The day after Christmas, many families are faced with a refrigerator full of leftovers from a lavish holiday meal. You might be happy simply reheating a plate of those leftovers once or twice, but eventually, you’re going to get bored with the same old food.
We’ve come to your rescue! We’ve scoured the internet looking for recipes that'll allow you to use up some of those leftovers in very different ways. Give some of these recipes a try, and we think they’ll become instant family favourites.
Ham Bone Soup
If your family has a delicious ham for Christmas, you absolutely have to try this ham bone soup. It reduces waste because you’re using all parts of the ham. This recipe is one of many, but it’s nice because it uses dried beans, which cuts down on your prep time. It’s also made in the slow cooker, so you can dump all the ingredients in the cooker in the morning, then spend the day relaxing or going on a family adventure. You don’t even have to make this soup the day after Christmas. Instead, freeze the ham bone, and you’ll be able to use it months later.
Turkey Curry
On the other hand, if your family always enjoys a nice turkey dinner, this recipe for turkey curry gives you a way to use up the turkey leftovers without resorting to a week of turkey sandwiches. We especially like this recipe because it’s such a stark contrast from the original recipe that it definitely feels different. With curry recipes, there’s often an opportunity to add extra ingredients without altering the basic flavour, so don’t be afraid of tossing in some extra leftover veggies.
Kitchen Sink Omelette
With some eggs and a litttle extra meat and veggies, you can make a fantastic omelette for Boxing Day. Best of all, you can put out all of the leftovers you have, and family members can pick and choose what to put in their omelette that’s personalized for their tastes.
Vegetable Fried Rice
This fried rice recipe is perfect for using up leftover vegetables in a way that offers a completely different taste. It works well as a side dish, but you can also choose to add some protein so make it a complete meal. If you’ve been thinking about getting healthier as the new year approaches, consider using brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice instead of white rice. It will be just as tasty.
Christmas Pudding Scones
If you find yourself with a lot of leftover pudding or cake, you can whip up a batch of Jamie Oliver’s Christmas pudding scones. The addition of creme fraiche makes a big difference, and there’s the added suggestion of drizzling some stewed fruits on top. That’s a good way to use up those fresh fruits that are a bit past their prime. The scones look exceptionally fancy, too, so you could definitely serve these if you’re hosting a post-Christmas brunch with the family.
Cookie Crumb Pie Crust
Whether they’re coming from your personal stash or from the platters of gifts left by well-meaning friends and family, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in Christmas cookies. Throwing them away would be rude, so why not put them to work as pie crusts for your New Year’s celebration? The best types of cookies to use for this are crisp ones that crumble nicely. You can mix different types of cookies, but take care to match the flavour of the cookie with the type of pie you’re making. A variety of chocolate cookies, for instance, might not go well with a pumpkin pie, but the cinnamon-based varieties would.
Boxing Day Fridge Cake
This fridge cake is a great addition to our list because it calls for a variety of types of Christmas desserts. Since those ingredients were already baked, there’s no need to bake things together again. Simply mix them all together, then put them in the refrigerator to chill. The results are delicious, and since you’ll always make this using leftovers, the taste will never be the same twice.
As you can see, Christmas leftovers don’t have to be boring. With a bit of creativity, you can turn any leftovers you have into something new and exciting. Now start rifling through those leftover containers to find the ingredients for a delicious meal.
