Yesterday (Boxing Day) I posted an Instagram photo of my meat lovers pizza that I made with left overs from Christmas. Everyone has been asking me for the recipe, so I thought that I would post it, as well as a few more tips for using up that left over food, so nothing goes to waste.

Honestly, there is only so many time you can eat the same meal… so making something out of left overs is kind of a specialty of mine. I put some of the weirdest food combination together and eat them because I’m single and it really doesn’t matter what it tastes like sometimes, I just want food and it all mushes together in your stomach anyway. BUT, Jaffles has got to be one of my favourite way to use up left overs… I can basically eat anything in a Jaffle with cheese… what is not to love????

Pasta Bake

1. Cook up 500g of any sort of pasta and place in a large oiled baking dish.

2. Mix in any ingredients you have and add some sort of sauce.  I use a tomato or thick white sauce (recipes below). Or click HERE for conventional white sauce recipe.

3. Mix all the ingredients very well and sprinkle grated mozzarella or tasty cheese over the top.

4. Bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top!

5. Serve with left over salad and left over rolls you have turned into garlic bread!

Cooked Meat Rissoles

In the olden days 🙂 they use to make rissoles out of meat that was already cook, not perfectly good and expensive raw meat!

1. Finely chop or mince your cooked meat, ham, turkey, chicken etc. I make different rissoles for different meats, but if you want to live on the wild side throw them all in together… who knows they may taste great!

2. For every 500g of meat add 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce/relish or chutney, 50g of bread crumbs, what ever fresh herbs you have left over or some cracked pepper and dried herbs.

3. Squish it all together with you hands until well combined and shape into rissoles.

4. Fry in a pan with a little oil or bake in the oven (sprayed with a little oil)  until golden brown and serve with left over salad.

Cottage Pie

This is the same as making a Shepherd’s pie, but you generally use beef or leftover cooked meat. The link for the recipe is HERE, but just substitute the mince for minced, cooked, left over meat. Do everything the same, but of course you won’t have to cook it for as long because the meat is already cooked. 🙂

THE FOLLOWING IS A THERMOMIX RECIPE

(sorry I have only ever made it in the Thermomix, I never made dough or bread before my Thermi)

Making left over PIZZA 101

Sorry I had already cut and served most of the pizza, when I realised how good it was I ran back in to take a photo 🙂

A. Make the basic dough off the chip, this make two good size pizza bases.

I just wanted to let you know that I used 20g of fresh yeast, as I have found a place around the corner that sells it, and it makes a BIG difference to the taste, so if you can get a hold of it DO! I buy about 120g at a time and freeze it in to 20g lots.

B. Prepare topping – meat lovers 

Chop ham, turkey, chicken, sausages, mince anything you have left over really that is meat!

Grate Mozzarella cheese… You can use other cheese, but this is the best!

I like to thinly slice mushrooms as well as some purple onion, but that’s just me… put on what ever you like!

B. Prepare topping – Seafood

Peel prawns, drain capers, thinly slice purple onion, and drain anchovies (I love anchovies)

You could also add oysters raw or cooked, muscles cooked, raw calamari, raw fish… anything really!

C. Make the tomato paste base. – this make enough for 4 bases… use and freeze the rest

1 large onion (peeled and halved)

20g Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic (optional)

1 x 400g Tin of  Organic Tomatoes

1 x 140g Tomato paste

1 teaspoon of dried (or fresh) oregano (optional)

1. Place onion and garlic in mixing bowl and chop 3 seconds/speed 7.

2. Add oil and sauce for 2 minutes/Varoma/speed 1, scrape down the side of the bowl and repeat.

3. Add all other ingredients and cook 10 minutes/Varoma/Speed 2 (MC OFF, mixing basket on top).

C. Make white sauce base – this makes enough for 4 bases… use and freeze the rest 

1. Make the basic Béchamel sauce of the basic cook book EXCEPT, double the flour… it will be nice and thick.

2 Take a quarter of the white sauce and add 2 tablespoons of seafood sauce, mix well.

D. Putting it all together

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees celsius.

2. Roll out half of the dough to the size of you pizza stone/pizza tray. ( I cover mine with baking paper so it doesn’t stick!)

3. Cover with pizza sauce of your choice. (tomato or white)

4. Cover with a generous layer of mozzarella cheese.

5. Place on toppings as desired. (meat or seafood)

6. Sprinkle lightly with a little bit more mozzarella. (not too much or you pizza will be mush)

7. Place pizza in the very hot oven and turn down to 220 degrees celsius, cook for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Eat and enjoy knowing that you have more meals out of your left overs! Sorry I don’t have lots of pictures as I was just throwing something together for the family and the pizzas turned out so good, I’m definitely doing to make them again. We always have a left over sausage here or rissoles… sometimes lamb, and we always have bacon in the freezer, so the meat lovers would just change depending on what meat we have. I am definitely going to make the seafood one again, it was amazing (sorry only half a pic). The white sauce/seafood sauce base went perfectly with the prawns, anchovies and capers!

I hope this has been a little helpful. I am always making something out of what ever I have in the house… I should take more care now to document it as it is just second nature to me, but I am realising that lots of people need a little more inspiration!

What is your favourite way to use up left overs? Do you just continue to eat them or make something completely different?

ENJOY Irresponsibly!

Liz xx

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Elizabeth Connolly

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I have been cooking since I can remember. I am a Thermomix consultant, so now (whenever possible) try to give you Conventional AND Thermomix methods for the recipes. I like to share tips on how to save money and how making food from scratch isn't really that hard (especially with a Thermomix). If you have any questions about the Thermomix or cooking/food in general please email me as I'm happy to chat.
Liz xx
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