Hello and welcome to this thing we’re doing where we help you figure out what you’re gonna put in your mouth this week. Some of these are recipes we’ve tried, some of these are recipes we’re looking forward to trying, all of them are fucking delicious. Tell us what you want to put in your piehole or suggest your own recipes, and we’ll talk about which things we made, which things we loved, and which things have changed us irreversibly as people. Last week, we stuffed our food and our tummies.
Who has time to cook every day? You do? Oh, well, good for you. Can I come over? For those of us who don’t have the time or energy, here are some leftover-friendly foods you can make a big ol’ batch of to enjoy again, and again, and again.
Because not all leftovers are created equal. (Like fries, the worst leftover food ever. If you nuke them, they are soggy and bland. If you re-heat them in the oven, they are slightly overcooked and bland. Nobody likes leftover fries.)
1. Chipotle Tofu Chilaquiles
via Minimalist Baker
This is the perfect dish to use up your stale tortilla chips and it keeps great in the fridge!
2. Crystal’s Mom’s Lasagna
Because Crystal‘s mom knows best. Also, lasagna is a great leftover good and you can even freeze it for later!
3. Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
via Oh She Glows
4. Cauliflower and Chicken Sausage Casserole
via the kitchn
5. Butternut Squash Vegan Mac and Cheese with Crispy Sage
6. Homestyle Chicken Curry
via BBC Good Food
7. Lemony Lentil Soup
8. Tuna Pea Macaroni Salad
Mayo-based salads taste even more bomb after you let them sit in the fridge for a bit!
9. Pineapple Peanut Stew
via me, this is not my recipe, but this is my photo of the time I made it and it tasted great
A former boss brought this to a potluck once and I fell in love.
10. Brussel Sprout Fried Rice
11. Three Bean Chili
via smitten kitchen
12. Beer Cheese Soup
13. Roasted Chicken to Last All Week
14. Heirloom Tomato and Chickpea Salad
15. White Bean Dumpling Stew
16. Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Tamale Pie
17. Veggie Soup
18. Thai Coconut Red Curry
19. Spicy Peanut Eggplant and Shallot Stew
20. Oreo Cheesecake Icebox Cake
Pro tip: Put your leftovers into reheatable single-serving size containers, so you can just grab them for lunch on-the-go and pop them into the microwave. Easy peasy!
The shepherd’s pie from Oh She Glows is pretty good, but I prefer this one from Minimalist Baker. It’s heartier and more filling.
http://minimalistbaker.com/1-hour-vegan-shepherds-pie/
Thanks for sharing, Dane! Don’t tell anyone, but we actually make a scratch recipe for vegan shepherds pie that is a conglomerate of multiple vegan recipes and our own preferences, but I couldn’t link to it because it only exists in my head! I am glad there are many options for vegan shepherds pie, though. It is one of my favorite comfort foods and it really does taste great as leftovers!
wait what. kaelyn. why are you teasing us with this perfect conglomeration-of-recipes vegan shepherd’s pie?
please please please write it down and share it?
related: there’s this vegan restaurant in watertown, ma (of all places) that has the absolute most amazing shepherd’s pie that i and @sheldonkey have ever tasted ever and i’m pretty sure it’s impossible to make one that compares but it is now my life’s goal to try.
Thank you, I am ordering delivery from them because of you right now. Their menu looks amazing!!
must make all of these immediately, then never cook again
You should get one of those enormous freezers and live off leftovers forever.
Yay! I’ve been looking for new recipes and this list has some great vegetarian options :)
All this stuff looks great. I’m so glad you included the Minimalist Baker– I’d never seen that, and I spent some time checking it out. I love the way the recipes are arranged, by cook time, number of ingredients, etc. It’s not intimidating at all, but everything there still sounds excellent.
That’s just one of the many things I love about this site– not only do you find the “best of” and include it in your articles, but you’re all also so good at reliably finding excellent resources. It’s appreciated.
I never understood some people’s aversion to leftovers. As someone who lives alone and is lazy about cooking, I subsist primarily on leftovers throughout the week (esp. on my 12 h shift days – there’s no way I’m cooking after a 12 h shift). It’s just so much more efficient to make one big batch of something!
Those stews and soups all look delicious, perfect for winter crockpot cooking.
If you love lasagna, there is actually no way to overstate the awesomeness that is Crystal’s Mom’s Lasagna.
I can’t wait to make the Beer and Cheese Soup this weekend. I haven’t mastered my slow cooker yet so there has been nothing but slow cooker fails that have been turned into something else but I have a feeling this is the one that will turn out!
Keep us posted!
Yum yum yum! Going to make (ask girlfriend to make) the butternut squash mac and cheese tonight!
My mother used to make me that Oreo Cake every year for my birthday when I was a kid. It is bomb.
Thanks for sharing my butternut squash mac and cheese! Love this roundup!
Why did i decide to needlessly torment myself with this? 10 minutes left of my 24hour (no meat, minimal food) intake day, nom, nom, nom, im sincerely counting the minutes, and mentally cataloguing the contents of my fridge and their varying combinable potentials. These sound delicious!
Thank you so very much for compiling this list. So many helpful ideas to follow up on! You can read this article https://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health/how-long-is-my-food-safe-to-eat.aspx it is quite helpful and interesting. Thank you for sharing.