Holiday Leftovers: Reduce Food Waste and Repurpose!

The holidays are wonderful for many reasons. It’s a time to break away from our normal day-to-day lives, kick back with a favorite cocktail and celebrate with our loved ones. There are only a few days out of the year that provide us the excuse to be gluttonous, to eat with abandon with zero shame attached. However, we can be mindful in our merriment and considerate of the waste we create with all these festive feasts. 

After the joyous parties and dinners where the champagne flows and we stuff our faces to our hearts’ content, we find ourselves in the days that follow with this annual conundrum—there’s a surplus of food but we’re so OVER it. Who wants Christmas dinner...again and again?

Unable to bear the thought of leftover rib roast or honey glazed ham for the third or fourth time, overdosed on mashed potatoes, braised Brussels and all sorts of casseroles, you find yourself with a fridge full of food and no idea what to eat. You think, “If I eat one more green bean with toasted almonds, I’ll be sick.”  The compost pail’s seduction is strong, but you fight the urge. There are other options—delicious ones at that! With a few quick alterations you can transform your otherwise tired turkey into a delicious, creamy curry! Or if winter’s bite is too bitter, chunk up your roast and make a chili full of flavors reminiscent of the warmer days of fall.

Getting creative with food can be hard, but we’ve compiled a list of simple meals from our archives that will take your holiday leftovers above and beyond. Substitute wisely and you’ll refresh those leftovers into something entirely new and delicious.

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For leftover turkey: first, pull the meat from the bones and make a stock. Then add the shredded turkey to these delicious recipes.

If you made a traditional beef roast this year, here are some easy options to use up all that extra meat.

If you’re more of a maple-glazed ham family, use the leftovers in place of sausage in these easy, throw-together casseroles.

Try these recipes to use up leftover roasted leg of lamb—a simple and light salad, puff pastry nibbles or chili-braised for taco night.

Pounds of Pork Loin? No problem! here’s a stew, a sandwich and some pot pies to the rescue.

And for the rare occasion you may find yourself with leftover lobster or crab, try adding them to a luscious omelet, tuck them under rich mashed potatoes in a savory pie or make a decadent lobster chowder.

Not sure what to do with all those mushrooms you didn’t get to for the big meal? Add them to these post-holiday recipes before they go all squashy.

And last but not least, take ALL of  your leftover veggies and throw them into any of these recipes—pie, soup, salad or stew. You can’t go wrong.