How to Come Up with Tasty, Creative Leftovers Recipes

What to do with leftovers is a problem faced by most people at one time or another. It may be that you have misjudged the quantity of food required for the occasion, it could be that you and your guests were not as hungry as you anticipated, or it could even be - most frustratingly of all - that you were forced to buy food in greater quantities than you knew you required due to the packaging policies of your local shop, store or supermarket.

Whatever the circumstances leading to the creation of the leftovers, this page is devoted to first of all looking at the different types of leftovers, how they come about, how much money you can save by appropriating them properly and finally - but above all - how you can actually find tasty, interesting and effective ways to cut down on the food you discard by using up your leftovers.

It is possible to split the concept of leftovers in to three broad categories. The first is where a quantity of a completed dish is left over after service. This could be some chilli as seen above, it could be a casserole, it could be a stew. In most instances, leftovers of this type will simply be cooled, refrigerated and reheated perhaps for lunch the following day. Even with leftovers of this type, however, it is possible to get creative. The leftover chilli in the picture was firstly reheated before being spread on toast and having grated cheddar cheese melted over the top under the grill/broiler.

The second form of leftovers is an individual, cooked/prepared ingredient. Turkey is a very common leftover of this type, particularly around Christmas or Thanksgiving. While turkey sandwiches may automatically spring to mind in this situation, turkey salad may be an option, turkey omelette or even a simply prepared turkey chilli where the turkey is only reheated in the simmering sauce. Imagination is as always the key, along with consideration of the other potential ingredients available.

The third type of leftovers is perhaps for many the one least likely to spring to mind but the type perhaps most likely to lead to wastage. It is this type of leftovers with which this page is chiefly concerned. They are ingredients which have proven surplus to requirements in the preparation of a dish or meal and have been stored in the fridge for anticipated later use. These ingredients are the leftovers most likely to be forgotten and to ultimately go to waste.

There can be no disputing the fact that the throwing away of leftovers also constitutes the throwing away in real terms of money. To help illustrate this fact, the table below considers the leftovers included in the photograph slightly above, all of which were genuinely taken from the fridge and were in need of urgent using if they were not to be fit only for disposal. Before scrolling down, take another look at the photo and a guess at how much they actually cost to buy in their shown quantities.

Surprised? The truth is that without a concerted effort being made, most of these items would have expired and gone to waste. Would you take a $10 bill and through it in the trash can once or twice a week? Would you take a £5 note and a couple of pound coins and throw them in the bin? Unlikely - so why do it with the equivalent value in food...?

The photo is of some standard American bacon, known as smoked streaky bacon in the UK. So what does that have to do with the leftovers detailed above and their creative usage rather than their going to waste? In simple terms, the bacon is going to be used as a common denominator in what will be branded a bacon food theme day. It doesn't have to be bacon, of course; it could be chicken, sausages, or even eggs. The principal remains the same in each instance.

Take a look again at the assembled leftovers. While chicken is there, cheese, an egg and potatoes - all excellent food staples - there is no obvious way of combining all the ingredients in to one or two simple meals to ensure nothing goes to waste. If, however, you select a very popular and basic food ingredient (bacon, in this instance) and think how you can use bacon with one, two or even three of these ingredients at a time to make a few tasty meals, a wealth of opportunities will soon open up before you. The bonus is that you may even come up with meal ideas that you want to prepare again, quite deliberately, rather than assembling them simply with leftovers.

The recipes below afford a few ideas for using up these leftover ingredients with bacon. They are ordered in the form of one day's meals for one person but could just as easily be made to serve more than one person one or two meals.

Note that simple staples such as bread, condiments, herbs and spices are included as acceptable and available additions.

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ready in: 15 min

Yields: One bread roll sandwich

• 3 slices of bacon
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 bread roll, halved
• Small handful mixed bell pepper slices
• 3 slices cheddar cheese
• Black pepper

1. Fry the bacon gently in a little oil until done as you like it. Lift to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain.
2. Toast the bottom half of the roll on its cut side under your grill/broiler until golden.
3. Lay the bacon on the toasted roll half, followed by the bell peppers and the cheese. Melt the cheese under the grill/broiler, at the same time toasting the top half of the roll on its cut side.
4. Add some pepper to the melted cheese and place the top on the roll to serve.

