Creative recipes to make use of Christmas leftovers

The festive season leaves lasting memories: laughs, hugs, shared moments...and also leftovers. Between canapés, roasted meats, seafood and sweets, there is often more food left over than we would like. However, these leftovers are the perfect opportunity to continue enjoying the festive season without any waste thanks to recipes with Christmas leftovers, offering us the chance to unleash our imagination and create dishes that are just as delicious as the original ones. Let’s take a look!

Recipe ideas with leftover turkey or other meat

Roasted meats, like turkey, chicken, lamb or beef are a Christmas classic and their leftovers are ideal for making the filling for croquettes or pasties, salads, tacos or even sandwiches with an original touch.

To make croquettes, you just need to grind the leftover meat and mix it with bechamel sauce, then coat and fry the croquettes. In fact, croquettes are one of the stars of reusing leftovers. If you want to make tacos or pasties, you will also need to fry the meat and mix it with your preferred ingredients and fill tortillas in the first instance, or place inside pastry to bake the latter.

And that’s not all: turkey, cheese, lettuce and tomato sandwiches with a little mayonnaise (ideal for a Christmas inspired lunch), meat pie with mashed potato... Roasted meats, without a doubt, are one of the most versatile options for reusing food without repeating recipes.

Easy recipes with seafood leftovers

Seafood also goes a long way if it’s frozen or it can be preserved cold. Leftovers like prawns, king prawns or crabs can be turned into soups, rice dishes, salads and croquettes, showing that seafood can continue to be enjoyed in affordable and comforting dishes.

For example, you can use up leftovers to make a creamy rice or risotto; and use the shells and heads for a concentrated fish stock. King prawns are perfect for a salad or diced vegetable salad. And last but not least, toasted bread or bruschetta with leftover seafood is another interesting option: you just need to place them on a slice of toasted bread and add a dressing of oil, lemon and herbs. Another delicious way to prepare a mega Christmas dinner.

Use up leftover vegetables and trimmings

It isn’t just meat and fish that have potential: the trimmings can also make a great meal. One option that never gets boring is vegetable Spanish omelette; you just need to chop and mix the cooked vegetables with egg and leave to set slowly. Soups are another healthy way of using up vegetables; you just need to blend them with stock, add a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of milk, if you wish. These vegetables can also be fried to accompany other dishes, or grilled in the oven with cheese.

Bubble and squeak is another fan favourite. It consists of mixing the leftover vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, broccoli or sprouts, into a fried patty. To make it, you just need to chop the vegetables and fry them in a frying pan with oil until they form a circular shape like a patty or omelette shape. Turn them over with the help of a plate, leave to cook a little on the other side, and voilà! 

How to reuse Christmas desserts and sweets in new creations

Christmas desserts are one of the sweetest aspects of Christmas. What can you make with the leftovers? By mixing hard bread and leftover sponge cake with milk, eggs and sugar, we can make a truly delicious bread and nougat pudding or flan. Leftover Three Kings cakes and sponge cakes, on the other hand are an excellent base for cold tarts. And what about Christmas style French toast, which only requires us to reuse bread, cover it with milk, cinnamon and egg, and fry it with a touch of honey and sugar.

Recipes with Christmas leftovers keep the Christmas spirit alive, but in a new and equally appetising way. Fancy trying them out?