We’ve all been there—staring into the fridge only to see leftover rice from last night’s takeout, a container of buttered noodles, a carton of eggs, and scraps of the remaining vegetables that have seen better days—but seemingly nothing to eat. The editors of Savory are here to say that the ingredients in your fridge right now can actually make you a fantastic meal. Here, we share our go-to ideas for those times we just need to make something with the ingredients lingering in our fridge. Using leftovers helps us cut down on food waste, makes the most of our groceries (that means more money saved), and eases the stress of planning what we’re making every single night. This is even easier if you keep a well-stocked pantry so you always have spices, sauces, and meal enhancers on hand. Read on for our favorite ideas and some recipe inspiration to get you started.
Create a quiche
“Something my mom always did as a kid was throw all kinds of leftovers into a quiche. A little cooked meat, leftover vegetables, wilted greens, that last bit of yogurt, or half and half, etc. Just keep a pie crust in your freezer and you can make this anytime.” -Hannah
Get some inspiration: Anything Quiche
Jazz up plain pasta
“I add leftovers like rotisserie chicken or veggies to pasta sauce. I also used to puree the tomato sauce and the kids would love it and didn’t have a clue about all the veggies in there.” -Ragnhild
Get some inspiration: Leftover Pasta Bake
Blend leftovers into soup
“I always make a leftover veggie soup with potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, etc. I’ll use a bouillon cube to make broth, add whatever veggies I have, and then blend it together once soft. For an extra treat, my daughter loves it when I cook some mini meatballs in the soup after blending.” -Marieken
Get some inspiration: Ribollita Soup
Toss together a stir-fry
“Whenever I use celery in a recipe, it almost always calls for just a few stalks and leaves me with the majority wilting in my fridge. One day I came across a recipe for a celery stir fry and it absolutely changed the game for me. Cooking celery in this way gives it an entirely new dimension, and now I look forward to having leftovers in my fridge so I can make this.” -Arielle
Get some inspiration: Celery and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry
Top greens for a leftovers salad
“I often have components of leftovers in my fridge like ground beef, burgers, chicken, sausage, etc. An easy lunch go-to is to top greens with these components to create a yummy salad.” -Trisha
Get some inspiration: Chef’s Salad with Sriracha-Ranch Dressing
Whisk up an egg scramble
“We make egg scrambles for any meal because we love eggs. They are an easy way to get a balanced meal and are a great solution to use up vegetables like peppers, mushrooms, and potatoes as well as leftovers. It’s a joke in my house that no matter what it is, we can throw it in a scramble.” -Sarah
Get some inspiration: Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs
Give new life to leftovers with patties
“Whenever I make salmon or any kind of fish and have leftovers, I never want to eat it the next day (heating up leftover fish in the microwave? Well we all know what that smells like). I usually turn them into patties and fry them up as another meal. The best part is that you can throw in other leftover ingredients like peppers, onions, and herbs.” -Jackie
Get some inspiration: Passover Salmon Patties
Bake leftovers into muffins
“When I have a container of strawberries or berries that haven’t been eaten and don’t have much longer before going bad, I have been turning them into muffins. It turns them into an easy snack or breakfast.” -Andrea
Get the inspiration: Strawberry Muffins
Top off a baked potato
“I make a lot of tacos for my son who has a lot of food allergies and has a limited diet. When I make them, I use some of the leftover meat to top a baked potato for myself.” -Elizabeth
Get the inspiration: Baked Potato Bar
Craft the ultimate grain bowls
“If I have bits or pieces of produce (like a wrinkly pepper, a few cherry tomatoes, zucchini, beets, butternut squash, half an onion, etc.) I toss it with olive oil and roast it. I make a lot of grain bowls by topping quinoa, rice, or farro with roasted veggies. I’ll add any leftover meat if I have and a tahini sauce or pesto thinned with lemon.” -Victoria
Get the inspiration: Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Veggies and Feta
Pile ingredients into a fried rice
“I often make leftover fried rice. I always cook too much rice, so it’s a perfect way to use it up with leftover vegetables. I’ll often add some sesame oil, season with soy sauce, a fried egg, and some crispy chili oil. Delicious!” -Myra
Get some inspiration: Sheet Pan Leftover Fried Rice
Cook up a simple curry
“If I have leftover vegetables and a can of chickpeas in the closet, I love to make curry. I’ll add everything to a pot with my favorite curry paste and some liquid, like coconut or almond milk, and some spices. It’s a quick and comforting dinner.” -Arielle
Get some inspiration: Chickpea and Potato Curry