Make the most of Leftovers 2025

 Updated Dec 2025 ; some prices historic 

Tough times turn leftovers into life savers 

(Courtesy of Pinterest; licensed for reuse)  

                                   

More than ever, we can't afford to waste food. With a little thought and plannning however Festive leftovers can morph into scrumptious comforting meals, especially if you remember you don't need as much protein as you think.  Leftovers can also form the basis of canapes.

Nearly all of the recipes here are Wallet friendly.

A note on Storage Tips:

• Never re-freeze something that has been frozen before UNLESS it was frozen raw/uncooked (eg meat, casseroles, stews) and then cooked
• 67goingon50 recommends a 2-3 day limit on refrigerated food before it is frozen or binned. Bin it if it fails the  smell test
• The post 'Freezing Matters' from 67goingon50 is recommended

Whether you are saving the leftovers for meals once January is over, to keep food spending down until Feb, here are a few helpful 67goingon50's tips, ideas and recipes for leftovers. There are two categories: leftovers frozen over the Hannukah/Christmas blow-out, and perishable cupboard items like fruit, veg and eggs .

1.  Using FROZEN LEFTOVERS

Bread/Buns/Croissants

• Sandwiches: See Christmas Sandwich Free for All, Hoisin Chicken/Turkey Baguette, Devilled Tuna Open Faced Sarnie, Fancy Make-Ahead Sandwiches 

• Ultra Easy Double Dipped French Toast: frugal; so easy kids can make it 

• Bread & Butter Puddings: various on NavBar: Recipes I/Baked Goods, including special occasion ambrosial Chocolate Mint Bread & Butter Pudding and frugal Boozy Orange Bread & Butter Pudding 

• Croissants: stuff with ham/pastrami, scrambled egg and chopped parsley; warm through in moderate oven

• Breadcrumbs (from stale unfrozen breads processed coarsely and frozen in portions suitable for your household) are ideal for anything needing a crispy shell:  schnitzel, fish gougons, southern un-fried chicken, pasta

Cheese

• (Note: hard cheeses and brie are best frozen wrapped first in grease-proof paper then tightly in cling film)  

• Odds and ends of cheese: grate, add a little cream and a touch of smoked paprika; pile onto toasted bread & grill till melted OR layer one half of puff pastry with leftover cold cuts or sausage, cover generously with cheese/s of choice; layer other half of pastry on top;  crimp edges, brush with egg; poke a small hole in the top for escaping steam, bake and cut into squares.  Or try Sensational Cheese Straws using odds and ends of cheese.  Or scatter over leaves and fruit using the template of Warmed Tortilla with Salad, Stilton and Pear

Double Cream

• use within 1-2 months; once defrosted it may not whip as nicely as usual

• beat to a soft peak with vanilla and a little icing sugar for a superior topping for Irish Coffee & hot chocolate

• transforms into butter when beaten continuously with electric beaters until the cream splits into butter and whey; discard whey or use in baking

Egg Whites & Yolks, Frozen

Defrost; see  Cupboard Leftovers

Pre-shredded, sliced Ham/Pastrami, frozen in small portions 

Add to soups, salads or pasts for add colour & warmth to soups, salads or pasta.  

Also :

- stuff croissants with spiced meat & cheese; toast till cheese melts  

-  Celeriac, Ham/Pastrami & Mustard salad or sandwich filling

Potatoes

• Roasties:  Replace chip shop chips with chopped roast potatoes in Tortilla Espagnol: Cheat's Version 

• Leftover Mash: super easy Spiced Potato Cigarillos  (Indian-style 'chip butty' canapes) or Easy-Peasy Smashed Potato Salad (ready in minutes)

Salmon

• Salmon & Rice Leftover Salad: '...fresh bright taste; loved the chilli, the crisp yellow pepper and the lightness of the rice.' 
• Salmon & Mayo Sandwiches with finely chopped sweet pickle

Turkey/Chicken (see Recipes for Turkey leftovers/supermarket bargains) below

2.  CUPBOARD LEFTOVERS

Eggs

Raw: 

• make frittatas & quiches; these will also use up cold or raw vegetables, cheese & shards of protein
• Tortilla Espagnol: Cheat's Version
• Tortilla Espagnol: Glamour Mode, also uses up cooked & raw veg 

Raw Egg Whites (fresh or frozen and defrosted):

• Exquisite Emergency Almond Biscuits: delicious & delicate; gluten & dairy-free; fast & easy     
• Lower-Sugar Mini Pavlovas with Spicy fruit: deliciously crumbly, redolent with Christmas spices
• for anything that will look good with a cloud of meringue, such as Lemon Meringue Surprise Pie or Chocolate Meringue Pie or Baked Alaska

Raw Egg Yolks (fresh or frozen):
     Easier Fruit Curds: lemon or orange or a combo of citrus fruits

Hard Boiled:

• Carnival Potato Salad, also uses up raw peppers
• Skinnier Scotch Eggs, low-fat, high flavour, wallet-friendly; uses up sausage meat
• Avocado & Ham Devilled Eggs, frugal and fabulous
• Tuna Stuffed Eggs, one of 67goingon50's Classics - a delight as the end of January approaches

