The Savvy Life

Commercial Appeal

Of Course We Have Leftover Tips, and They Make Good, Quick Leftover Meals

June 2005

With a box of linguine or penne in the pantry, home cooks say there's always something for dinner. It's the ideal canvas for everything from garlic and olive oil to peas and bacon. Soup is another perennial favorite, whether it's made with a can of beans or a box of broth and the last bits of vegetables in the crisper.

Here are additional reader tips:

Budget living is Melissa Tosetti's business. The editor and publisher of Budget Savvy Magazine, based in Redwood City, Calif., shares the simplest of all pastas.

"My favorite eat-out-of-the-pantry meal is whole wheat pasta, with garlic and olive oil," she writes. "While the pasta is boiling, I saute chopped garlic in olive oil and add a little salt and pepper. The pasta and garlic are usually ready at the same time. The entire process takes 15 minutes, max. If I am looking for something a little heartier I'll cook a frozen chicken breast and add it to the dish."

In another variation, Joan Bartmess of San Jose tosses cooked pasta with olive oil, garlic and basil in a large skillet or wok. "If I have any leftovers in the fridge, like meat or vegetables, I will add them to the pasta," she writes. "This meal is quick and inexpensive!"

Canned black beans are the base of one of Ann Begun's standby pantry dinners. She heats them, tops them with grated Cheddar cheese, which she keeps in the freezer, canned diced tomatoes and nonfat sour cream if she still has some in the refrigerator. The dish is "not only inexpensive but the whole thing takes about two minutes to prepare," the San Jose resident says.

Lisa Ngo of San Jose is a graduate student who often relies on that college standard, ramen. She buys high-quality Asian ramen soup packages; her favorite is a hot and spicy flavor. "By adding several cups of whatever vegetables I have left in the fridge, like broccoli, spinach, green beans, or bok choy, I've made myself a great (and frugal) meal in under 10 minutes," she writes.

Planning ahead is the trick for Suzanne Yang of San Jose. "My favorite thing to do every other week or so is to roast a chicken for dinner one night and then shred and refrigerate what we don't eat that night," she says. "I'll make things such as tortilla soup, quesadillas, chicken chili, noodle soups, and even an occasional chicken pot pie using the leftover chicken."

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