9 Awesome Ways To Breathe New Life Into Your Leftovers

Ingredients

Did you get a little overzealous with ordering takeout this weekend? If you have a fridge full of leftovers, you'll want to read ahead.

Yes, we love cold next-day pizza as much as anyone else (seriously, why is cold pizza so good?) but guess what? We can do you one better.

You already have most of the ingredients you need, so why not take a few minutes (still less time than delivery takes) and whip up some savory pizza bread pudding or a sensational takeout burrito? 

1. Shrimp Fried Rice

Shrimp Fried Rice

Also known as leftover stir-fry -- use whatever you have on hand.

2. Savory Pizza Bread Pudding

Savory Pizza Bread Pudding

Remember that cold pizza we were talking about? Yeah. Chop it up and make it into this savory bread pudding instead. You know you want to. (Ok, but if you really don't want to, you can also make this breakfast casserole instead.)

3. Leftover Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Leftover Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Leftover orange chicken can get pretty soggy, so it's not always delightful when eaten days later. These lettuce wraps totally take that into account and provide some awesome crunchy textures and zippy flavors that absolutely complement your leftovers. Plus, it's the healthiest thing you can do to orange chicken.

4. Orange Chicken Burritos

Orange Chicken Burritos

Alternatively, you can burrito-fy your orange chicken if you'd like. Feel free to do this to any takeout dish. It would be great with teriyaki chicken, broccoli beef or even Hawaiian barbecue (mac salad belongs in a burrito!) or a thick, chunky curry (not too soupy!). Throw in some fried rice or even noodles too. Go to town.

5. Fried Chicken Tacos

Fried Chicken Tacos

We can't confirm this, but we've heard stories that there is, in fact, such a thing as "leftover fried chicken." We aren't 100 percent sure what that means, but these tacos look like a pretty good use for it.

6. Leftover Casserole

Leftover Casserole

Got a bunch of leftover meat? Throw it, along with whatever else you want to use up, into this tasty casserole.

7. Butter Chicken Pizza

Butter Chicken Pizza

Got leftover curry? Put it on pizza-- you can use store-bought dough, flatbread, naan -- whatever you want. This works beautifully for just about any curry with big chunks. Use your imagination.

8. Mashed Potato Muffins

Mashed Potato Muffins

If muffins aren't your style for some strange reason, consider kneading your mashed potatoes into gnocchi instead.

9. Pot Roast Patty Melts

Pot Roast Patty Melts

You know you want to. Shred whatever meat you have and patty-melt it. Bonus: If you used a lot of onions in your pot roast (and if you like them nice and soft), throw a bunch on the patty melt and skip the caramelized ones.

Instructions

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Did you get a little overzealous with ordering takeout this weekend? If you have a fridge full of leftovers, you'll want to read ahead.

Yes, we love cold next-day pizza as much as anyone else (seriously, why is cold pizza so good?) but guess what? We can do you one better.

You already have most of the ingredients you need, so why not take a few minutes (still less time than delivery takes) and whip up some savory pizza bread pudding or a sensational takeout burrito? 

1. Shrimp Fried Rice

Shrimp Fried Rice

Also known as leftover stir-fry -- use whatever you have on hand.

2. Savory Pizza Bread Pudding

Savory Pizza Bread Pudding

Remember that cold pizza we were talking about? Yeah. Chop it up and make it into this savory bread pudding instead. You know you want to. (Ok, but if you really don't want to, you can also make this breakfast casserole instead.)

3. Leftover Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Leftover Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Leftover orange chicken can get pretty soggy, so it's not always delightful when eaten days later. These lettuce wraps totally take that into account and provide some awesome crunchy textures and zippy flavors that absolutely complement your leftovers. Plus, it's the healthiest thing you can do to orange chicken.

