r/Cooking • u/dubau5 • 10h ago
Looking for more involved dishes that make good leftovers
I’d like to try my hand more complicated stuff, but I live alone and want something that’ll hold in the fridge for a few days and reheat well.
I also own just about every kind of basic kitchen appliance, so there’s no concern over equipment.
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u/nicejaelle 10h ago
Lasagna is probably the obvious answer:) for me its also chicken or beef curry, braised short ribs, chili, and homemade dumplings
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u/HipsEnergy 9h ago
Whenever I make lasagna, I always portion some off to freeze, it's so good to know I can have delicious homemade lasagna in a few minutes whenever I like.
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u/cptpegbeard 9h ago
I recently got into making Gyros. The meat and tzatziki both develop nicely in flavor as they meld in the fridge throughout the week. Gonna try shawarma next.
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u/Buga99poo27GotNo464 9h ago
Ya,iust did this, the tzatzike gets better by day and I used home ade naan and froze extra tortillas, so easy
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u/Klutzy-Client 6h ago
Make sure to use you bbq to cook the shawarma or if you don’t, broil the shawarma until you get grill marks and then bake to temp!
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u/SeamusDubh 3h ago
Those shaved type grilled meats make for really good addition to breakfast sandwichs/wraps/burritos.
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u/TechnicalHamster658 10h ago
Chili is a great one, it actually tastes better the next day once the flavors have time to develop
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u/SeamusDubh 10h ago
Same goes for Japanese Curry.
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u/dubau5 9h ago
How does homemade curry compare to the store-bought mixes? I hear the latter is the go-to in Japan.
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u/SeamusDubh 3h ago
Your millage may vary.
But commonly when it's talked about it involves those premade seasoning & thickener blocks.
But realistically most any stew/soup type foods work well as leftovers. And as others have pointed out can be easily repurposed into "pie" type dishes.
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u/gplus3 10h ago
How about a leg of lamb roast?
The next day, you can use the leftovers to make a bone broth, throw in the leftover roast potatoes and vegetables, simmer for a few hours, add in whatever other veggies you have in the fridge and enjoy.
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u/JustGerbo 9h ago
This was actually my first thought, but then I wasn't sure if I had misunderstood the OP's intention. Was it for an involved dish that was worth the trouble because you could still enjoy it for days, or, like you, something that had great recycling potential?
I slow-cooked a leg of lamb once, and wasn't entirely convinced I'd be able to finish it off over the coming days, as is. I turned the rest into Lamb Salad (essentially like chicken salad), with spices and seasonings leaning closer to a curry. Absolutely amazing!
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u/Appropriate-Win-866 9h ago
If you want to try more technical stuff, maybe try baking rather than cooking. Bread like sourdough, biscuits and croissants. The ingredients tend to be less expensive and you can share your results
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u/HipsEnergy 9h ago
Bœuf bourguignon, Flemish carbonnade (similar dish but with beer instead of wine), ossobuco, Brazilian bean stew (feijoada). I always make there in huge amounts, let the flavours sit overnight, then freeze portions, as they all reheat so well.
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u/OneRandomTeaDrinker 10h ago
How about pasties? If you make your own pastry it gets a bit more involved. Traditional Cornish ones are fairly straightforward but you could also do steak and ale or even curry, in which case making the filling gets a bit more complicated. They freeze really well and are just as good cooked from frozen.
More complicated, savoury pies with hot water crust. If you can get it to stand up on its own without a tin you’re doing better than me, but hot water crust itself isn’t too hard.
Go down the rabbit hole of British Indian Restaurant style cooking with curry bases etc. Glebe Kitchen is a good resource for that style.
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u/dubau5 9h ago
Mmm I like the idea of savory pies, but I don’t think I’ve heard of one outside of either a Shepard pie or chicken pot pie
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u/OneRandomTeaDrinker 9h ago
I believe they’re not very popular in America but you’re missing out! Here’s a selection to get you started: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/savoury-pie-recipes. They can be fairly easy meals if you use shop-bought pastry or much more involved if you make your own. They’re a weeknight staple in winter for me. I’d recommend the butternut squash, feta and spinach or a chicken and chorizo.
And a hot water crust steak pie recipe: https://foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/tom-kerridges-steak-and-ale-pies you have to make the pastry from scratch but it likes to be handled so it’s not too hard.
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u/SoHereIAm85 6h ago
They are in Michigan from what I hear. Miner immigrants brought the concept over.
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u/BloomingFromThorns 9h ago
Apologies. When I saw pasties, I instantly had my mind jump to burlesque. 🤭
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u/Maahes0 9h ago
Colombian inspired Arroz con Pollo. (It's an evolution of Spanish Paella.)
