11 Recipes for Christmas Leftovers That Will Wake Up Your Palate

You do this every year. You cook enough for an army, even though only a small platoon is showing up. You could throw out your leftovers, but why would you? Food waste is a huge problem in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 31 percent of the nation’s post-harvest food supply is tossed instead of eten.

How much food is that? For perspective, Ron Neff, a program director at the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future and an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, offers this eye-popping example: The food wasted every day in the United States would fill the 92-542-set Rose Bowl stadium it to the brim, according to an article in John Hopkins University magazine.

Remember, and this isn’t just a cliche, there really are starving people in the world, some close to home. So, don’t you feel guilty tossing your leftovers down the garbage disposal? We offer you these 11 creative recipes before the grocery stores close for the holidays, because you’ll need some spices and other ingredients that you may not have on hand.

From BBC Good Food, we found this enticing Moroccan Spiced Turkey Pie recipe. It’s perfect for a main course. You’ll need some filo dough and a few spices that might not be in your cabinet. And the good news is that prep time is only about 20 minutes, so you won’t have to spend too much time away from your family cooking.

Oh, you’re having ham? No worries. From Allrecipies.com, we found this recipe for the classic and flavorful Creole dish — Oven Baked Jambalaya. It’s easy to make in the oven, and you’ll be able to make enough to feed that platoon again.

Taste.com.au has a mouth-watering recipe for an Egg, Asparagus and Ham Tart to start off Boxing Day, as Dec. 26 is known in Canada. You’ll use pita bread for this, as well as fresh ricotta.

Here’s another brunch idea from finedininglovers.com for leftover ham and peas — turn them into easy-to-make Pea and Ham Muffins.

Figs are a staple on Mediterranean Christmas menus, and you can bring them back around in a Fig and Three-Cheese Tart, also from Taste.com.au. It’s a perfect starter for a day-after meal. Among other ingredients, you’ll need puff pastry, soft goat cheese, grated mozzarella cheese and grated cheddar cheese, along with prosciutto.

Recycle your stuffing in Portobello Mushrooms with Mediterranean Stuffing, from Health.com. The slightly savory flavor of the mushrooms pairs well with cornbread, onions, sausage and other common stuffing ingredients. Also, the mushrooms are only about 35 calories each, so it provides a light base for the heavier stuffing.

Here’s another great one from Health.com. Instead of eating all those gourmet chocolates that were in your stocking, add them to a coffee drink for your guests. Any bittersweet dark chocolates will work for Mocha Chocolate à la Paris.

We love this idea for leftover mashed potatoes, also from finedininglovers.com. Potato Croquettes are a nice vegetarian snack, and you’re likely to have almost everything you need in your pantry.

Also from finedining.com, we found this creative use for leftover corn — Indonesian Corn Fritters, which re also called Perkedel Jagung. They’re prepared with corn and many of the spices you already have on hand.

Cranberry sauce is another dish that people want on Christmas, but not necessarily after the holiday. Why not turn them into a cocktail? From the roastedroot.net, we found this enticing libation: a Cranberry Sauce Bourbon Cocktail.

If you want to skip the alcohol, a lighter approach, consider Cranberry-Yogurt Parfaits. Markbittman.com has the recipe. Just alternate layers of cranberry sauce, plain Greek yogurt, honey and chopped pecans, then garnish with fresh mint.

Photo by Chris Fleming via Flickr Commons