Reinventing leftovers is my secret to saving money and limiting food waste. It also motivates me to be more adventurous in the kitchen since reinventing leftovers means incorporating new ingredients and a variety of cooking methods to create a new and interesting meal.

The next time you are about to throw away leftovers remember the option of reinventing them and at the same time keep your family healthier by not choosing to grab take out as a quick on-the-go meal!

Today, I’m sharing creative ways to use leftovers to help inspire you in the kitchen and limit food waste, from re-inventing rice and pasta to bread and eggs. All you need are some fresh ingredients, most of which you can find sitting in your pantry or fridge, and of course, some imagination!

How to Reinvent Cooked Rice:

• Prepare toddler-friendly rice muffins
• Make arancini (fried rice balls)
• Add to soups or stews to thicken
• Mix with tomato sauce or homemade pesto
• Healthy veggie fried rice
• Cold rice salads, such as Italian Rice Salad
• Use as a filling in stuffed peppers
• Make burritos with your favourite fixings, such as salsa, ground meat, cheese, avocado.
• Use as a stuffing for stuffed peppers or try these Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.

 How to Reinvent Cooked Pasta:

• Prepare a light, fresh pasta salad, such as Zucchini Tuna & Tomato Pasta
• Add to soups or stews to thicken
• Mix with homemade vegetable broth
• Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and cheese, such as cheddar or mozzarella
• Prepare a Caprese Pasta
• Prepare a quick frittata, such as Pastasciuta Frittata
• Make a hearty and healthy Broccoli N’ Cheese Bake

How to Reinvent Meat, Chicken or Fish:

• Stuff into wraps with sauteed veggies
• Add to soups or stews
• Layer ground beef with mashed potatoes to make a Shepherds Pie
• Add to nachos or stuff into quesadillas, such as Chicken Pesto Mozzarella Quesadillas
• Make cheeseburger burrito wraps with leftover ground beef.
• Add cooked or grilled shrimp to a risotto, such as Shrimp Sweet Pea Pesto Risotto
• Make a shrimp cocktail with leftover shrimp.
• Blend proteins with vegetable broth or milk to create a puree for baby, such as Creamy Provencal Chicken or Lemon Dill Salmon Puree.

How to Reinvent Eggs:

• Make a breakfast burrito by wrapping eggs in a tortillas with toppings of choice.
• Add as a garnish to healthy fried rice.
• Use leftover yolks or whites in a frittata or prepare Mini Tex-Mex Frittatas or Mini Ham Spinach Quiches.
• Prepare Scrambled Eggs Onions and Peppers
• Make an english muffin breakfast sandwich with sliced cheese and ham.
• Add boiled eggs to an Italian Rice Salad.
• Add fried eggs to other proteins as a breakfast-for-lunch meal, such as Quinoa Sweet Potato Hash.
• Top fried eggs with pancetta for an Italian-inspired breakfast; Pancetta Fried Eggs

How to Reinvent Bread:

• Prepare a light and fresh Panzanella salad (pictured above) made simply with torn pieces of day-old bread tossed with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and seasoned with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
• Transform day-old bread into breadcrumbs by pureeing in a food processor.
• Make a creamy bread pudding for a breakfast treat.
• Make croutons by cutting into cubes, tossing with olive oil and baking until crispy.