10 Creative Ways to Use Leftovers on the Mediterranean Diet
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Leftovers make healthy meal prep easy and save you time in the kitchen.
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing my favorite creative ways to use leftovers so that following the Mediterranean diet never gets boring.
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How You Can Drastically Improve Your Health By Following the Mediterranean Diet
In 2018, I was struggling to make healthy food choices and experienced constant joint pain, brain fog, blood sugar highs and lows, and extreme fatigue every day. These were symptoms that had become a part of my every day and was something that I thought I would always have to live with.
I knew there had to be a way for me to feel better, so I started doing research on evidence-based ways of eating that supported long-term health. As one of the healthiest diets in the world, the Mediterranean diet showed up repeatedly in my searches.
In 2020, I decided to make the shift toward eating a more Mediterranean-based diet to support my health, and I immediately saw great results!
After implementing a Mediterranean-based diet, I quickly noticed my energy levels improve, I was sleeping SO much better each night, and my skin had become clear and glowing (yay for no more “adult acne!”), and I did all of this in a healthy, balanced way. I was so ecstatic about my results that I put together all the recipes that I had used and created at this time and started sharing them with others with the hopes that they would feel just as amazing as I was feeling.
Eating a Mediterranean diet restored my physical and mental health.
My goal for you is to experience these same incredible benefits. My 30-Day Mediterranean Meal Plan is the exact plan I used to improve my health and eat intuitively.
10 Creative Ways to Use Leftovers on the Mediterranean Diet
#1: Think of leftovers as unique ingredients
Some recipes make great leftovers on their own such as with casseroles, soups, and chilis. In fact, some of these meals are even more flavorful the next day after the flavors have had time to really settle in. Other foods can be broken down by ingredient and used to make new recipes. For example, you can use leftover chicken breasts to make a chicken soup, a high-protein salad, or a delicious stir fry. Leftover vegetables can be added to salads, omelets, stir-fries, and pasta.
The following are my favorite ways to use a variety of leftover ingredients. Keep reading to take a deeper dive into these ideas.
add leftover ingredients to omelets, quiches, and frittatas
use leftovers to create delicious and filling salads
use leftovers to make soup
add leftovers to pasta to increase your daily intake of vegetables and protein
make a stir-fry or fried rice
make your own grain bowls
use leftovers as toppings for pizza
#2: Use Leftover Meat In Salads, Omelets, and Soup
It’s pretty easy to add meat to any recipe, and the extra protein can help keep you full and energized throughout the day. Add meat to any variety of salad for extra protein. Cubed or shredded meat makes a great addition to omelets, and meat added to soup creates a more filling meal.
The following recipes can be made using leftover meat:
Use leftover ground turkey or turkey breasts to make Butternut Squash, Turkey, and Massaged Kale Salad. You could also make this recipe using leftover ground chicken.
Use leftover ground beef (and bell peppers) to make Unstuffed Bell Peppers with Low Carb Pasta.
Use extra sausage links to make Roasted Sweet Potato, Apple & Brussels Sprout Salad.
#3: Create Delicious Soups and Stews with Leftover Vegetables, Meat, and Grain
Soup is very forgiving when you are creating something on the fly. Add some meat, vegetables, grain, seasonings, and a little broth to a pot and you have yourself a delicious meal!
The following soup recipes can be made using leftover meat, vegetables, and grains:
I also recommend checking out our soup and stew recipe collection here.
#4: Build Filling Salads with Meat, Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains
Like soups, salads can also be made with nearly any leftover ingredient, and this makes the variety of salads nearly endless for you to enjoy.
Consider adding the following ingredients to your next salad:
chicken or turkey meat: ground, thighs, or breast
leftover fresh or roasted vegetables
leftover pasta (plain)
leftover grains, beans, and legumes including quinoa, chickpeas, back beans, edamame, and lentils
leftover cheeses such as feta, mozzarella, and parmesan
leftover fruit such as apples, pears, peaches, and berries
Try these salad recipes from Beyond the Brambleberry using leftover ingredients:
Roasted Sweet Potato, Apple & Brussels Sprout Salad
Massaged Kale, Pomegranate & Sunflower Seed Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
#5: Create Personalized Omelets, Quiches, and Egg Bakes
It is important to enjoy a breakfast high in healthy fats and protein to ensure your blood sugar and energy levels remain stable throughout the day. Fresh and roasted vegetables, cooked meat, and extra cheese can be used to make incredible omelets, quiches, and egg bakes. Bonus points for freezing egg bakes for breakfast meal prep.
