Everyone has their share of leftovers sitting in the back of the fridge. Whether it's leftovers from this past weekend's family dinner or a jar of salsa that's been around since the last time you had the munchies, the ingredients don't have to go to waste -- or even worse, be thrown out in the trash. If they're still salvageable, why not rescue them and give them a new life in a new dish for dinner?
Don't be afraid to make something from your leftovers. Some sad-looking vegetable can be reborn into a vegetable soup or a frittata. Half-full condiments can create some wonderful recipes like meatloaf, pork chops, beef stroganoff or chicken tetrazzini. The following recipes prove that leftovers can be made into something better than good, and you'll clean out the fridge at the same time.
What's your favorite dish to make out of leftovers? Leave a comment below.
1
Leftover Salsa
SomethingNew
Put that lonely jar of salsa in the back of your fridge to good use. This recipe calls for a 2-step tomatillo salsa consisting of tomatillos, mint, salt and pepper. Put the salsa on top of cooked tortillas and serve it with chicken, radishes, tomatoes, avocado and feta cheese for the ultimate chicken taco. It only takes 15 minutes to make and is great for taco tuesday with the family. Get the Easy Chicken Tacos with Minted Tomatillo Sauce recipe
2
Leftover Pasta Sauce
Pipandebby
If you love pasta, you'll love this baked ziti recipe that uses up that leftover pasta sauce in the back of your fridge. The recipe makes 9 to 12 servings and is extra flavorful with chopped onion, garlic and sour cream. Top it off with spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese for the ultimate finish and let it bake for 30 minutes. Get the recipeBaked Ziti
3
Leftover Green Beans
New Media Publishing
Everyone has leftover green beans from a Sunday night family dinner. Don't toss them -- instead use them in this casserole dish. Mix up unsweetened almond milk, parmesan cheese and cream cheese for a delicious cream sauce and add it to the cooked green beans. That's a quick and tasty weeknight meal!Get the Green Bean Casserole with Parmesan Crumb Topping recipe
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4
Leftover Jam
This is a perfect leftover recipe for any time of the day. Stir up the pancake batter and pour it onto a skillet. Once the pancake is slightly brown, place it into the oven to keep warm. Repeat these steps until the batter runs out. To serve, spread the jam on top of each pancake and assemble it into a stack. Feel free to mix it up and use strawberry or blueberry jam instead. This recipe yields 14 to 16 pancakes. Get the Sour Cream Jam Stacked Pancakes recipe
5
Leftover Ground Beef
ThisGalCooks
Lots of leftovers from Sunday's roast? No problem. Use that leftover ground beef and make this easy skillet beef Tex Mex casserole. The recipe only takes 40 minutes to make. All you need to do is cook the ground beef until it's brown, add the seasoning, sauce and mix in the rice, black beans and diced chilis. To finish, sprinkle some shredded cheese and garlic on top. Get the Easy Skillet Beef Tex Mex Casserole recipe
6
Leftover Ketchup
SteamyKitchen
Ketchup is a typical ingredient in the classic steak recipe. This recipe uses 1 tablespoon of ketch-up, which is probably the amount anyone has leftover in the fridge from last summer's burger cookout. The ketchup is used as the sauce for the steak and mixed in with onion, garlic and tomatoes. The serving size is 4. Get the Steak With Sweet and Sour Tomato and Onion Sauce recipe
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7
Leftover Rice
epicurious
Leftover rice doesn't have to go to waste -- and it doesn't have to be boring. Instead utilize that leftover rice in a new and unique way. Make them into burgers by using a food processor to blend all the ingredients together. Grill the patties and serve them in english muffins.Get the Mushroom and Brown Rice-Veggie Burgers recipe
8
Leftover Pasta
AdventuresInSavings
Italians always know the best way to jazz up leftovers -- and pasta salads are the key formula. Use leftover spaghetti, vermicelli, or rotini in this recipe. Add in tomatoes, bacon and ranch dressing to make it a true family hit. It can feed 7 and is best served cold.Get the Bacon and Tomato Ranch Pasta Salad recipe
9
Leftover Barbecue Sauce
ArisMenu
You don't have to wait until summer to use that leftover barbecue sauce sitting in the back of the fridge. If it's still good, use it to make barbecued chicken marinade right in your oven. This recipe needs 1 1/2 cup barbecue sauce -- it's further jazzed up with dijon mustard and sriracha for some zing.Get the Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade recipe
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10
Leftover Chicken
New Media Publishing
This quick chicken pot pie never goes out of style. It's your formula for an easy dinner when you've got leftover chicken or turkey in the fridge. The recipe is packed with vegetables such as carrots, green beans, corn and peas. It will be a surefire hit with the whole family.Get the Chicken Pot Pie recipe
11
WATCH: How To Make A Frittata
Learn how to make a frittata using leftover vegetables from the fridge.
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