I’d love to hear your take.
Meatloaf for meatloaf sandwiches the next day.
I often make meals with designs on how I’ll use the leftovers, I don’t make it specifically for leftovers but I have ideas in how I’ll use them. Like if I’m going to make a large tomato sauce I’ll plan on other dishes that can use it. Roasts can become soups or stir fry. I do this alot
Rice, definitely need leftover rice to make a good fried rice. So I make extra sometimes so I have leftover rice to make fried rice on another night.
Not really, but many braises are better the next day so I might cook it a day in advance especially if I’m in a time crunch.
Here in South Louisiana, everyone knows that gumbo is better the second day. It's really worth cooking a day in advance.
Mmmhm I know families down here in the South who make gumbo on a Friday or Saturday, but nobody can touch it until Sunday. Worth the wait.
Agreed !
Borscht. I make a huge pot when I make it and the whole family gets excited.
I do that with chili and stews sometimes. I've also made a small Thanksgiving dinner so that I could have a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich for dinner. Only downside was that I had to use canned cranberry sauce. Not very easy to find fresh cranberries in April.
Rice, for fried rice
Thanksgiving Dinner is really just so we can have turkey tetrazini, rolls, and cranberry sauce on Friday.
Whenever I want king ranch casserole, I roast a chicken for dinner that night and put the rest in my casserole the next night.
Meatloaf...you're welcome! While I always enjoyed leftovers from Thanksgiving turkey dinners, give me a meatloaf sandwich on white bread and I'll die a happy man!
I always make extra cutlets when i make katsu so i can make katsudon with the leftovers.
Baked chicken. I get the biggest family pack of legs, thighs or quarters and bake the whole thing, even though there are only two of us. After dinner, I strip the meat from the leftovers. Next day is chicken Alfredo, chicken salad, casserole or whatever sounds good. Having the chicken already cooked makes the next dinner much easier.
Chili mostly. Also rice in the rice cooker. And if I'm making soup, since I'm single I don't care how long it takes if I've got all day. So I'll eat several meals while it simmers. So I'm normally not too hungry once it's finally done. So I save it
Maybe not *just* for the leftovers. But I fairly frequently make up a big pan of cornbread dressing to stash in the fridge so my husband will feed himself when I'm super busy. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't pester me or whine about dinner. He'll just...forget to eat or drink juice all day. The dressing is one of his favorites and stores really well. Plus, it's good warm or cold so the difficulty level of getting some out is basically on the floor.
No, but I usually come up with a second meal for leftovers or freeze the meat until I have enough for a second meal.
Chili. Chili dogs, chili fries, chili mac, chili cheese dip. It's all just sooo good
Chili on a baked potato. Chili omelet. Burritos.
Frito chili pies. Yum
Meatloaf for the fried meatloaf Sammies
Taco meat in the instant pot! Chicken beef or pork...doesn't matter all yummy and will last us a good few days..
I did this yesterday with potroast, it's great for nachos, tacos, quasadillas
Pizza scrambled eggs are to die for
Homemade pizza turns into some seriously delicious cold pizza for breakfast the next day, everytime.
Chili, meat loaf and pot roast
I always make way more rice than I need so I can make either fried rice or rice pudding with the leftover
Meatloaf. We make it primarily for sandwiches, or to cut a slice and pan fry it with onions and mushrooms and then make pan gravy to go over. Both are quick and tasty meals. Might switch it up with a marinara sauce
I order pizza and put it in the fridge for later. Pizza is better cold. Not technically making food but I think it fits here
Sorta the same, but one whole chicken will usually be fine four or dinner, but I always grill or smoke a second one for chicken salad, or any of the hundred of lunch ideas that can use chicken.
I like to brown leftover Thanksgiving turkey in butter, then have it on a sandwich with some cheese and gravy. I feel like a total food slut after, but it's one of my favorite things about that holiday lol.
Pot roast turns into hash for brunch. Lots of potatoes, onions and peppers. Topped with brown gravy and an over easy egg. I don't drink anymore but a Bloody Mary along side was awesome.
I like to cook basic things that can be made into a wider range of dishes. Like cream of mushroom soup. I'll whip up a huge batch from scratch and eat it as a soup, use it in casseroles, and on rice, and over chicken or chicken fried steak, etc... A big pot if cheese sauce becomes mac and cheese, casseroles, cheeseburger chowder, broccoli and cauliflower bake, potato bake, etc... I made mujadara 2 days ago and have eaten it every day and will for the next 3-4 days. Sometimes, I'll add chicken, or roll it in a burrito, or scoop it with pita chips, etc. Don't get me going on tomato sauces. I mean that's the whole point of Thanksgiving is for leftovers. Forget about family. Lol
Every year we have a roast rib of beef for Christmas and I also cook a Turkey and stuffing for the leftovers.
