636 leftover recipes

Old-fashioned chicken chowder starting with a leftover carcass simmered into broth, then thickened with egg yolks and scalded milk and finished with sherry. Thrifty and hearty in every bowl.

Potstickers are basically Chinese dumplings, just cooked differently. Instead of boiling in the water, you cook them in a hot pan with a bit oil and a bit water to develop a nicely browned and crispy crust. The fillings can be made in advance; the leftover dumplings, just freeze them raw. Whenever you feel like eating a few, cook the frozen ones directly in hot pan.

Vibrant rice salad tossed with crisp vegetables, toasted sesame seeds, and a tangy Asian-style dressing. Perfect way to transform leftover rice into a refreshing side dish or light lunch that travels well.

Mom's shepherd's pie: leftover lamb cubed and simmered with onion, red pepper, rosemary, and parsley under a mashed potato crust. The classic Sunday-roast reinvention.

Whole roasting a chicken is a great way to economize. This herb roasted chicken always turns out moist and juicy with great flavor. I then package the leftover meat one cup at a time into zipper bags and store in the freezer for later use in casseroles or hashes. Then using the remains I made a homemade chicken stock that is much better than any store bought stock.

Saw a similar recipe on GMA a few months ago, but wanted to put our own spin on it. It's a little time-consuming to make the teeny little meatballs, but definitely worth it! We call it a "stoup" (Thank you Rachael Ray) because it has a pretty thick consistency. If you have leftovers, you'll need to add more water or chicken broth, because the orzo really absorbs all the liquid.

This salad's presentation is quite lovely. The citrus vinaigrette is top notch and we use the leftovers for other vegetables. The combination of orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit really kick it up a notch. If you really want to impress your guests and blow them away with sophistication this is sure to wow them. Or just make the dressing and use it for other dishes and turn any ordinary vegetable into something special.

I had these for breakfast frequently when staying in Tlaqupaque, Mexico outside Guadalajara. Here's my version that recreates this local specialty. I haven't seen them anywhere else. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo.

This quick and easy fried rice is very flavorful. The bell pepper, peas and carrots add some beautiful colors and crunchy texture into the fried rice, the Asian flavor from the sauce brings all the ingredients together and gives the fried rice tangy taste.

Turn leftover pot roast into a bubbling beef pot pie loaded with bacon, mushrooms, peas, and a surprising hit of dill pickle in a rich gravy under flaky pastry crust.

A creamy chicken and wild rice casserole made with dry sherry, sour cream, mushrooms, and water chestnuts, topped with melted cheddar. A smart use for leftover chicken.

Using cooked short-grain brown rice makes this super quick and tasty Asian risotto, it can be an appetizer or a simply delicious meal!

Beef and onion stew, French-style: thinly sliced leftover beef layered with a Dijon-mustard onion sauce and crowned with a buttery breadcrumb crust baked golden.

Turn leftover chickpea and eggplant stew into a crispy-topped baked pasta with feta, fresh herbs, and crunchy breadcrumbs. High-fiber comfort food, ready in under an hour.

Bibimbap is my all-time loved Korean food, there are so many great flavors and textures in it, and the best of all is that I can add whatever veggies I like, adjust the seasonings to my own taste, and it always comes out delicious. This quick and easy version is the one I make when I am too lazy to prepare every single veggie.

This was a common meal in German blue collar working class families. It is still very popular on buffets, and even used to become "hip" recently for people who got bored with mussels, salmon or caviar on buffets. People in old times often did not use ground meat, but ground cheap meat leftovers. This used to be pub food in the very old times in Germany as you could store it for a long time - no fridge was around at that time, only a pantry. It is perfect as a cold snack for long road trips.