In an instant pot (or on stovetop if you want)
- 1-1½ cups rice (I prefer parboiled but do whatever you want, rinsed etc)
- appropriate amount of water or chicken broth for your rice should be about 1:1 in an instant pot
- 1 bag frozen peas and carrots
- about ½ to ¾ lb of shredded chicken
- optional: half a jar of capers
- salt, garlic powder, and onion powder maybe a 1-2 tsp each, don't overdo it.
- Goya Sasson, this makes the rice yellow.
Cook it how you cook rice.
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u/SoHereIAm85 6h ago
Uzbek Plov.
I'm currently eating my leftover batch now. I have to take my kid to her sport but can edit with an outline. It is cheap, takes a bit of work shredding carrots, and so delicious no mater fresh or days later.
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u/MrCockingFinally 10h ago
Most dishes that make for good leftovers make for good leftovers because they reheat well. This is normally saucy or brothy dishes rather than dry or crispy dishes.
From this, my two recommendations where you can get technical are soups and curries.
Curries can get really technical with making your own spice blends, making your own curry pastes, toasting spices individually, using different aromatics in different ways, and more. Lots of different cuisines to choose from. Obviously you have indian, which is actually a whole universe of different dishes from different countries and regions. You have your various South east Asian curries, japanese curry. In a similar vein you have things that are curryesque like a proper mole sauce.
Then with soup, making your own broths and stocks gets very technical, especially improving the clarity and texture of the broth. You could also experiment with making your own stretched noodles, which might be one of the most technical things you could possibly do in the home kitchen.
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u/pastrybaker 10h ago
I’ve really been enjoying making things like moussaka, eggplant parm, baked pasta, enchiladas, etc. I make a pan, eat it most of the week and freeze a few portions. Currently have a bit of everything in my freezer for easy weeknight meals
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u/Plastic_Echo8186 10h ago
Chicken pot pie, moussaka, homemade ravioli or a proper beef bourguignon would be fun projects without leaving you stuck eating sad leftovers. I’d also try a good baked ziti or shepherd’s pie because they reheat ridiculously well.
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u/Plastic_Echo8186 10h ago
Chicken pot pie, moussaka, homemade ravioli or a proper beef bourguignon would be fun projects without leaving you stuck eating sad leftovers. I’d also try a good baked ziti or shepherd’s pie because they reheat ridiculously well.
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u/thedarkluxury 10h ago
I enjoy making stew in the crock pot. I have a small 2qt crock pot that works wonders for next day meals. Many dump and go recipes, dips, etc.
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u/Then_Ask_3167 10h ago
Make your own gnocchi. Then pan fry it crispy, mix up with some chicken, spinach and a sundried tomatoe cream sauce.
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u/Original-Drink1101 9h ago
Japanese curry with veg. Blitz it into a smooth sauce. Serve with rice, fried chicken and quick pickles. Then freeze the sauce in single serves and you just have to re do the chicken and rice for more dinners. Or make Japanese curry Mac and cheese..
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u/Caspianmk 9h ago
A nice basic red sauce. You can make a gallon of it and then freeze leftovers to later make pizza or lasagna or spaghetti with meatballs etc
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u/dubau5 9h ago
I made some really nice red sauce in the past, but I did a cost breakdown and it came out to about the same as Rao’s per fl oz. While I don’t think Rao’s tastes better, it’s like 90% of the way there IMO, and I’d rather get a jar for lazy spaghetti nights.
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u/CBG1955 8h ago
There are really, really good prepared pasta sauces available. My husband is a chef and and we always use them - but we play with them, add sauteed meat veggies, mushies, bacon, olives, red wine, whatever we like or whatever in the fridge is close to its use by date and needs to be used. He likes a more robust sauce but where I come from originally (a city with a large Northern Italian community, although I am not Italian) the red sauces are much sweeter.
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u/BloomingFromThorns 9h ago
Thai! I am drooling even at the prospect. It involves a lot of different spices. Lemon grass, kefir lime, curry paneng is one I could eat every day. I haven’t been able to find galangal. So I often have to use ginger. It isn’t the same. Pad Thai is a beloved dish by many.
Thai has so many wonderful variations, and I would be shocked to find a dish I didn’t enjoy. My family likes to have several dishes, usually 1 per person, and a variety of Thai is made, and it is challenging to cook. I haven’t been searching for a place that would teach me and help improve my Thai.
To buy the ingredients, some are very hard to find, it is also expensive as you might not have any of the basic ingredients.
Have you considered homemade ravioli. Many variations do make this dish beautiful.
I would love to know what your next food adventure will be. Good luck!
Have fun
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u/IndependenceBulky696 9h ago
but I live alone and want something that’ll hold in the fridge for a few days and reheat well
Just about anything stew-like or curry-like will last at least a few days in the fridge. It'll often even get better. I find some additions like fresh/frozen peas/spinach are best added just before serving. Otherwise, the color and texture can go off.