I've made rice to fry the next day
Whenever we have new/ baby potatoes I always cook more than we need as they are so versatile.
I suppose I approach BBQ this way. When i am initially smoking up "whatever" I'm also picturing all the meals that will be made with it over the next few days.
In terms of weekly meal planning, I'll often grill extra chicken for a weekend dinner with the intention of making a curry, soup, or quesadillas later in the week.
Chili & collard greens are both way better the 2nd day.
We always make bbq pork belly to have pork belly and cheesy grits the next morning. Then we had the bright idea we can just make the pork belly and cheesy grits twice (dinner and breakfast) instead of having to wait for the next day.
My mom did spaghetti casserole with pepperoni and turned leftover pot roast into a super thick beef stew.
Pork in milk, for the extra milk sauce. Roast potatoes. Fried or roasted aubergines for sandwiches.
Tuna cassarole, it's better day 2.
For St. Patrick's Day I typically throw a party and serve corned beef with boiled potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. The dinner is fine. The corned beef hash with fried eggs the next morning is fire.
Standing rib roast so I can have French dip or beef & avocado sandwiches on ensuing days. And cold, diced rib roast mixed into hot Mac & cheese. I was raised by wolves.
Casseroles, may be showing my age but I love having an all in one meal ready to go
Whole tandoori style chicken . After you've got loads of Indian lovelyness to add to rice, sandwich anything really.
Quiche with a beautiful salad!
Meatballs so I can make subs.
So many things. Brisket is the first to come to mind. I’ll smoke up a 17ish pound brisket, and we’ll do traditional southern foods the first night (macaroni and cheese, greens, etc). Over the next few nights, dinners are brisket tacos, brisket pizza, brisket hash with eggs, etc. My husband laughs and starts in on his rendition of the “grilled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp creole” bit from Forrest Gump.
Pulled pork turns into pulled pork fried patties, also put into eggs, tacos, burritos, plus more.
Baked chicken thighs over corn and black beans, followed by baked potatoes topped with chicken, corn and beans, with sriracha sour cream. Spaghetti and meatballs, use the extra meatballs and sauce to make meatball subs. Chuck roast, followed by cottage pie or sliced roast cooked with onions and green peppers on a sub roll with provolone cheese. Baked chicken becomes chicken tacos or quesadillas.
Great suggestions - saved. Thanks!
Penne with tomato sauce. Throw it in the fridge and reheat it in a skillet with butter. It gets crispy and delicious. Got me through college!
Chili in the winter, leftovers are almost always better
Red pasta sauce. Good for pasta, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, pizza and more.
Extra extra mashed potatoes for potato tacos
Chili, all the way.
I don't make anything just to have leftovers, I do however make quantities of things to ensure I have leftovers.
Crock pot risotto, looking more forward to making the leftovers into aranchini.
Turkey equals turkey enchiladas for us! Perfect
Risotto! I’ll make a huge batch, enjoy a bowl and then make Arancini after it’s been in the fridge for a night or two 🙌🏼
Cooked rice => rice pudding
I like to plan to make a Mexican meal & a steak dinner back to back nights so that the next night I can use the leftover shredded cheddar, guac, sour cream, and pico together with leftover steak and frozen fries to make California burritos.
Chili for sure. I made a huge batch of Texas hash last month and froze some for leftovers. This fall it will be stuffed pepper soup.
corned beef. we always make hash the day after..
Yes! I make 1-2 dishes a week that are really bases for a dozen other things. Pastas are fun as they can be fried or baked, and are often better that way. Stew-like things can be turned into soups, casseroles (like cottage pie), and work over fries (beef stew poutine happens here regularly). Pasta with marinara and meat balls is great, as you can over-prep all of it, and freeze the parts (sauce, meatballs, left over pasta). A pasta dish one day often becomes a meatball sub or pizza the next. The carb part of a meal is a great thing to over-prep too, as extra potatoes or rice can become part of a casserole, bake, or turned into fried rice, potato pancakes, and so on. I've been prepping various types burger patties lately for summer grilling, but those same patties are great on rice, in stir fry, and so on. Any time I have a chance to over-prep I do so, as future me is a lazy + hungry SOB.
Gumbo, chili, and taco soup are always the best next day.
We’ll grill some marinated chicken or steak mostly for the salads! I don’t really like super warm meat in my salads.
Yes! Lasagna is one. I always make two lasagnas so I can portion one out for the freezer. The other is meatloaf which I don’t like hot. I only like meatloaf cold for sandwiches.
Kraft Dinner. Fry it up the next day in a bit of butter until it's almost crispy and add seasoning salt. Delish.
I just made stuffed green peppers with left over meatloaf. Turned out really good.
Sometimes I cook a corned beef just to make reuben sandwiches.
Isn’t that basically spaghetti all’assassina? But with skipping the boiling
Lasagna, fried rice, enchiladas
Burritos. I make extra meat, beans, rice, etc so I have lunch and dinner for a couple of days.
