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Leftovers have a bit of a reputation problem. For a lot of us, the word conjures up sad containers of soggy food that get rubbery after a zap in the microwave. But what if I told you leftovers could actually be one of the most powerful tools in your meal planning toolkit?
Why Leftovers Deserve a Second Look
Leftovers have some obvious benefits. When you plan for leftovers, you don’t have to cook every single night. Making a double batch of dinner tonight means you’ve already made another meal for the week, so you’ve saved yourself a night of cooking. Fewer nights cooking also means fewer nights doing dishes, which might be the best reason right there.
There’s also the grocery savings. Buying ingredients in bulk for a double or triple batch is almost always cheaper, per serving, than buying for a different meal every night of the week. You don’t have to buy a bunch of extra spices and sauces either, which can really add up!
The Problem With Leftovers (And How to Fix It)
You might not hate leftovers themselves, but hate the monotony. Eating the exact same meal three nights in a row gets old fast, and that’s a valid argument. But leftovers don’t have to be eating the same reheated meal on repeat.
Start by switching up your sides. If you had lasagna with salad last night, serve it with roasted vegetables or a fruit salad tonight. It sounds small, but it genuinely changes the experience of the meal.
Throw it in a tortilla. My husband’s favorite move is to turn leftovers into a burrito. Wrapping just about anything in a tortilla with some hot sauce, Yum Yum sauce, or pesto transforms it into something that barely resembles the original. It works surprisingly well.
Turn it into a hand pie. One of our customers shared this idea, and we love it: make a small batch of dough, use your leftovers as the filling, and make hand pies. You can eat them the next night or freeze and reheat whenever you need something quick. It’s a fun and creative way to repurpose a meal.
The Smörgåsbord Night
Sometimes leftovers happen by accident. Maybe a recipe made way more than expected, or your family just wasn’t that hungry. I always have a leftover night planned in my week for this scenario. The goal is to clean out the fridge and avoid wasting the food we already took the time to prepare. Everyone builds their own plate from whatever is in the fridge, whether it’s a single portion of cooked rice or the pre-chopped veggies that never got used.
Give Leftovers Another Shot!
If you want more leftovers in your life so you can save time and money every week, start by doubling the serving size of a single recipe in your next meal plan. Remember, you can always freeze leftovers if a recipe makes too much or you get tired of a recipe quickly!
Leftovers, done right, are less about eating the same thing twice and more about cooking with strategy. Once you start planning for them (and you don’t have to cook every night), you won’t want to go back.
