If you’ve ever hosted a dinner party during the holidays, you probably know the struggle with leftovers. Wanting to ensure that all your guests get their fill, you cook way too much and are left with a bursting fridge. But hey! That doesn’t mean that you have to eat Christmas turkey for a week or coleslaw on repeat. Let your creativity spark and turn these leftovers into new and exciting dishes – make it fun!
When it comes to leftover vegetables, they are easily transformed into a soup, a gratin or a salad in no time. You could even use them as pizza toppings. Turkey lends itself to be shredded using two forks and is a great complement to most dishes. Think about stews, curries or even scrumptious mid-day sandwiches. By far the most versatile ingredient to integrate into any dish is cheese. Melt it into a homemade mac and cheese, grate it as a topping for pasta, use it in quiches or freeze it for another day – your options are boundless.
To help you get started, the KACHEN team has developed 4 delicious leftover recipes that require a minimal list of additional ingredients: a cheesy Christmas toastie, an uncomplicated vegetable gratin with brie cheese, the best shredded turkey shakshuka and sweet overnight oats with cranberry sauce. You can, of course, also adjust the ingredients according to the leftovers you have in the fridge – dare to be creative!
Don’t throw away the turkey carcass!
Use the bones to make chicken stock. Simply simmer the turkey carcass with an onion, a carrot, and a stem of leek in 2 l of water for 2 hours. Strain until it comes out clear. Enjoy as is, use it to cook pasta, or add it to cream sauces.
Top three tips to store Christmas leftovers
- Make sure to store leftovers appropriately in air-tight containers. Writing dates on the containers can be helpful if you host several dinners in a row.
- To freeze leftovers, divide everything into smaller portions for quicker defrosting and reheating times.
- Refrigerate sauces, dressings and stuffing separately.
How long can you store Christmas leftovers?
- Turkey and baked ham can be stored in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. Make sure to remove the turkey meat from the bones before refrigerating.
- Cranberry sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables can be refrigerated for approximately 3 days.
- Bread should be consumed within 1 or 2 days. You can also toast it and make breadcrumbs that you can store in the fridge for 1 month.
- Drink open wine bottles within the next 3 – 5 days.