It is more than worth mentioning that this particular creation - devised on the spur of the moment and as a direct result of the available leftovers - immediately went on to the "Must make again" list. It was absolutely delicious and served as an evening meal appetizer/starter.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 30 min

Ready in: 45 min

Yields: Two modest servings

• Two medium sized baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 sticks of celery, washed, topped, tailed and chopped
• ½ bulb of fennel, sliced
• Salt and white pepper
• Leaves from inside celery bulb, roughly chopped
• 2 slices of bacon, fried until crisp and roughly crumbled

1. Add the potato, celery and fennel to a large pot. Season with salt and white pepper and pour in enough cold water just to cover the vegetables and no more. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer just until the potatoes are soft - around twenty minutes.
2. Great care has to be taken when blending hot liquids, as a vacuum can be formed, or the lid can fly off the food processor. If you wish, let the soup cool partly before blending until smooth.
3. Pour the blended soup back in to the pot and add the chopped celery leaves. Stir well and heat until it again reaches a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
4. Ladle the soup in to serving plates or bowls and garnish with the crumbled bacon.

The bacon wrapped chicken was served on sandwiches in this instance as a second course following the soup but could just have easily been served with homemade chips/fries, made from the remaining potatoes.

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 10 min (approx)

Ready in: 15 min (approx)

Yields: Two sandwiches

• 2 one inch thick chicken breast strips
• 4 slices of bacon
• Little vegetable oil
• Black pepper
• 2 slices of bread
• Butter (optional)
• HP Sauce (optional)

1. Start your grill/broiler pre-heating at a medium to high setting.
2. Season the chicken strips lightly with black pepper and wrap them each carefully with two slices of bacon. Use cocktail sticks or toothpicks to hold the parcels together.
3. The foil laid on the grilling tray here is simply to make washing up easier but is not necessary. Lightly oil the foil/tray and lay the chicken and bacon parcels on top.
4. Grill/broil for around ten minutes until done, turning frequently.
5. Butter and half two slices of bread. Lay a bacon and chicken parcel on one half of each slice. Twist the cocktail sticks and pull gently to remove.
6. The HP Sauce is optional before the top is placed on each sandwich.

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 5 min

Ready in: 10 min

Yields: One sandwich

• ½ small white onion, sliced and broken in to strands
• 1 tablespoon self-raising/rising flour
• Salt
• 4 slices bacon
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 2 slices bread
• Butter for bread (optional)
• Hot chilli tomato ketchup (optional)

1. While onion rings are most common prepared in this way, this particular onion had already been cut to render this not applicable.
2. Mix the flour and a little salt with enough cold water to form a batter the consistency of thick cream. Ideally, the batter should be rested for around twenty minutes in the fridge but this is not essential.
3. Bring your deep fryer or a deep pan of vegetable oil up to a high heat. Dip the onions in the batter and fry in the oil for three or four minutes until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
4. Start frying the bacon in a little oil in a non-stick frying pan as soon as the onions are in the hot oil.
5. Lay the bacon on one slice of bread, followed by the drained onion fritters. Add the spicy ketchup and the second slice of bread before halving to serve.

The five recipes immediately above were all contrived largely from leftovers in a fridge that would otherwise - in most instances - have gone to waste. The dishes were simple in their development, fairly quick to prepare and absolutely delicious, each and every one. They didn't even require the use of all the leftovers, with potatoes, an apple and some cheese still remaining unused for further experimentation.

Hopefully and above all, this page has demonstrated the possibilities that exist for using apparently boring, almost worthless leftovers to make nourishing and tasty meals, reducing waste and saving what can amount to considerable amounts of money in the long term.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully this concept can help you reduce waste and save considerably on future food/grocery expenses.