A week ago we encouraged you to build a more responsible Christmas. One of the tips is to use the leftovers from the lunches and dinners of the Christmas holidays. A study conducted by the app Too Good To Go, says that between 10% and 20% of the food that is bought and cooked during these Christmas holidays in Spain ends up being wasted. For this reason, we would like to propose seven recipes to make the most of all the leftover food so that it does not end up in the garbage.
Fresh stuffed pasta
At these lunches and dinners, pâtés are a very successful appetizer at the table, but as it usually happens, we make different versions to have variety and then always end up with leftovers. One option to take advantage of them is to stuff fresh Italian pasta with them. You can buy it ready-made, prepare it yourself from scratch or opt for flour sheets to shape it as you wish. Finally, boil it for a few minutes and you will have a delicious dish.
Creams with vegetables and prawns
An ideal way to give it a second chance and take advantage of leftovers are creams. The mashed vegetables, along with a little broth and a potato for thickening, makes a perfect starter. Prawns can also be made into a light and nutritious cream. In the pan, fry an onion, a carrot, half a red pepper and a couple of garlic, all chopped with a little oil. After 5 minutes, add the peeled prawns, a little wine and a piece of bread. When it has evaporated, add salt and pepper, mash everything and that’s it.
Scrambled eggs with peas and ham
For this recipe we suggest peas, but you can make it with your favorite legume. It is common to cut too much ham, so it ends up leftover and, in order not to end up making the traditional sandwich, we propose you to make a scrambled of peas with ham. Very simple! Just add oil in a frying pan and sauté a couple of sliced garlic, the peas, the ham and a little wine or brandy until it evaporates. Add salt and pepper and serve.
Bubble and squeak
With all the vegetables left over from the holidays, you can use them to make a typical dish from the United Kingdom: Bubble and squeak. As this dish accepts all kinds of vegetables, it is a perfect recipe for not wasting anything. Cut them in a thick size and fry them in a pan with oil. With the help of a fork, mash all the vegetables little by little, make the shape of a circular pancake and brown it for 15 minutes on both sides. Use a plate or the lid of the pan to turn it over.
Everything can be croquettes
Croquettes are very popular in Spain, France, the Netherlands and some regions of Italy and are perfect for making use of leftovers. Any type of meat can be trimmed and mixed with a good homemade bechamel sauce. With this dough, make the shape of our croquettes, coat with egg and bread crumbs or flour. You can fry them in oil or bake them in the oven to eat them or choose to freeze them. Remember that with any ingredient you can prepare delicious croquettes: shrimp and spinach croquettes, spinach and raisins, ham, chicken, mushroom and eggplant, turkey croquettes, tofu and zucchini, etc.
Meatloaf or vegetable meatloaf
Another classic recipe to use up Christmas leftovers is meatloaf. It can be prepared with any type of meat, or you can also make a vegetarian version with leftover seitan. Just peel and chop some carrots and potatoes and cook them and some peas in a little salted water. When cooked, strain and mash everything with a fork. In a frying pan, sauté a chopped red bell pepper, an onion and a garlic. When the onion is cooked, add the animal or vegetable meat, a ripe tomato and a spoonful of paprika. When everything is well cooked, mix the meat with the cooked vegetable mixture, add two eggs and knead until a homogeneous dough is created. If the meat is not undone, mash a little. Finally, grease a baking pan, add the batter and bake at 180 – 200º for 30 minutes, or depending on your oven.
Ice creams
In each country there are some traditional sweets that are served for dessert during the holidays. In the case of Spain, for example, nougats are served. One option to take advantage of all those cuts that we make and that are not eaten, is to make ice cream with them. But if you want to opt for the simplest option, buy a single flavor ice cream without sugar (we recommend vanilla or cream) and mix well with the nougat leftovers cut into small pieces. The flavor of the nougat doesn’t matter, both the chocolate ones and those of any other flavor make a delicious combination.