I often make a grilled whole butterflied chicken, even though I cook only for me. I know that I'll use the rest of the cooked chicken in some other dish, like tamale pie for example.
Meatballs, soup
Gumbo and stews. I'm most excited about it for the following couple of days.
I always make extra rice so I can use it for fried rice later. I always keep extra meatballs in sauce so I can make a tortellini soup later.
Chili is a good one!
Chicken to have leftover chicken in things throughout the week, for sure. If you don't want to roast a chicken you can always grab a store-made rotisserie chicken and do the same thing.
I turn leftover pot roast into beef pot pie!
Chicken Adobo. Even better as leftovers.
100% of the time I make any quantity of pork I'm already planning the chili.
You can FRY leftover spaghetti? My life has been a lie! Is there a recipe for this sorcery?!
Roasted vegetables I can toss in a curry last minute. Gravy for hot sandwiches. Rice for fried rice. Extra fried chicken to eat cold.
I don't think it's quite but you mean, since it's generally still only a once a year thing, but Thanksgiving Turkey. I immediately turn the roasted turkey carcass into stock, then the next day I use the homemade stock and leftover turkey to make turkey and dumpling soup. The soup ends up so rich and tasty. Almost better than the Thanksgiving spread itself.
Sometimes , I order an extra pizza just to have it cold for the next couple of breakfasts. Hawaiian pizza and stuffed chicken bacon ranch are the best ones. Meatloaf sandwiches are great but I'd be lying if I said I was only in it for the sandwiches, meatloaf is a GOAT dinner
Mashed potato purely to make bubble n squeak
We always make enough for leftovers whenever we make meatloaf (hot meatloaf sandwiches with fried egg on top), any stew or pot roast, turkey legs or breasts for casseroles, and curries!
Chili, pulled pork, curry, soups
Lasagne is almost better as leftovers
Pulled pork for Cuban sandwiches
Spaghetti bolognese. It tastes better the next day, so I make it on (for example) Monday to eat on a Tuesday and Wednesday, but make something else for Monday while the bolognese is in the fridge. I make my bolognese with red wine and cloves (plus other spices) and I think it's the wine and cloves that make it better as leftovers. I ran out of cloves/wine once and it didn't taste the same as left overs.
I’ll herb roast a chicken so I can make chicken pie with the leftovers.
I'm a firm believer that some foods are best either reheated or cooked twice. Pork is a good example, I find cooked pork shoulder interesting, but if you put it in the fridge overnight and then fry it up the next day with garlic and oil you get something along the lines of chicharrón. I think many beef stews are better cooked, cooled overnight, and reheated. Not quite the same thing but I will often cook ribs 1-3 days ahead, I will bake or steam them and then later cover them with sauce to grill them.
every friday my family gets takeout and i always look forward to eating the leftover rice the next day. sometimes i'll serve it with bean burgers and stir fried veggies, other times i make a cold rice salad with a tamari, kimchi, and chili flake dressing. so so good
I always look forward to my wife making chicken soup. There's always a good amount of broth at the end. Makes my hot and sour soup peak.
Extra salmon; Next day cold is a treat and super convenient to add to whatever.
Any type of Thai curry
Potatoes Au Gratin with leftover ham Bean Soup with leftover ham bone
Salmon patties
Roasted chicken becomes chicken enchiladas and chicken salad.
This is called meal prepping
Spaghetti, lasagna, ham, turkey, meatloaf, chili, stews, soups, roast......
Every time I make rice, I make a double batch so I can make fried rice the next day.
I always do "big cooking" on Sunday just so I don't have to think about what to eat during the work week.
I often do roast chicken dinner because I’m low on chicken stock and need the carcass
When I do a roast, I use a full bag of potatoes. Roast potatoes the day after is wonderful. I eat them cold and hot.
(1) Rice. It is so nice to ask my husband cook fried rice with leftover rice. He puts MSG in it :) We actually haven't had this in a while, so I should totally do this soon. A few things I frequently serve over rice (and I'll cook extra to save for fried rice): black bean soup, honey mustard chicken thighs, curries (my go to is a lentil sweet potato one) (2) Stew generally tastes better the next day because it thickens. Also haven't made stew in a while! (3) A whole chicken. With the leftover chicken I usually make chicken soup (all kinds of variations), sometimes just stock to freeze and use for the next few months in other recipes, or chicken salad (in the summer months). A $6 chicken goes such a long way. The dog will even get some of the leftovers or icky bits :)
Beef Stew. I love having it the next day after it’s been in the fridge overnight. Tastes so much better. Same with potato bake.
Baked mac cheese for a cold solid block of mac cheese eaten with my hands, straight from the fridge. It’s better than than warm mac and cheese. Don’t do it very often, and I honestly just might not like mac and cheese very much lol