• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Frugal
  • Resources
  • About
  • Shop
  • Subscribe

BeeyondCereal logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Frugal
  • Resources
  • About
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Frugal
    • Resources
    • About
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Resources » Saving Money on Food

    Published: Jan 4, 2023 by Nicole This post may contain affiliate links.

    How to Reuse Leftover Food (100 ideas)

    One of the best ways to save money on your grocery budget is meal planning using leftovers, but not a lot of people actually enjoy leftover foods.

    This is understandable, as leftovers are usually less appealing than the original dinner that they came from. Very few dishes taste better on day 2. So to make these meals more appealing, a great idea is to repurpose your leftovers.

    Meal planning with leftovers not only helps to reduce food waste but also helps to save you money. Saving money is a great incentive on its own, but clearing space out of the fridge and using up the food that would otherwise go uneaten is an additional perk to help reduce food waste.

    Jump to:
    • What is Leftover Food?
    • Easy Dinner Ideas with Leftovers
    • Leftover Chili Ideas
    • Leftover Taco Meat
    • Leftover Meatloaf
    • Leftover Meatballs
    • Leftover Spaghetti
    • Leftover Chicken (Many Ways)
    • Leftover Ham
    • Leftover Beef Roast
    • Leftover Steak
    • Leftover Pork Loin

    Growing up, you probably heard some version of the saying that goes something like, “eat what's on your plate because there are starving kids somewhere in the world.”

    If that doesn’t still haunt you while you are eating, consider the money you spent on the meal. You don’t want to waste money, so don’t waste food. The two are not mutually exclusive. 

    What is Leftover Food?

    Webster's dictionary defines leftovers as “something that remains unused or unconsumed.” The definition of food waste is food that goes uneaten or is discarded, resulting in food loss.

    So as you can see, the two go hand in hand. You can prevent food waste by eating your leftovers, and as a result, you also save a lot of money on your grocery budget.

    Blueberry bagel bread pudding topped with blueberries and a bowl of blueberries in the background
    Bread pudding made using leftover stale bagels

    How to reduce food waste

    Eat your leftovers. Find food scrap recipes that can help you repurpose your leftover meals. You can try a pantry challenge if you need a more creative reason to do this.

    What to do with leftover food

    While you could simply eat your leftover meal as originally intended by reheating it in the microwave or oven, you could also repurpose it into an entirely new meal. Meal planning with leftovers that have been repurposed into a new meal is one of the best ways to save on food. 

    You can create a lot of really cheap meals with leftovers. Think about it, if your family's dirt cheap dinners were only a few dollars the first time you made it, after repurposing it into a new meal, you’re saving money right off the top and making this one even more affordable on your budget. It’s like a rollover deal that benefits you and your family. 

    Creating cheap meals with leftovers is not difficult but does require a little planning and forethought. If done right, meal planning with leftovers can be considered when you initially write up your meal plan and grocery shopping list. 

    A good example of this would be my Creamy Turkey Dumpling Soup. It costs less than $10 to make from scratch, but by using leftover Thanksgiving green bean casserole, leftover turkey, and leftover mashed potatoes, the price tag drops further and further, making it a very frugal meal.

    a spoon lifting a bite of creamy turkey dumpling soup out of the bowl
    Turkey dumpling soup made with leftover turkey, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole

    Easy Dinner Ideas with Leftovers

    Below you will find some common dinner ideas and a bunch of great suggestions for meal planning with leftovers to create a whole new dish.

    Leftover Chili Ideas

    I make chili at home in the largest crockpot I own because I simply cannot make the recipe any smaller without sacrificing the tasty results. 

    What I put in my crockpot chili:

    •  Chili seasoning (or taco seasoning if I’m being lazy)
    • A can of whole kernel corn, drained
    • 4 cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I do a mix of black beans, kidney, and pinto)
    • 1 pound browned ground beef
    • 4 small cans of tomato sauce
    • 2 cans diced or stewed tomatoes
    • Diced onion

    I let it sit on low for about 8 hours, and the flavor profile it creates is great. Even with everyone getting second helpings, there are always leftovers for future meals. If I have no immediate plans, it either gets bagged for lunches or frozen for a future dinner.