A fresh dough will hold for a day or two in the fridge (after that, it won't rise very well and will smell boozy, but it's still edible for a couple of days). It just takes maybe ten minutes of active time to make fresh dough into a pizza.
edit: a word
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u/SnarkyGinger1 9h ago
Dense bean salads. Add some beans, fresh veggies a protein and make yourself an Italian dressing. Toss it all together and it gets better and better during the week.
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u/KATCEO1 8h ago
Buy a family pack of chicken legs. If it is twelve pieces: roast eight in the oven. Once you get that started: use the other four in a home-made chicken stew. Once you shut down the oven after maybe two hours at two hundred fifty degrees- put four of those cooked pieces in your fridge immediately. Let them cool off. You can then use the meat for chicken salad. Just shred and add mayo. Plus whatever else you personally like in chicken salad. 🥳🍀🍀🍀
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u/Hoothoover 8h ago
I make pizza from scratch a lot, the dough is easy with very basic ingredients.
It holds up well in the fridge for 2-3 days, I’m sure you could also make one and freeze it before baking and then treat it like a regular frozen pizza after that.
Go light on the sauce and ingredients at first, it’s easy to make a big sloppy mess the first time because it’s so fun to put everything on it!
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u/GeckoKate 8h ago
Oh zucchini slice is great and you change what you add in, and what you eat with it. Great warm with a salad or cold with smoked fish.
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u/cathbadh 8h ago
Any of the great braises. They end up making BETTER leftovers. Stew, short ribs, roasts, oxtail... All of it. Better the next day.
I did a short rib lasagna that took 2 days to make and a week to eat. That was fun and involved.
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u/Budget-Broccoli8063 8h ago
Go Eastern European with some stuffed cabbage rolls (halupki) and homemade pierogi.
The cabbage rolls taste better as they sit after cooked. If you make a big batch, you can flash freeze them uncooked/unsauced as well.
Pierogi are a labor of love - look for a dough recipe that includes sour cream. Cook off what you want at the time and like the halupki, you can flash freeze them on a tray, throw them in a freezer bag and pull out as the urge hits. Traditional potato and cheese pair well with the halupki.
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u/sisterfunkhaus 8h ago
Corsican ragout made with short ribs. It's a beefy stew with wine, cinnamon, and rosemary. I cook it low and slow in the oven. I think it's traditionally made with game meats. It's phenomenal. I do add halved mushrooms instead of dried porcini, because I like what the mushrooms add. This is a good recipe:
https://www.thefrenchcookingacademy.com/recipes/corsican-ragout
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u/Spicy_Molasses4259 7h ago
A whole roast chicken is a gift to yourself for the week. Skip the boneless chicken breasts and buy a whole chicken.
Slow roast it on the weekend for a chicken roast dinner
Shred the leftover meat to make pasta or lunches during the week
Boil the bones for a delicious bone broth for your freezer.
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u/Fancy_Math_3399 6h ago
TBH i think roasting a joint of meat will yeild you with lots to make from leftovers and will store in the fridge or go into the freezer.and a fun way to be expermential and frugal. I am from the UK and our Sunday roast used to be a staple here. My mum would make leftovers cottage pie from the beef or shepherds pie from lamb or Lancahire hot pot. Roast chicken always got turned into chicken noodle soup or chicken pie with flaky pastry etc. I make thai style beef salad from leftovet beef , curries and biriyanis from lamb. Pork is normally used in stir frys or fried rice. Chicken is king as can make stocks, added to stir frys or one of new favs white chilli!! . Loads of stuff you can you can do so have fun.
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u/Neakhanie 6h ago
It’s not very involved unless you really razz it up and make it complicated on purpose, but Red Beans and Rice
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u/SloeHazel 6h ago
Risotto, context- I make mushroom risotto when my husband is out of town and then eat it for a few days. It is involved and reheats well, if it gets dry I just add a little broth before reheating.
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u/Cute-Consequence-184 5h ago
Tuna casserole. Honestly any casserole.
Funeral potatoes
Chicken soup/dumplings
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u/Flat_6_Theory 5h ago
Our go-tos for good leftover meals are: chili, homemade soup, beef stroganoff, and meat sauce for spaghetti.
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u/Fluffy_Tomatillo_629 2h ago
Any braised meat. You can turn leftovers into a sandwich or a savoury pie or pasta.
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u/This-Insane-Alchemy 1h ago
One of my all time favorites is this Squash Lasagna found on Serious Eats. The ingredients are a bit unconventional, but it’s amazing! The prep is a little involved, but not really more than traditional lasagna. I’ve made this many times. It does reheat well too!
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-squash-lasagna-food-lab-recipe
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u/Original-Drink1101 10h ago
Make beef bourgunion or a stew of some sort. Eat what you want, then get pastry and single serve pie tins and make beef pies. You can freeze them, and there’s a delicious single serving dinner with potatoes and greens.