You’ve Never Had Leftovers Like This Before

by | Updated: December 4th, 2016

Nov
23

Let’s face it; not everyone likes leftovers. Without knowing exactly how much of any given dish everyone in the family will want to eat, it can be challenging to get just the right portions measured out in advance. If you take the complete opposite approach and proactively plan on making more than you know you’ll need, you can actually save time and money in one fell swoop. But how can you make leftover chicken or sautéed spinach seem appetizing the next day?

Use Up Leftovers Creatively: A Simple Recipe

The recipe below can be used with any leftover cooked proteins and veggies combined with your choice of favorite healthy fat, based on what you’ve got handy and need to use up. Get creative and throw in your favorite in season fresh herbs or dried spices, too. The best part? If you’ve still got leftovers, you can reinvent it again by whizzing the remainder in your food processor and freezing it for use later as a base for another soup or sauce.

Don’t worry about having more or less protein, or more or less veggies, left over. Try your hand at creativity, and remember, you can always complement the recipe later with extra proteins and veggies mixed in.

Leftover Meat & Veggie Bowl

Ingredients

Rendered duck fat, lard from pasture-raised meat or other healthy fat
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic (or more), minced
Leftover cooked meat, chicken or fish, any kind (including bones and skin)
Leftover cooked veggies, any kind
Natural free-range chicken broth or grass-fed beef broth
Ripe avocado, sliced
Olive oil

Directions

  1. In a Dutch Oven over medium heat, add a dollop of duck fat or other healthy fat of your choosing.
  2. Add onion and sauté until browned, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  3. Add meat (including carcass, skin or bones if using), then stir in veggies.Pour in broth to almost cover meat and veggies and bring to a simmer. If using bones and/or a carcass, cook until all meat falls of the bones, then discard.
  4. Let mixture sit until cool enough to eat. Serve with fresh or dried herbs or spices on top, followed by a sliced avocado and a drizzle of olive oil.
  5. Optional: Purée remainder and freeze or enjoy at your next meal.