Love your leftovers! 5 handy recipes

Amy Wood - Nutritionist | 09 Oct, 2022

Food waste is a huge issue we're becoming increasingly aware of, and many of us want to do our bit to reduce the staggering amount of food thrown away by UK households annually – around 6.6 million tons [1]!

According to Google search data analysed by Magnet, the most commonly searched leftover foods include chicken, red meat, fish, mashed potato, rice, bread and cheese [2]. To help you show your leftovers some love and minimise the food ending up in your bin, here are 5 recipes that are great for using up these commonly wasted ingredients.

Note: if you change the ingredients based on the leftovers you have to work with, make sure to save the recipe using the links and then edit accordingly for the most accurate nutritional info.

Chicken fried rice

Chicken fried rice

Serves 4 - 449 kcals per serving

Kcals 449
Fat 9.4g
Sat fat 2g
Carbs 62g
Sugar 11.3g
Fibre 5.5g
Protein 31.8g
Salt 1.79g

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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 pack stir fry vegetables (or any leftover veggies you have)
  • 200g frozen peas
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
  • 600g cooked white rice
  • 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp reduced-sugar sweet chilli sauce
  • Spring onions, sliced, to garnish

Method

  1. Heat half the oil in a large wok over a high heat. Tip in the egg and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring until the egg is cooked through. Remove from the pan and tip into a separate bowl to avoid overcooking.
  2. Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat through. Tip in the vegetables and peas, along with 1 tbsp of the oyster sauce and a splash of water. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
  3. Add the chicken and rice to the pan, stirring frequently until the rice is heated through.
  4. Add the egg back to the pan along with the soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and remaining oyster sauce. Stir well to combine, then serve topped with the spring onions.

Thai curry

Easy Thai green curry

Serves 4 - 387 kcals per serving

Kcals 387
Fat 11.3g
Sat fat 7.3g
Carbs 48.3g
Sugar 6.6g
Fibre 3.5g
Protein 26.4g
Salt 0.39g

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Ingredients

  • 2 heaped tbsp Thai green curry paste
  • 1 x 400ml can reduced-fat coconut milk
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 small courgette, diced
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (or any leftover cooked meat you have)
  • 500g cooked white rice
  • 1 large handful coriander, to garnish (optional)
  • 1 large handful Thai basil, to garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Over a medium-high heat, add the curry paste to the pan and stir for around 30 seconds until fragrant, then pour in the coconut milk.
  2. Bring the coconut milk to the boil, then add in the peppers, courgette and peas (or any vegetables you'd like). Bring back to the boil, then simmer for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Tip in any cooked meat you'd like to use and stir well.
  4. Serve on a bed of white rice cooked to packet instructions. Garnish with fresh coriander and/or Thai basil if you'd like.

Fish cakes

Salmon fish cakes

Serves 4 - 433 kcals per serving

Kcals 433
Fat 22.4g
Sat fat 4.2g
Carbs 32.3g
Sugar 1.5g
Fibre 2.7g
Protein 27.5g
Salt 0.38g

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Ingredients

  • 3 cooked salmon fillets
  • 500g mashed potato
  • 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
  • 1 large handful parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 large handful dill, roughly chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 chives, chopped, to garnish

Method

  1. Tip the salmon into a large bowl and flake lightly using the back of a fork, retaining some larger chunks. Add the mashed potato, lemon zest and chopped herbs, along with some seasoning. Stir well to combine ingredients, taking care not to break the salmon up too much.
  2. Add the egg to the mixture and stir. Using your hands, mould the mixture into four large fish cakes, or eight small ones.
  3. Sprinkle the flour onto a plate. One by one, pop a fish cake onto the plate and pat each side with flour to coat.
  4. Spread the oil across a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry each cake for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Serve garnished with some fresh chives, lemon wedges and sides of your choice.

Tuscan soup

Tuscan bread soup

Serves 4 - 268 kcals per serving

Kcals 268
Fat 6.7g
Sat fat 1.2g
Carbs 37.6g
Sugar 11.3g
Fibre 11.7g
Protein 12.8g
Salt 1.6g

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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 sticks celery, finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 pinch chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 vegetable stock pot, made up with 500ml hot water
  • 1 can beans, rinsed and drained (cannellini works well)
  • 250g kale or other dark leafy greens
  • 4 slices stale crusty bread, torn into bite-size chunks
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep dish over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft.
  2. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 1 further minute. Add the rosemary, chopped tomatoes, stock and beans, and bring to a simmer.
  3. Add your dark leafy greens and cover the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and stir in the bread chunks and vinegar. Serve piping hot with an extra slice of bread if you fancy.
Frittata

Fridge clear-out frittata

Serves 1 - 351 kcals per serving

Kcals 376
Fat 26.7g
Sat fat 9.7g
Carbs 8.1g
Sugar 6.1g
Fibre 5.2g
Protein 26.2g
Salt 1.47g

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Ingredients

  • Low-cal cooking spray
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 160g leftover roasted vegetables, chopped (we used red onion, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, but use whatever you have to hand)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 30g cheddar cheese, grated
  • Few sprigs fresh basil, to garnish

Method

  1. Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Coat with low-cal cooking spray.
  2. Tip the egg into the pan and tilt to spread the egg across the entire base of the pan. Use a spatula to lift the edges and prevent sticking.
  3. Top the egg with your cooked veggies of choice, and season well with salt and pepper. The base of your frittata should now be cooked, so slide your spatula underneath to prevent sticking to the pan.
  4. Finish off your frittata with your grated cheese. Pop a lid over the pan and leave covered to cook for 1-2 minutes, until the egg is cooked through and the cheese is melted. Serve topped with some fresh basil.

Nutritionist Amy Wood (ANutr), MSci BSc Nutrition has a keen interest in the relationship between diet and health. Having been published in the European Journal of Nutrition, Amy is passionate about making evidence-based nutrition accessible to everyone and helping others to adopt a food-focused approach to taking control of their health.

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