    Here are a few ways you can use leftover chili

    • Chili dogs
    • Chili mac
    • Served over baked potatoes. You can even top it with sour cream, cheese, and chives.
    • In a tater tot and cheese casserole
    • Chili cheese nachos
    • Over frybread for an Indian taco
    • Frito pie
    • Tamale pie
    • Poured over cornbread waffles

    Leftover Taco Meat

    On the rare occasion that there is leftover seasoned taco meat, or if you choose to make a bunch at once and divide it up over several meals, there are a bunch of versatile dinner ideas you can use it for.

    • Tacos
    • Tacos salad
    • Fiesta bowls
    • Nachos
    • Burrito bowls
    • Chili
    • Bolognese sauce
    • Burritos
    • Taco mac
    • Walking Taco Casserole
    • Enchiladas
    • Taco soup
    • Quesadillas
    • Instant Pot Zucchini Taco Boats
    tamale pie on a plate with toppings

    Leftover Meatloaf

    It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized just how differently we all make our meatloaves. I top mine with ketchup, and in the ground beef mixture, I have egg, quick oats, and a little Worcestershire sauce or A1. So with that being said, your meatloaf may make the following results vary. 

    Here are my two favorite Meatloaf Recipes:

    • Meatloaf with Ritz Crackers
    • Simple Meatloaf Recipe with Oatmeal

    But I’d like to quickly point out that meatloaf makes the perfect sandwiches the following day, which is the ONLY reason leftover meatloaf exists in my house.

    • Chop up the meat and add it to a spaghetti sauce
    • Crumble and add to chili
    • Shepherds pie
    • Lasagna
    • Stromboli
    • Meatloaf sandwiches. Slice, reheat, and enjoy between two soft pieces of white bread.

    Leftover Meatballs

    Making the homemade or buying them from the store, you may end up with more than is really needed for a meal, so why not meal plan the leftovers into a different dish? Repurposing meatballs is pretty easy with how many different ways you can use them.

    Here are some suggestions, including what to serve with meatballs for dinner:

    • Spaghetti and marinara
    • Egg noodles and gravy (kind of like beef stroganoff)
    • Meatball sub
    • Baked meatball casserole
    • Meatball soup 
    • Sweet and sour meatballs and rice
    • BBQ meatballs

    Leftover Spaghetti

    I think everyone has leftover spaghetti a few times a month- it’s impossible to make just enough, and it always looks like you’re trying to feed an entire football team.

    Uses for leftover spaghetti:

    • Spaghetti pie, frittata or baked spaghetti casserole 
      • Honestly not much difference between these three
    • Baked in a french bread
      • Take a canned roll of french bread from the store's fridge section, roll it out and pile the spaghetti in a log down the middle. Cut the left and right side into strips and fold the other ends up. Then place the dough strips so it looks like it’s being braided. Bake until cooked through.

    If you didn’t mix the sauce and the noodles, you have even more options:

    • Garlic noodles
    • Stir fry and spaghetti noodles
    • Pan-fried noodles

    The sauce can be added to chili, used as a pizza topping, and sloppy joes!

    Growing up, I recall one spaghetti dish from a banquet I was at. It was baked in a crust and had hard-boiled eggs inside. The baked spaghetti itself was about as tall as a two-layer cake! I have never seen or heard of it since. 

    Side note: If you know what I’m talking about, reply in the comments below!

    The following leftover meal suggestions will be based on common cuts of meat. I go over this in my saving money on meat post, but this one definitely covers more meal suggestions and food waste recipes.

    a serving of Southern spaghetti bake on a plate with side dishes

    Leftover Chicken (Many Ways)

    This is probably the most versatile of any meat. A whole chicken can be bought fairly cheaply and stretched into many meals. Meal planning with the leftovers should be no issue, but just in case you want to change it up, here are some other ideas:

    • Grilled chicken can become:
      • Chicken alfredo
      • Caesar salad with chicken
    • A roasted whole chicken can become:
      • Chicken soup like chicken and rice or chicken noodle
      • You can even make your own broth/stock using the bones!
      • Chicken pot pie
      • Chicken sandwiches
      • Shredded chicken
    • Shredded chicken
      • Chicken tacos which can be repurposed into chicken taco soup
      • Quesadillas
      • Fried rice
      • Chicken salad
      • Chicken dumplings
      • Enchiladas
      • Chicken rice casserole
      • Chicken and gravy over biscuits or mashed potatoes
      • Wraps
      • Salsa chicken and rice
      • BBQ chicken pizza
      • BBQ chicken nachos or sandwiches
      • Chili
    a wooden spoon scooping into a baking dish full of salsa rice and cheessy chicken

    Leftover Ham

    Ham is another pretty versatile meat in that you can eat it any time of day. It works as breakfast meat and a dinner feast. Here are some ideas for meal planning with the leftovers.

    • Omelet
    • Ham and potato hash
    • Soup or chowder
    • Ham and eggs
    • Quiche with ham
    • Hambone and beans soup
    • Ham fried rice
    • Ham and pineapple kabobs with rice
    • Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

    Leftover Beef Roast

    It doesn’t matter which cut of beef roast you choose to use, these same leftover dinner ideas could easily still apply.

    • Beef dip sandwiches
    • BBQ beef sandwiches 
      • The mixture can be rolled in corn tortillas and fried for BBQ taquitos
    • Beef and noodles
    • Beef Stroganoff
    • Open Face Beef and Gravy Sandwiches
    • Beef hash
    • Roast salad sandwich
      • Mince up some roast beef, boiled eggs, and dill pickles. Mix with mustard and mayo and serve on bread or with crackers as a dip. 
    • Shredded beef
      • Tacos
      • Beef and bean burritos or chimichangas 
    • Stew
      • Leftover beef stew can be made into a beef veggie soup
      • Leftover soup can be thickened and turned into a beef pot pie
      • Pot pie can get diced up and added to rice for a stir fry with a veggie salad

    Leftover Steak

    • Steak salad
    • Pizza- using small slices or chunks

    Leftover Pork Loin

    Pork is such great meat, mostly because of how cheap it is compared to others, but also because of how many different ways you can use the same cut of pork. Not to mention- bacon.

    Easy leftover pork recipe ideas:

    • Pork Roast
      • Shredded pork tacos
      • Burrito bowls
      • BBQ pork sandwiches on King’s Hawaiian Rolls
      • Pork Chili Verde
      • Pork tamale pie
      • Nachos
      • Enchiladas
      • Carnitas
      • BBQ pizza
    • Pork chops
      • Diced into fried rice
      • Pork and rice skillet
      • Slice thin and use as meat on sandwiches
      • Dice into a gravy and serve over mashed potatoes or rice

    With so many different ways to plan your meal with leftovers, you can reduce your food waste and save money. Hopefully, this list of ideas can inspire you to write a frugal meal plan and save some money.

    Do you suffer from a lot of food waste in your home, or are you pretty good at making sure that everything is eaten?

    What are your favorite ways to repurpose your leftovers?

    More Saving Money on Food

    • How to Save Money by Stretching Meat
    • Tips for Meal Planning on a Tight Budget
    • Clean Out the Pantry Challenge
    • 10 Grocery Shopping Tips on a Budget

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    A photo of Nicole from Beeyond Cereal

    I'm Nicole and I am the owner and recipe developer here at Beeyond Cereal. I love saving money and one of the best places to trim expenses is in the kitchen. With this site, we are serving up tasty and frugal homemade dishes that the whole family will enjoy.

    More About Me →

    Trending NOW

    • 20 Minute Lazy Enchiladas
    • Jiffy Cornbread With Cake Mix
    • Roasted Whole Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots
    • Microwave Grilled Cheese

    Seasonal Recipes

    • Valentines Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies
    • Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries
    • Simple Crepes (with Pancake Mix)
    • Valentine Cream Puffs with Raspberry Whipped Cream

    As Seen In

    parade yummyle foodgawker the pioneer woman

    Footer

    ↑ Back to Top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Public Sharing Policy
    • Pricing Disclosure

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails
    • Follow on Facebook
    • Follow on Instagram
    • Follow on Pinterest

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Beeyond Cereal --Brunch Pro Theme by Feast Design Co.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Save & Accept