How to take advantage of food leftovers and not waste anything

Anti-crisis croquettes

One of the traditional tricks not to waste food and take advantage of leftovers of meat, fish, vegetables, and even paella! is to make croquettes with them. And if you don't know how to do them, we will give you all the keys step by step.

See how to make croquettes step by step.

Last minute creams and purees

Another of the grandmother's tricks to take advantage of vegetables or legumes that have been left over from a stew or that have been forgotten in the fridge and are about to go over is to make purees or creams like this one with chickpeas.

See recipe for chickpea cream.

Divine lasagna

Lasagna and pasta salads can be a very useful resource to take advantage of leftover vegetables, meat or fish. You just have to mix them with the pasta or a light béchamel and assemble a lasagna, and ready to taste.

Discover a 100% guilt-free lasagna.

Soups for all tastes

If you have some vegetables that are a bit poached or you have some vegetables left over, or some noodles, you can make your own homemade ramen, the typical Japanese noodle soup. Since you have already made the noodles, the trick is to incorporate them at the end of cooking so that they don't overdo too much. And to give it an oriental touch, you can add ginger, curry or other exotic spices.

Battle salads

Salads are the queens of the kitchen of fresh and light use. You just have to take some green leaves and mix them with what you have left over. From meats and fish cut into cubes to fruits that you have left over or that have come out bland. Apple, melon, watermelon, mango, peach, nectarine, citrus, and red berries are a perfect fit.

See recipe for avocado and red fruit salad with orange sauce.

Cannelloni for big occasions

It is one of the traditional ways of turning the domestic economy around and turning a traditional dish into a festive dish that is colorful and exquisite! And it is used to take advantage of meat, fish and vegetables. In other words, a true culinary gem.

See recipe for vegetable cannelloni.

Good company

In addition to salads, leftover or bland fruits are a perfect accompaniment –and much lighter than other traditional ones– for meat and fish.

See recipe for chicken strips with watermelon and melon.

Versatile burgers

Another classic of "save food" (take advantage of all the food and not throw anything away) is to make hamburgers like these with fish. Yes, yes, there is life beyond meat burgers, even 100% vegetables with legumes or pumpkin and nuts, for example.

See recipes for fish burgers.

Scrambled and crumbled

In almost all areas there are traditional dishes to take advantage of leftover vegetables and meats, crushing them or shredding them and sautéing them with eggs, bacon, black pudding … This is the case of scrambled eggs, "old clothes" recipes and "trinxats ".

See recipe for scrambled eggs with pepper.

Refreshing Macedonians

Refreshing Macedonian

The kitchen of use also has its space in the desserts. With the leftover fruits you can not only make cakes, but also fruit salads. Much lighter and refreshing.

See recipe for citrus fruit salad.

Compotes and jams

Without forgetting the most classic trick of all to get the most out of leftovers and surplus fruits in the form of compotes and jams.

Imaginative solutions

Or even take advantage of the fruit in more surprising, but not difficult recipes like these super easy to make watermelon, orange and lemon popsicles.

See recipe.

And many more dishes

If you want more ideas to cook without having to scratch your pocket too much, don't miss our inexpensive recipes.

Do you know the fashion "save food"? It is none other than the lifelong technique of our grandmothers: take advantage of food scraps and all the food you have at home, and not throw anything away at all .

First of all, what you have to do is preserve the food properly and freeze what you are not going to consume in the short term, without forgetting that you have to use suitable containers so that the food does not spoil. And then, take advantage of all the leftovers to prepare cheap, easy and delicious recipes . Here are some ideas.

How to use leftover fish

Croquettes, meatballs or hamburgers. One of the most common resources is to remove the skins and bones, shred the fish and make croquettes, meatballs or hamburgers. Another option is to cook some eggs, chop the fish together with the yolks, mix with mayonnaise and fill the eggs.
Fish pudding. You just have to pass the fish through the blender with eggs, bread crumbs, milk and fried tomato. Pour the mixture into a mold and cook it in a bain-marie in the oven preheated to 180º for about 45 minutes.
Recycle fried fish. Diced, you can add fried fish to a warm salad. First, reheat it slightly in the microwave. You can also remove the batter and take advantage of it in one of the above ways.

How to take advantage of leftover meat

Reuse a bolognese sauce. Put mashed potatoes in a bowl. Cover it with the Bolognese sauce, top with cheese and gratin it in the oven. And you already have another delicious meal!
Make croquettes. If you have leftover roast chicken or meat broth, you can shred and shred them, mix with béchamel and make delicious croquettes. If there is also roasted onion in the leftover meat, add it. They are delicious!
Cannelloni and lasagna. In addition to croquettes, any leftover meat is also used to make cannelloni and lasagna filling.
Reuse stewed meat. If you have leftover steak or stewed meat, make a leek, carrot and turnip stir fry and add the meat in strips or chunks. Add chickpeas and soy sauce and serve with couscous.

How to take advantage of vegetable leftovers

Long live the boiled vegetables. With the leftover boiled vegetables, you can make a delicious scramble with beaten egg. You just have to cut them into small pieces, sauté them a little in a pan, add the beaten egg and make the scramble.
Legume patés. Ideal for breakfasts, snacks or appetizers and, in any case, to take advantage of leftover lentils, chickpeas or beans that have been left over from a meal. Put the legumes through the blender with a raw garlic, a couple of tablespoons of tahini (sesame puree), cumin and salt. Then add a little paprika and olive oil. They are delicious if eaten with pita bread, corn triangles, toast, etc.
Galician broth (almost). If you have some white beans left over, you can cook watercress or turnip greens and diced potatoes. Add a garlic and paprika sauce and herb salt, and add it to the white beans.
Fast salad. Have you had any leftover pipirrana (onion, tomato and chopped green pepper) from a vinaigrette sauce? Don't throw it away, make a couscous and mix it up. You will have a delicious salad to the minute.

How to take advantage of leftover fruit

Save the skin. Instead of throwing the skin off the fruit, you can make jams or jellies with it. For example, with the apple or pear skin: just cook them together with 50 g of sugar, a tablespoon of powdered gelatin and a little cinnamon stick. And in the case of citrus, you can use the peel to flavor pasta dishes, rice, pickles and marinades.
Jams, compotes and purees. If you have pieces of fruit that are too ripe or about to go bad, don't waste them. You can make jams, compotes or even purees to accompany meats and fish, instead of the classic accompaniment of roasted or roasted potato and onion.
Salads and fruit salads. Another use of ripe or spoiled fruits is to incorporate them into salads or make a fruit salad with them. For salad, you just have to peel them, chop them and add them to the salad as one more ingredient. And for fruit salad, peel and chop as well and leave them to marinate in the refrigerator in a bowl with lemon juice or the fruit you like the most and a touch of brown sugar, for example.