    
Mixed Fresh Fruit

• Fruit salads: replace sugar syrup with unsweetened fruit juice, fresh or from a carton; flavour with mint or ginger syrup or alcohol; top up with tinned fruit if necessary

• Trifles (See Recipes 1: Baking)

• Crumbles (as above)

• Incorporate into waffles or pancakes (see recipes 1 & 11)

• Bake with fruit juice & flavouring of choice; process to a sauce; strain if necessary; pour over ice cream

Lemons

• Sprinkle juice & zest over lightly steamed or boiled veg & top with toasted sunflower seeds

• Lemon curd for spreading on toast or mixing with yoghurt OR added to  whipped cream in Luscious Lemon Pudding

• Reduced fat Lemon Cheesecake: a complete knock-out dessert

Nuts

• Roast lightly for No-bake Granola Flapjacks: vegan, low sugar, high energy & protein

• Process and transform into lower-sugar Nut Chocolate Spread for Chocolatella Brownies in canapé sizes for special treats

Oranges

•  Skinner Crepes a l'orange 

• Sunshine Salad, also uses up cooked poultry, ham & apples

Raw Potatoes

•  Skinnier Scalloped potatoes, French style - perfect comfort food for frugal January
•  potato salads in Recipes II/Salads 

Vegetables

• Raw: Cook up an attractive, appealing and delicious low-carb vegetarian platter Stir-fry of Low-Carb Vegetables OR make quick & easy simple pickled vegetables

• uncooked sprouts: try Sprout, Pear, Walnut & dried berries 

• Cooked: soups, frittatas and quiches; also vegetarian sandwiches with lettuce, cucumber & tomatoes or veggie slaw moistened with yoghurt mayo or mayo

• Salad Ingredients: Stocks and Fried Rice

RECIPES FOR FRESH LEFTOVERS & SUPERMARKET BARGAINS

  

TURKEY LEFTOVERS/POST-HOLIDAY SUPERMARKET BARGAINS are very popular.

1.  Cooked Turkey/Chicken

• Frontier Turkey in low-fat Creamy Sauce on buttermilk biscuits; 'the biscuit didn't turn soggy' 'Super creamy yet light and full of flavour.' 

One can see this  served from the back
of a chuckwagon in the American mid-west during the cowboy era

• Sliced turkey in hot yorkshire puddings with gravy & cranberry sauce

• Spicy Singapore Noodles with Turkey, Ham/Pastrami & /or Prawns: quick & feisty

• Almost Instant Crispy Noodles with turkey, chilli, broccoli & gravy: divine taste & textures 

• An accent in soups, stir fries, noodles

2.  Raw Turkey (from New Year supermarket bargains)

Turkey in Curry Sauce (from raw or turkey leftovers): This classic turkey leftover recipe happens to be  extremely healthy with plenty of veg incorporated into the sauce.  It is also delicious, comforting andf ull of body and flavour

• Don't forget: turkey carcass makes fabulous stock.  Toss in a slow cooker with a couple of onions, carrots & sticks of celery, some peppercorns & a bay leaf.  Cook on low overnight or for 8 hours.  Strain, throw out veg but strip meat from the bones and save for sandwich fillings and pies.  Refrigerate overnight; remove fat; freeze

3.  Alcohol 
The obvious...but also flavouring coffees, icings (for adults), cheesecakes (for adults), homemade truffles

4.  Bread/Buns

• Sandwiches: See above, also Toast Toppers (various)
• Process stale bread into Fresh Breadcrumbs: freeze 

5.  Cheese

• spread leftover mixed cheeses over half a rolled out puff/shortcrust pastry, sprinkle with spice of choice, top with the rest of the pasty and press down with a rolling pin, cut into strips and twist into cheese straws; bake at 180c/350f until golden brown, about 10-15 min. (these go down a storm!)
• layer bottom half of pre-made puff pastry with leftover deli meat or sausage, cover generously with grated cheese; top with rest of pastry, crimp edges, brush with egg; bake; cut into generous squares; serve warm
• Remember: Hard cheeses and soft ones like brie can be frozen but wrap first in grease-proof paper, then in cling film and store in an air tight freezer bag  

7. Eggs (see also above)

Raw Egg Yolks (fresh or frozen, defrosted)

• Easier Fruit Curds: lemon or orange or a combination of citrus fruits

Mixed Fresh Fruit   

• Ripen at home fresh pineapples can be sweet and budget friendly, usually around a pound;  see how to peel a pineapple)
• Berries near the end of their life on offer can be frozen for jam/compote

Orange

• Sunshine Salad, uses up cooked poultry, ham & apples

Raw Potatoes

•  Skinnier Stuffed Potato Skins (also uses up bacon & cheese) 

Vegetables

• uncooked sprouts: try Christmas Season Slaw: Sprout, Pear, Walnut & Cranberries

• Salad Ingredients: add to Stocks and Fried Rice

 

DON'T FORGET THE HOMELESS:

Freeze or keep back some:

• sandwiches/rolls with nice fillings

• robust treats/desserts

When shops re-open, add  fresh fruit, bag up and leave with a cup of hot coffee foe your favourite homeless person.

Christmas leftovers from 2015 on NavBar: How to..

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This group of recipes has been compiled by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.