Check out this Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Frittata recipe that you can make with leftover tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, olives, and feta cheese!
#6: Add Leftover Fruit to Salads, Smoothies, and Oatmeal
Adding fruit to smoothies is nothing new, but the varieties are endless. Adding fruit to salads creates unique flavor profiles and goes really well with a variety of cheeses. Oatmeal is also extremely versatile and makes a delicious breakfast topped with berries and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
Consider trying these recipes with leftover fruit:
Massaged Kale, Pomegranate & Sunflower Seed Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
#7: Use Dressings and Sauces to Spice Things Up
If you have leftover meat or vegetables, you have a great opportunity to create quick and delicious meals using a variety of sauces. The following sauces and marinades are my favorite to use on busy weeknights with leftover meat and vegetables. The meals they create are extremely delicious and require minimal time and effort!
#8: Use Grains to Create Grain Bowls, Soups, and Salads
It is easy to “create” leftover grains simply by doubling or tripling the amount of grains that you plan to make for a meal. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of quinoa, why not cook 3 or 4 cups so that you have extra already made for future meals? Grains freeze well, making it easy enough to pull out a bag of cooked grains to make grain bowls or to add to soups or salads.
I recommend using leftover grains to make the following recipes:
#9: Elevate Pasta with Roasted Veggies and Protein
It may be surprising to you that you can add a variety of roasted vegetables and meat to your pasta, but it is truly a delicious creation! If you have leftover pasta, roasted vegetables, or protein, try developing a variety of combinations to find the ones you like. You may also try different marinaras, pestos, and Alfredo sauces. For example, my Cauliflower Pasta with Lemon, Herbs & Romano Cheese recipe is a great way to use leftover roasted cauliflower.
#10: Make Healthy Homemade Pizza
You don’t have to go without pizza when following the Mediterranean diet! Instead, learn how to make your own to control what ingredients go into the pizza. It is also incredibly fun to develop your own pizza recipes using a variety of sauces, vegetables, meat, cheeses, and even fruit (is anyone else here a fan of pineapple pizza???). Don’t forget to add herbs to your pizza for additional rich flavors.
BONUS TIP: Freeze Ingredients for Later Use and Easy Meal Prep
You don’t have to use all of your leftovers at once. Many ingredients freeze well including:
cooked meat (chicken, turkey, beef, pork, etc.)
roasted broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, and carrots
fresh bell peppers, celery, carrots, and onion
leftover cheeses: blocks, cubes, slices, shredded, etc.
Instead of stressing about how you are going to use up all of your leftovers, try freezing them for busy days in the future and to save on future grocery bills.
Did you enjoy this article? Check out these other reader favorites:
How to Save Money on the Mediterranean Diet
15 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets to Make Eating Healthy Easier
How to Follow the Mediterranean Diet If You Hate Cooking or Have No Time
Started Eating Healthy with the Mediterranean Diet
If the Mediterranean diet is very different from how you have been eating, I HIGHLY recommend you follow a meal plan that has already been designed to help you be successful and quickly see results. The 30-Day Mediterranean Meal Plan I created includes everything you need to get started on the Mediterranean diet. It includes over 80 easy and delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks that you can simply follow along to and enjoy all the delicious flavors that come with the Mediterranean diet.
Once I learned how to eat a balanced Mediterranean diet, I quickly saw great results! By understanding what my body needed each day, I was able to set myself up for success and have maintained this healthy lifestyle for almost 2 years.
I want this for you too! If you are ready to fully benefit from the Mediterranean diet, I urge you to get started with my 30-day meal plan now while it’s the lowest price it will ever be! Click here to get started.
Choosing the right foods makes all the difference in how you feel. Even if you’re not yet ready to go all in, I have something that will help you make a step towards eating healthy and reaping the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet. Download my ebook Top 10 Must-Try Mediterranean Diet Recipes by using the form below to get instant access to this valuable resource. I have also included a Mediterranean Diet Shopping List to help you get started.
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