Christmas leftovers recipe ideas

From turkey to Christmas pudding, check out these recipe ideas from Love Food Hate Waste for creative ways to use up your Christmas meal leftovers.

Turkey leftovers

Leftover poultry such as turkey, goose, chicken or duck can be used in a variety of ways, from sandwiches and stir fries to soups and salads.

Recipe ideas:

• speedy stir fry
• turkey and chickpea coconut curry
• duck, broad bean and beetroot salad
• chicken and vegetable broth
• turkey, ham and leek pie

If you don't think you'll eat your leftover turkey before it goes off, you can always slice it and freeze it for another time. When you're ready to use it, defrost it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours of defrosting.  

Roast beef leftovers

• Beef hotpot
  Try combining leftover roast beef with leftover gravy and vegetables from the Christmas dinner, top with a layer of sliced cooked potatoes and you'll have a hearty hotpot ready to go on Boxing Day.
• Yorkshire pudding nibbles
  You could also try serving roast-beef-topped Yorkshire puddings - place slices of roast beef inside mini Yorkshire puds with a bit of English mustard or horseradish. They can be served hot with gravy, or cold.
• Mince beef
  Beef can also be minced and used as a filling for cottage pie or a bolognese sauce.   

Leftover stuffing

Leftover stuffing will combine perfectly with leftover cooked vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips and potatoes to make bubble and squeak.    

Leftover vegetables

Potatoes, carrots and parsnips combine wonderfully with stock to make a warming root vegetable soup. You can also chop them up into cubes and add some herbs, fry them in a little olive oil and serve with cold leftover meats.

Recipe ideas:

• root vegetable soup
• beef hash and poached eggs with hollandaise sauce 
• vegetable crumble

Leftover Christmas pudding

Christmas pudding keeps very well, but once opened it is best stored in the fridge. If you have some left over, why not try making a Christmas pudding strudel.

You can also reheat pudding and serve it warmed with ice cream or custard. Or if you want a taste of Christmas even after the holiday ends, you can make Christmas pudding muffins. 

Using leftovers safely:

• cool leftovers as quickly as possible, ideally within 90 minutes (splitting into smaller portions can help), then cover and refrigerate
• use leftovers within two days and reheat until steaming hot
• don't reheat leftovers more than once

For more information, read How to use leftovers safely