I’ve been doing something a bit weird to stretch my food budget, and I’m curious if anyone else does this. Every week, before grocery shopping, I challenge myself to cook one full meal using only the random leftovers, single veggies, and half-used ingredients hiding in my fridge.
Last week’s “mystery meal” ended up being scrambled eggs with shredded cabbage, one lonely carrot, and a bit of rice. Odd combo… but honestly tasty and zero waste.
It’s kind of fun, and it keeps me from buying more food than I need.
Do you make similar “clean-out meals”? What’s the strangest frugal dish you’ve created that actually turned out good?
Anyone Else Make “End-of-Week Mystery Meals” to Save Money?
byu/BettinaO8 inFrugal
Posted by BettinaO8
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Yes and it surprisingly almost always tastes great (or at least okay).
It really puts it into perspective how we humans really can eat anything.
Shredded cabbage, carrots, rice and eggs are the base of stir fried rice. Just add some soy sauce and you’re there.
BBQ shredded Pork, green and red peppers, hashbrowns, and an egg on top. Looked NASTAY but honestly I might make it again because it tasted really good.
I started this way; eventually, I had so many recipes that started FROM leftovers, I ended up writing a cookbook lol
The ‘leftiver’ recipe I’m proudest of was stretching a single serving of chicken enchiladas into soup for 3. Now, whenever I make enchiladas, I am asked to “make extra on purpose” JUST so I can make the soup the next day. And it’s EASY – heat up chicken broth, crumble to enchiladas into the hot broth, blitz with an immersion blender until smooth. Serve topped with shredded cheese and crumbled tortilla chips (or Doritos lol).
I am avoiding going to the store today. I have some leftover curry, I will make a pot of rice and some form of flatbread tonight for dinner.
My kid still has milk, and I have a few carrots left and half of an onion I have some chicken broth going now to do something with tmrw soup maybe?
I have to go to the store before thanksgiving due to my being requested to make a harvest salad. but if I did not need to do that I think I could go till the end of the week if I spent some time in the kitchen
I call these “iron chef meals”, you must use the secret ingredient!
I sometimes do that before traveling (when nobody of the family stays home and otherwise I would have to freeze remaining veggies) or on the day before going to the market (buying veggies at the market is the most frugal option here, I’m in South America). Usually it’s some fried rice or fried noodles dish.
Stir fry is great for this. Any meat, veggies, half finished sauces? Cook some rice and toss it all in.
We call it Leftover-Smorgasbord: 2-3 bites of whatever we didn’t finish during the week.
You just described fried rice. With a bit of meat, ham or bacon and soysauce it is a leftover meal that is not weird at all!
I don’t always mix all my leftovers in one meal but some lunches at work have been a bit of everything that is available. I also do not wait until the end of the week to clear the fridge, otherwise it feels like a punishment. I also do not follow recipes: what I cook is some cooked meat, some starch and some vegetables with sauce according to the moment’s inspiration so I do not go and buy ingredients specifically for a recipe.
That’s when I make chili or some casserole lol
mystery meals only on days of the week that end in “Y” to save money.
Scalloped potatoes what there is: any cheese, any meat. And a forage night: pick your leftover
I have been making oven-fried chicken with mash and veg once a week, and for some reason nobody wants to eat the leftover mash. So as of today, I will be freezing it and chucking it into my Sunday weekly soup.
Yes and absolutely my favourite way to find creative meal ideas! I’m trying to challenge myself to go an extra 1-2 days every time I think I need groceries. More often than not, I’ve already got variations of the ingredients I want for a particular dish. One of my recent “mystery meal” used up wrinkly potatoes, a bunch of eggs, and some hot peppers. I sliced up the potato and made a frittata with a potato base and it was absolutely tasty!
Smorgasburg
I call them “Clean up the kitchen” meals.
I make what’s in the fridge pasta or what’s in the fridge stir fry
We definitely do “left over smorgasbord” where we get all the left overs out that have less then 2 servings and eat whatever appeals.
I also used to play Iron chef pantry or freezer where I’d randomly pull 3 items and need to use them that week
Yes! My husband calls it “shit in a bowl, but delicious.” I have to take that as a compliment.
We call it soup or stew depending on how thick it is.
I call it “I didn’t plan the whole meal plan. Let’s see what’s left.” Meal
Sure. I learned it from my mother. Often it includes cabbage. There is always cabbage around (also learned from my mother). Sometimes it’s a big salad, sometimes soup.
I guess I’ve been doing this for decades. I get pretty creative with soups, wraps, stir fries, fried rice, enchiladas and other casserole-type dishes, pasta dishes, and rice bowls or japchae (Korean glass noodles).
For me, it’s a day-to-day thing. Leftover chicken gets put in the next day’s enchiladas. Leftover mashed potatoes become a topping for cottage pie. Leftover fish gets put onto a rice bowl or glass noodles with whatever veggies I scrounge up. Leftover pork loin goes into fried rice (if I have leftover rice) or sweet and sour pork. Etc.
If I don’t use leftovers right away, they are often forgotten and end up as science experiments.
Frittata made with odds and ends of veggies and protein I have is a common fixture