Whether you are trying to create less food waste or just trying to save money, it never hurts to have some go-to recipes to use up extra fruits or vegetables you might have hanging around in your refrigerator or pantry. Sometimes I only need a bit of a certain vegetable for a recipe, so I am left with leftovers that I don’t want to waste. Or sometimes, my home garden produces a lot of one thing and I’m trying to scramble with ideas to use it all! Here are 12 ways to use up whatever type of produce: fruits or vegetables that might be hanging around in your fridge or pantry.
Quiche
Here is my recipe for a sausage, spinach, and gouda quiche. But you can add other vegetables you have around to add in. Mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers would all be good in this!
Hash
I love making a breakfast hash on Saturday mornings to use up sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, peppers, onions, spinach, or whatever else we have laying around! I like to add some sausage or bacon if we have it and also some eggs.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/829999406335911007/Roasted Veggie Pitas/Wraps
This is one of my favorite dinners and it’s a super easy sheet pan meal. I’ll cook up some crispy roasted chickpeas and cook whatever vegetables we have on hand to add in the pitas. Zuchinni, onions, peppers, sweet potato, carrots– the sky is the limit! A fresh cucumber and tomato salad and some chopped lettuce on these pitas also is a great touch if you have it on hand.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/351912461846098/Everything Salad
I know– how unoriginal to suggest making a salad. But I’m talking about making a creative salad with whatever extra fruit and vegetables you have. Have some strawberries? They add a really fresh, sweet twist to your salad. Make a homemade dressing to complement the things that you have to really take your salad up a notch.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/195343702578062926/Roasted Veggie Soup
This roasted vegetable soup is one of my husband’s favorite meals. I use whatever vegetables we have around, but I normally make tomatoes the star of the show. After the vegetables are roasted, I blend them up and add broth. This soup ends up being like a smooth tomato soup with some extra hidden veggies. I’ve added zucchini before, carrots, onion, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, but theres so many other things you could get creative with and add. Just don’t forget to serve it with a yummy grilled cheese on the side 🙂
Smoothies
I know this feels like an obvious one, but throwing fruit in a baggie to make smoothies later, OR making smoothies and putting them in these reusable pouches and freezing for my toddler has been a game changer in wasting especially bananas, spinach, and kale.
Obviously you can make smoothies per your own taste, but for myself and my toddler, I normally make mine with frozen blueberries, milk, yogurt, peanut butter, banana, and spinach.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/74590937570519327/Fruit Crumble or Cobbler
This one is great in the summer if you have an abundance of berries! You can do it really with whatever berries you want and could even add in other fruits that you have like apples, pears, or peaches!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/812899801512850033/Chicken or Veggie Stock
Making your own veggie, chicken, and/or bone broth is a great way to use up scraps of veggies, bits of chicken, and chicken bones!
My husband and I normally buy a rotisserie chicken from Costco once a week and eat on it throughout the week for lunches. As the bones and skins are discarded, I will add them to a big tupperware container or gallon size Ziploc in the freezer. As I am cooking throughout the week, I will also add things like onion skins and ends, garlic ends, carrot ends, carrot peels, the center or ends of celery, discarded stems of herbs, etc. and add them to the bag/tupperware of chicken bones.
Then when I am ready, I add everything to my crockpot and cover with water, add some salt, and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Then I can let cool, store in mason jars or deli containers and freeze to use for future recipes!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/236720524154529591/Ramen Bowls
This is a great way to use some of your stock from the previous recipe! The beauty of ramen bowls is you can really add whatever you want. I like to season my broth with soy sauce, miso, and chili oil. Sometimes I will throw in some frozen dumplings along with ramen noodles, some rotisserie chicken, cabbage, carrots, and edamame. But you can use whatever you have on hand!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/33636328456003257/Veggie Pizza
Friday is pizza night in our house and while my husband tends to prefer a plain Jane pepperoni pizza, I love LOTS of toppings on mine and I will add whatever we have laying around! My favorite combo these days is whole cloves of roasted garlic, rotisserie chicken, kalamata olives, bell peppers, onion, tomato, and spinach. SO GOOD! But get creative– see who can make the tastiest combo using only what you have in the fridge!
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
I have definitely gotten creative with this recipe depending on what produce I have laying around! I’ve added or swapped cucumber for roasted zucchini, used kale instead of spinach, used different types of tomatoes, added asparagus, left out bell pepper, etc. This is one of my favorite recipes though! I love eating on it for lunch or having it as a side for dinner.
Shepard’s Pie or Veggie Pot Pie
This is my recipe for chicken pot pie, but it would be so easy to make this into a veggie pot pie and add whatever ingredients you want! Mushrooms, potatoes, green beans, corn….the sky is the limit!
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