EVERYONE SHOULD GET A SECOND CHANCE: TASTY IDEAS TO RECYCLE LEFTOVERS

A handful of pasta, some vegetables, a piece of stale bread: we all have them at home. It's a shame to throw away leftovers from the day before. Fortunately, now there are ingenious and tasty recipes that will appeal to the whole family.

Recycling leftovers means flexibility: you can adapt them according to your family’s tastes. When something is left over, you can use it to enrich the next meal or freeze it for another time.

Give pasta a second chance: exciting recipes

Did you miscalculate the amount? Did your family eat less than expected and a good portion of pasta was left over? But for tomorrow you had planned cutlets with potatoes ... What to do? The best thing to do is freeze the pasta in a large plastic container and then use it to make some tasty baked pasta. If you collect leftover vegetables in a second container you will have two ingredients available for a baked dish. Peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and leeks are ideal. In short: everything that you like, even better if already cooked. Only vegetables with a lot of water, like tomatoes, don't stand up well to freezing and risk becoming soggy once thawed. To prepare the baked pasta, simply mix the pasta with vegetables and then add a little broth, cream or milk, sprinkle with cheese and bake. You’ll find all the ingredients you need at your nearest Lidl store.

Dry bread: no longer a prisoner’s meal

Nowadays, no one eats just bread and water and, too often, leftover bread ends up in the trash. Yet slices of dry bread are perfect to prepare tasty snacks: bread with an intense taste becomes palatable again if warmed in the oven with a mixture of diced tomatoes, herbs and garlic. White bread can become a snack that, in Germany, is called a "poor soldier". To prepare, simply dip the slices of bread in a mixture of eggs, milk and sugar and fry in a pan. Children love this tasty alternative to sweet afternoon snacks.

Potatoes all dressed up: success in a pan

Fresh potatoes are a very appetizing side dish. A bit of melted butter over the potatoes and coarse salt ... Yum! Just thinking about it already makes your mouth water! A very simple recipe that appeals to children.

The next day, however, these poor dried up potatoes are not as exciting. No problem! During the night, the starch contained in potatoes has been released, which makes them perfect to cook in a pan. Heat up a large frying pan and heat some oil, then add the potatoes, making sure not to put in too many at a time. Brown the potatoes slowly, remember that they say "heat in the pan", not “scramble in the pan”! Potatoes are not very suitable for freezing, because once thawed often have a sugary taste and the texture changes.

A dish that’s always a hit: mixed vegetables with carrots, zucchini, cheese, ham...

You can prepare leftover mixed vegetables. In a large frying pan toss some mixed vegetables such as diced zucchini, half a bell pepper and those three carrots that were almost forgotten. Then add the leftover cooked pasta, rice or potatoes. Add the diced ham or grated cheese, possibly even bits of sausage. If you have eggs in the house, beat slightly and add towards the end of cooking. Any leftovers in the fridge go into the pan, or in a casserole or in a baking dish.

We can use fruits in more or less the same way. Great to cook are berries, cherries and blueberries which can be transformed into a tasty compote. Summer fruit that is too ripe like peaches, nectarines and Mirabelle plums are ideal for a fresh fruit cup or to make into a yellow fruit compote. With apples, you can prepare a mousse, mostarda preserves or a cake. Everything is suitable for freezing.