Leftover Recipe Ideas: Brand-New Meals From Leftover Bread, Rice, Meat, Veggies + More

Rach is a big fan of what she calls "rollover meals" — where one recipe can be repurposed to make additional meals throughout the week. Not only does this save you time, but it also helps stretch your grocery budget further, because dinner leftovers won't go to waste.

If you're looking for ways to use up your leftovers, check out our master list of rollover meals, bottom-of-the-jar recipes and other creative ideas for turning leftovers like day-old bread, rice, cooked meat, veggies and more into new dishes for lunch, dinner and dessert.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER RICE

MAKE: Coconut Rice Pudding Made With Leftover Rice

Gail Simmons shows you how to transform plain leftover rice into a creamy, gluten-free dessert with spices + coconut milk.

MAKE: Leftover Risotto Balls

Turn leftover risotto into a whole new dish with this recipe.

MAKE: Rachael's Fried Rice Balls (Made With Leftover Pork Fried Rice)

It's easy to transform leftover pork fried rice into a tasty, crunchy appetizer with this recipe from Rach.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER BREAD

MAKE: Bread Pudding With Bourbon-Butter Sauce

Day-old bread is the secret to any bread pudding, but Gail Simmons' bourbon-butter sauce makes this version a cut above.

MAKE: Garlic Croutons

You only need 3 ingredients plus a few pantry staples to make these delicious homemade garlic croutons.

MAKE: Garlic Bread Mac & Cheese

Rach's fool-proof mac and cheese base gets a tasty dose of garlic breadcrumbs in this yummy comfort food mash-up.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER FRESH VEGETABLES

MAKE: Jacques Pépin's Fridge Soup

Jacques Pépin shows you how to make an easy soup using fridge leftovers and vegetables.

MAKE: Leftover Crudités Two Ways

Two ways to repurpose leftover crudités: a light and a rich version.

MAKE: Carrot Top Pesto with Whole Grain Penne

Rach's favorite use for leftover leafy carrot tops is to turn it into this yummy pesto.

MAKE: Hard Core Carpaccio

Chef Curtis Stone turns veggie scraps into a delicious, zero-waste salad.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER BAKED POTATOES

MAKE: Scallops Newburg-Stuffed Potatoes

Scallops Newburg-Stuffed Potatoes = a decadent meal you can make at home.

MAKE: Corned Beef Hash-Stuffed Potatoes with Eggs

Leftover baked potatoes serve as the base for this rollover meal from Rach.

MAKE: Turkey Kielbasa, Sweet Potato and Leek Soup

Make-ahead baked sweet potatoes are the key to this turkey kielbasa, sweet potato + leek soup rollover meal.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER FRESH HERBS

MAKE: Leftover Herb & Celery Gin Cocktail

Use up leftover herbs in this delicious gin cocktail from entertaining guru David Burtka.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER CHICKEN

MAKE: Mushroom, Asparagus and Chicken Sauté with Rice Pilaf

Leftover poached, pulled chicken or pulled rotisserie chicken makes quick work of this weekday-friendly rollover meal.

MAKE: Chicken and Snap Pea Soup with Leeks

Rachael likes to use her leftover Poached Pulled Chicken with Lemon and Garlic or leftover pulled rotisserie chicken to make this soup.

MAKE: "Almost a Free Ride" Greek-Style Casserole

Got a bunch of leftovers in the fridge? You can use up leftover chicken, roasted veggies and rice, orzo, potatoes or pasta in this casserole.

MAKE: Amy Roloff's Chicken Noodle Rollover

This easy baked pasta dish has just 3 ingredients, including leftover chicken soup!

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER PORK

MAKE: Budget-Friendly Leftover Shredded Pork Sheet Pan Nachos

Cookbook author and mom Danielle Kartes shows you how to feed holiday houseguests for a WEEK for only $100 with this recipe + more budget-friendly meals.

MAKE: Roast Pork & Black Bean Chili

Leftover roast pork and gravy + black beans, red bell pepper & onion = easy rollover meal.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER STEAK

MAKE ONE OF THESE: Leftover Flank Steak Ideas

Reuse leftovers from a simple flank steak dinner to make steak and spinach quesadillas and an Asian-style noodle soup with bok choy, mushrooms and sprouts.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER SAUSAGE

MAKE: Sausage and Butternut Squash Pasta

This sausage and butternut squash pasta uses leftover cooked sausage, making it what Rach calls a "rollover" meal.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER BRISKET

MAKE: Leftover Brisket Tacos with Chipotle Salsa

Chef Marc Murphy whips up these juicy brisket tacos in no time! The secret? Using leftover brisket meat!

MAKE: Leftover Brisket Ragu with Pasta

Use up leftover brisket, sauce and veggies with this easy brisket ragu recipe served over pasta.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER HAM

MAKE: Cubano-Style Monte Cristo

Not only is this a clever use for leftovers, but it may also be the best sandwich you ever taste.

MAKE: Mac & Cheese with Leeks and Ham

A delicious way to use up leftover ham, especially after the holidays.

MAKE: Ham and Spinach Turnovers with Cider-Mustard Dipper

An apple cider-mustard dipper spices up these already yummy homemade ham and spinach turnovers made with leftover ham.

MAKE: Express Meal: Dinner Strata

"This is a meal you can make with less than 10 items, and it could not be easier," Rach says.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER TURKEY

MAKE: Ayesha Curry's Mom's Leftover Chicken or Turkey Soup

"Although it's a good way to use up what's left from a roast chicken, it's also perfect for the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas when there is leftover turkey to be dealt with."

MAKE: Richard Blais' Pulled Turkey BBQ Sammies with Brussels Sprout Slaw

Use up leftover turkey AND leftover cooked Brussels sprouts with this sandwich from Chef Richard Blais.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER CHEESE

MAKE: Jacques Pépin's Fromage Fort Cheese Spread

So easy—just throw leftover bits into a food processor with garlic and white wine! This was a specialty of his father's AND can be frozen.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER PIZZA

MAKE: Sunny Anderson's Leftover Pizza Croutons and Roasted Tomato Soup

Sunny Anderson's leftover pizza croutons taste great in any soup, but she loves them paired with her roasted tomato soup.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER TAKEOUT

TRY ANY OF THESE: 14 Genius Hacks For Turning Leftover Take-Out Into A Delicious 2nd Meal

Chef tips and tricks for stretching your budget with leftover pizza, wings, Mexican and Chinese food.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER CAKE

MAKE: Katie Lee's Chocolate-Orange Trifle

Katie Lee layers leftover cake with a simple chocolate whipped cream to create this yummy chocolate-orange trifle.

MAKE: Katie Lee's Dreamy Creamy Ice Cream Cake

Using leftover homemade or store-bought cake, Katie Lee creates this "Dreamy Creamy Ice Cream Cake" without breaking a sweat.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER LASAGNA NOODLES

TRY ANY OF THESE: What To Do With Leftover Lasagna Noodles If You Don't Have Classic Lasagna Ingredients Like Ricotta

Wondering what to do with leftover lasagna noodles? Rach has tons of easy recipe ideas that don't require ricotta.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER PEANUT BUTTER

MAKE: Bottom-of-the-Jar Peanut Butter Smoothie With Banana

Instead of scraping leftover peanut butter out of the jar — or worse, letting it go to waste — make a peanut butter banana smoothie right in the jar.

IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER COFFEE

MAKE ANY OF THESE: Leftover Coffee Recipe Ideas

Leftover coffee? Rachael shares 4 recipe ideas for using up leftover brewed coffee so it doesn't go to waste.