4. Orange Chicken Burritos

Orange Chicken Burritos

Alternatively, you can burrito-fy your orange chicken if you'd like. Feel free to do this to any takeout dish. It would be great with teriyaki chicken, broccoli beef or even Hawaiian barbecue (mac salad belongs in a burrito!) or a thick, chunky curry (not too soupy!). Throw in some fried rice or even noodles too. Go to town.

5. Fried Chicken Tacos

Fried Chicken Tacos

We can't confirm this, but we've heard stories that there is, in fact, such a thing as "leftover fried chicken." We aren't 100 percent sure what that means, but these tacos look like a pretty good use for it.

6. Leftover Casserole

Leftover Casserole

Got a bunch of leftover meat? Throw it, along with whatever else you want to use up, into this tasty casserole.

7. Butter Chicken Pizza

Butter Chicken Pizza

Got leftover curry? Put it on pizza-- you can use store-bought dough, flatbread, naan -- whatever you want. This works beautifully for just about any curry with big chunks. Use your imagination.

8. Mashed Potato Muffins

Mashed Potato Muffins

If muffins aren't your style for some strange reason, consider kneading your mashed potatoes into gnocchi instead.

9. Pot Roast Patty Melts

Pot Roast Patty Melts

You know you want to. Shred whatever meat you have and patty-melt it. Bonus: If you used a lot of onions in your pot roast (and if you like them nice and soft), throw a bunch on the patty melt and skip the caramelized ones.

9 Awesome Ways To Breathe New Life Into Your Leftovers

Did you get a little overzealous with ordering takeout this weekend? If you have a fridge full of leftovers, you'll want to read ahead.

Yes, we love cold next-day pizza as much as anyone else (seriously, why is cold pizza so good?) but guess what? We can do you one better.

You already have most of the ingredients you need, so why not take a few minutes (still less time than delivery takes) and whip up some savory pizza bread pudding or a sensational takeout burrito? 

1. Shrimp Fried Rice

Shrimp Fried Rice

Also known as leftover stir-fry -- use whatever you have on hand.

2. Savory Pizza Bread Pudding

Savory Pizza Bread Pudding

Remember that cold pizza we were talking about? Yeah. Chop it up and make it into this savory bread pudding instead. You know you want to. (Ok, but if you really don't want to, you can also make this breakfast casserole instead.)

3. Leftover Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Leftover Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Leftover orange chicken can get pretty soggy, so it's not always delightful when eaten days later. These lettuce wraps totally take that into account and provide some awesome crunchy textures and zippy flavors that absolutely complement your leftovers. Plus, it's the healthiest thing you can do to orange chicken.

4. Orange Chicken Burritos

Orange Chicken Burritos

Alternatively, you can burrito-fy your orange chicken if you'd like. Feel free to do this to any takeout dish. It would be great with teriyaki chicken, broccoli beef or even Hawaiian barbecue (mac salad belongs in a burrito!) or a thick, chunky curry (not too soupy!). Throw in some fried rice or even noodles too. Go to town.

5. Fried Chicken Tacos

Fried Chicken Tacos

We can't confirm this, but we've heard stories that there is, in fact, such a thing as "leftover fried chicken." We aren't 100 percent sure what that means, but these tacos look like a pretty good use for it.

6. Leftover Casserole

Leftover Casserole

Got a bunch of leftover meat? Throw it, along with whatever else you want to use up, into this tasty casserole.

7. Butter Chicken Pizza

Butter Chicken Pizza

Got leftover curry? Put it on pizza-- you can use store-bought dough, flatbread, naan -- whatever you want. This works beautifully for just about any curry with big chunks. Use your imagination.

8. Mashed Potato Muffins

Mashed Potato Muffins

If muffins aren't your style for some strange reason, consider kneading your mashed potatoes into gnocchi instead.

9. Pot Roast Patty Melts

Pot Roast Patty Melts

You know you want to. Shred whatever meat you have and patty-melt it. Bonus: If you used a lot of onions in your pot roast (and if you like them nice and soft), throw a bunch on the patty melt and skip the caramelized ones.