What to Do with Leftovers?

You can save so much money if you don’t let food go to waste. But what to do with leftover food? Check out these savvy strategies for what to do with leftovers.

You love to meal plan. You love good food.

Sometimes, though, you make too much or the kids aren’t as hungry as normal, and the plastic containers of what’s left start to pile up in the fridge. And somehow the idea of “leftovers” doesn’t sound so appealing.

“Waste not, want not.” That’s what our grandmothers used to say. Perhaps her solution was a type of Mystery Meat Casserole, and it certainly did the job. 

But we’ve moved beyond that. Let’s chat about ways to use excess food in ways that you want to eat it up!

The Problem of Leftovers

They say that Americans throw away between 25 and 40 percent of the food they buy. If that’s happening at your house, then a good portion of your grocery budget is going in the trash!

But, what to do with leftovers especially if your family doesn’t like the sound of leftovers? There are a few tried and true strategies to avoid leftovers, but sometimes it can’t be helped.

Avoiding food waste is a huge opportunity to save money and exercise good stewardship. But it’s also a great chance to save time using food you’ve already prepped.

Learn this key step in the Good Cheap Eats System and eat up that leftover food in delicious ways.

Store it properly.

The USDA has stated that leftovers properly stored are good up to 4 days. What to do with leftovers after that point? Chuck it.

But before you get to that point, store it properly and use it up in the next couple days. First step: use a clear container! That way everyone knows at a glance what it is. Bonus points if you label it with the date.

Having a meal plan on your frig will help you remember as well. A quick glance at the calendar will remind you when you prepared a certain item.

If you don’t have such a record, keep a sharpie pen in your kitchen and mark the date when you wrap up leftovers. Clean your fridge out every three days and you’ll be in good shape.

Shopping your kitchen and using what you have to make dinner are top on the list to save money on food.

Reheat and eat.

The simplest way to use up leftover food is to reheat it for another meal. If it’s been stored properly in the refrigerator, you’ve got three more nights to enjoy it.

My go-to method for heating leftovers in the microwave, but you can experiment with different techniques (like reheating in a skillet, air fryer, or oven) to see which you prefer. My husband loves to reheat leftover pizza in a covered skillet on low!

When you’re making your meal plan for the week, think about what tends to be leftover and plan another version of that for lunch or dinner later in the week.

Pack it for lunch.

Packing lunches is a quick and easy way to use up leftovers. I often do this “on purpose” making extra dinner so that I know we’ll have extra for lunches.

Take your lunch prepping skills up a notch by packaging up the leftovers at the same time as serving dinner. Your packed lunches can cool while you eat and then you can load everything in the fridge at clean up time.

Here are my favorite containers for packing lunches:

Freeze it for later.

The easiest way to do freezer meal prep is to double dinner. Leftovers are basically that, a second batch. There’s no reason you need to eat the same thing twice this week. Freeze it for later!

Package up meal-size portions, wrap well for freezing, chill completely and pop them into the freezer. Some night next month, your future self will thank you.

• Too much taco meat? Freeze it in Soupercubes to add to casseroles, chili, or tacos. You can do the same with leftover chili or soup.
• Can your family eat only half the lasagna? Assemble the recipe into smaller pans. Bake one and freeze the other unbaked.
• Got leftover ham? Chop it for casseroles and soup, package in a ziptop freezer bag, and stash it in the freezer for later.

Make something new with what’s left.

If eating the same thing twice in a week isn’t in the cards, then transform your leftovers into something new. I’m not talking about Mystery Meat or Hamburger Surprise. Lots of delicious meals can start with leftovers.

PRO TIP: Create a list of catch-all meals that your family loves. In this way, you’ll always have a way to repurpose leftover prepped food as well as leftover ingredients in tasty ways.

For example:

• Leftover veggies and meats can be incorporated into casseroles, quiches, soups, and stews. 
• Leftover roast beef or chicken make a fantastic fillings for tacos, burritos, or quesadillas.
• Leftover rice and chicken or pork go great in fried rice.
• Grilled chicken and roasted veggies will top a pizza or fill a sandwich beautifully.
• Blend fruit salad into a smoothie, leftover veggies into a pasta sauce or soup.
• Tonight’s taco meat can go into tomorrow’s chili or bolognese.

The options are virtually endless! Think through what your family likes to eat and chances are you can find a way to make last night’s dinner new again.

Honor the time and money you spent in the first place.

Remember that you spent good time and money to prep that meal in the first place. Don’t wrinkle your nose at extra food!

We live in an amazing time when we have refrigeration and extra means of food preservation. Leftovers are a blessing in disguise.

The trick is simply in knowing what to do with the leftovers.

Using up leftover cooked food (instead of throwing it out) is a great way to save money and exercise good stewardship. It’s a key part of the Good Cheap Eats System that will help you do more with your grocery dollar.

Wanna level up your leftovers? Check out our budget-boosting resource, Meal Plan to Save Money, including the guide, Leftovers Made New Again. It’s on sale in our estore.

More Ways with Leftovers

This post was originally published on January 16, 2009. It has been updated for content and clarity.