The Dilemma of Leftovers

Leftovers are often a little daunting to deal with. The thought of warming something up that was cooked yesterday and now looks a little unappealing is not exciting. I usually end up pawning them off on my school-aged son for lunches, or making sure my husband knows that he only has one option (leftovers) for supper.

Something that is always a hit with our two families is making some version of PIZZA with the leftovers. Let the creative juices flow, give the pizza a catchy name, and I feel like it's a win for everyone. Here are some ideas to get you started.

As a "crust", there are many options. Naan bread, tortillas (corn or flour), buns, bread. The sky's the limit really.

Next you need a sauce. The obvious choice is pizza sauce, but you can use plain tomato sauce with some Italian spices, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, pesto, hummus, heck, even refried beans taste amazing!

Use any leftover protein you have to layer on next (chicken, steak, deli meat, taco meat, bacon, beans, etc), and cover with veggies. Fresh veggies work well, but you could also use cooked leftovers - cubed sweet potato, squash.  I have been known to pile on leftover spinach salad here - goat cheese and all!

Basically all that's left is cheese! Cheddar, marble, gouda, feta, goat cheese - it's all acceptable. (maybe not at the same time!). 

From here just pop it in the oven on low broil for 6-8 minutes until edges are brown and the cheese has melted. You can eat it with your hands or with a fork! Give it a shot and let us know if this was a hit with your family too!

I know this probably isn't going to solve all of the leftover problems in your house, but I wanted to give you an idea of what often happens in our houses. This might not be the meal that you choose to serve to the in-laws (or maybe it is... ) but it keeps some of those leftovers out of the compost!