4 Ways To Repurpose Leftovers Into Something That Everyone Will Love

Repurposing leftovers doesn’t have to mean reheating the same dish over and over again. With just a little creativity, you can turn yesterday’s meal into something completely new and delicious.

1. My approach to leftovers

I don’t usually cook with the intention of having lots of leftovers because my family isn’t big on eating the same thing two days in a row. 

Still, I don’t want food to go to waste, so I’ve learned ways to repurpose what’s left and make it feel like a brand-new meal. You don’t have to just reheat food. You can get creative and transform it!

2. Grilled chicken caesar salad naan tostada

I had some leftover grilled chicken that I diced and reheated in a little oil. 

To make this quick meal, I warmed up mini naan breads in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make them pliable. 

Then I grabbed a Caesar salad kit, though any flavor works, and tossed the lettuce, dressing, Parmesan, and croutons together. 

After letting the chicken cool slightly so it wouldn’t wilt the lettuce, I added it in along with some diced tomato for color. 

Pile the salad high on the warm naan, and you’ve got a tostada-style dish that’s fun, filling, and anything but boring leftovers.

3. BBQ chicken quesadilla wrap

For the second chicken recipe, I heated the diced chicken with barbecue sauce until coated. 

Then I took a flour tortilla, sprinkled cheddar cheese, added the barbecue chicken, covered that with more cheese and folded it over. 

I grilled it in a little oil until the tortilla was toasty and the cheese melted. But I didn’t stop there—I opened it up, added lettuce, tomato, and a touch of mayo before closing it back up. 

The result was a mix between a quesadilla and a chicken wrap, and it was absolutely delicious. My son Colin loves these too, though he prefers his with just chicken and cheese.

4. Crescent roll taco pinwheels

Next up, I tackled some leftover taco meat. I rolled out crescent dough and pinched the seams together.

 Next, I spread the leftover taco meat across it with a layer of cheese. 

Rolling it up like a cinnamon roll, I sliced it into pinwheels and baked them at 375°F for about 15 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they didn’t burn. 

Once baked, I topped them with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. These little taco pinwheels are perfect for using up even a small amount of meat and make leftovers feel completely new.

5. Taco grilled cheese

For another taco meat idea, I heated the meat ahead of time since grilled cheese cooks quickly. 

Instead of buttering bread, I melted butter directly in the pan and soaked the bread in it. That’s my lazy hack that works every time. I added cheese on both slices of bread.

Then I spooned the taco meat in the middle, and grilled it until golden brown. 

 But the magic happened when I opened it back up and added lettuce, sour cream, and tomato. 

What I ended up with was a taco grilled cheese that was messy, melty, and so good.