Receta Using Leftovers in a New Way
Eating the same thing for dinner over and over again can be boring but there’s no denying how nice it is to have dinner prepared and ready when leftovers are waiting in the fridge. Today’s blog post revamps three dinner recipes and turns them into three seemingly different dishes that may even interest the pickiest leftover haters out there. Thank you so much to Blue Apron for sponsoring this post! The first 25 PBF readers who wish to try Blue Apron may click here to receive 3 free meals off their first order.
Transforming leftovers is something I find oddly entertaining. To me, leftovers waiting for me in the refrigerator are the greatest gift ever at the end of a busy day. I love them and have no problem eating the same meal for dinner a couple of nights in a row.
Ryan, on the other hand, isn’t a huge fan of leftovers. It’s not that he refuses to eat leftovers, but they simply aren’t his favorite. I know some people are leftover lovers while others aren’t, so I get it. But I have found a way around Ryan’s distaste for leftovers… Transforming leftovers into a seemingly “new” dish is key!
Leftover pulled pork from pulled pork sandwiches on night one becomes pulled pork quesadillas on night two. Leftover chicken thighs become chicken and rice soup. Leftover shrimp skewers becomes shrimp stir fry. You get the idea!
Throughout the years we have been ordering Blue Apron deliveries, I’ve been pleased to find myself using the recipes again and again. They’re so easy to follow thanks to the picture tutorial recipe cards and I simply tuck them into my overflowing recipe binder.
While I frequently make the recipes exactly the way I made them the first time, I will often double the recipes so we have leftovers on hand. The extra effort is minimal and I love knowing we’ll get a few dinners out of every meal I prepare.
Today I thought it might be fun to show you how I took a basic Blue Apron recipe I’ve tried and loved in the past and repurposed it into a different dish for lunch or dinner the next day. The dishes are similar, but by changing up the sides or other key components of the dish, I was able to repurpose parts of the recipe in a seemingly new way.
Using Leftovers In A New Way
Miso Yuzu-Glazed Cod becomes Miso-Glazed Salmon
To change up this recipe, I doubled the recipe for the miso glaze we used on fresh cod filets. (I omitted the yuzu juice from the glaze since it was hard to find outside of our Blue Apron delivery and we still loved it.) When I roasted the cod, I also roasted two salmon filets in the miso glaze so we would have miso-glazed salmon ready to quickly reheat the next night for dinner.
Oh! And you guys must try this miso glaze. (It is actually what inspired me to try miso paste on chicken thighs which led me to creating the recipe for Easy Baked Miso Chicken Thighs I shared on Tuesday!) We are obsessed with this glaze in our house and use it on almost any kind of fish:
For two fish filets:
2 Tablespoons Red Miso Paste
2 Teaspoons Light Brown Sugar
1 1/2-Inch Piece Ginger
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Salt and pepper fish filets and place onto a lightly-oiled sheet pan. Top with glaze, spreading evenly to coat. Roast in a 400-degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the glaze is browned and the fish is cooked through.
Fresh Fettuccine Pasta with Porcini Mushroom Bolognese becomes Sautéed Zoodles with Porcini Mushroom Bolognese
To change up this recipe, I simply doubled the recipe for the Porcini Mushroom Bolognese sauce so we’d have extras to enjoy the next night. On night two, I swapped out the fresh fettuccini pasta for spiralized zucchini – zoodles! – for a veggie-packed dish. Also, if I want to make this meal have a little more staying power (especially if I’m planning to serve it over zoodles), I’ll often add ground beef or turkey to the bolognese sauce as well. It’s so tasty!
Za’atar-Roasted Broccoli Salad becomes Za’atar Sweet Potato Bowls
To change up this recipe, I doubled the amount of broccoli I roasted and also added chopped cauliflower to the roasting pan. The next night, I made Za’atar Sweet Potato Bowls by topping the Za’atar roasted veggies with mashed sweet potatoes, fried eggs, avocado, salt and pepper.
Blue Apron Discount Offer
Though Blue Apron seems to be popping up everywhere these days, for those who may be in the dark about the meal delivery service, here’s a brief rundown:
Blue Apron delivers farm-fresh ingredients to make delicious chef-designed recipes for two or four people. The ingredients arrive in a refrigerated box and include detailed recipe cards to walk you through food preparation. You may view the recipes that will be coming your way ahead of time and swap them out for meals that appeal to you so you’ll always receive something that sounds great to you!
If you would like to try Blue Apron, simply click here and the first 25 PBF readers will receive THREE free meals on their first Blue Apron order.
I really hope you enjoy the recipes as much as we do and have fun drawing inspiration from them in the meals you make at home!
Question of the Day
Leftovers: Love them or hate them?
What is one of your favorite meals to make that you like to use in a new way?
A go-to for me is repurposing a whole baked chicken into veggie-packed chicken quesadillas the second night!