Category: Leftovers/ Freezer Meals

Leftovers: Pizza Pasta

Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, One pot meal, Pasta

Leftovers…this can be a dreaded word in many houses. No one likes to keep eating the same thing 2 days in a row, but no one wants to waste food, which is just throwing money away. In our house, we try to have at least one night where we have “whatever you want night.” This is when we try to eat up any leftovers in the fridge before they go bad. Since we are kind of on a weird eating schedule with E still in the hospital, this has been harder to do. I am here with the other 2 girls most nights, so I try to make just enough for the 3 of us, meals that I can transform in to more than 1 meal, or make meals I know will freeze well for later.

Last night I made linguine and meatballs, and I froze some sauce, but I still had a bit of pasta over for us to have one more meal. Then, today, I was watching David Rocco’s Dolce Vida on Cooking Channel. He was making a “pizza pasta.” He took leftover pasta and added some eggs, parmesan cheese, and fried it in oil. So I decided to try it.

The ingredients all depends on how many leftovers you have, but I used 3 eggs, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, whipped it together with the pasta, then added to a pan of oil which covers the bottom of your pan.
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Then after 2 minutes or so, put a plate upside down on the top of the pasta. Turn the pan and plate over and then slide the pasta pie mixture back in the pan for another 2 minutes on the other side. Tricky, but doable. Who cares if it doesn’t come out perfect? Once done, I added more parmesan on top.
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Then I sliced with a pizza cutter. It was sitting out for a bit, so I popped a piece in the toaster oven to crisp it on top a bit. Perfection! The girls gobbled it up as well!
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Any new ways you like to makeover leftover pasta?

Pasta Perfection

Beef, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pasta

I asked R and K what they wanted for dinner. R said spaghetti, then K said meatballs. Ok, then! I took out some beef and scoured the cabinet for some pasta and something to make the sauce. I found 1/2 a container of linguine, 1 large can of tomato sauce, and 2 cans of diced tomatoes. Perfect.

First, I started the sauce. Easy marinara sauce that does not require a glass jar of sugar sauce, if you know what I am referring to. I used 1 28 oz. can of tomato sauce, 2 cans diced tomatoes, and 2 squirts of tomato paste (or 3 tablespoons if you have a can). I added a couple sprinkles of Italian seasoning, chopped oregano, basil, and parsley, and 1/2 chopped onion, 1 container of mushrooms, 2 garlic cloves crushed and diced, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons or so of Worcestershire, 2 tablespoons butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Sometimes I even add red wine, if I have it, but this time I was all out. The wine and Worcestershire just give it an extra layer of flavor, especially since I am making the meatballs with beef. The butter and the sugar help to add a bit of sweetness to the sauce and mellow the acidity of the tomato a bit.

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I even had leftover sauce to add to my freezer collection. I just mashed the meatballs up in the sauce to make meat sauce.
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Next, I had to figure out what ingredients I had to make meatballs. I used 1 pound of grass-fed beef, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1 cup breadcrumbs, about 1/4 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon of onion and garlic powder, chopped parsley, oregano, and basil. Mix it all up and make some meatballs.

Add them to your sauce. You could brown them or fry them first, but these are fine this way. I cooked the sauce first for about 45 minutes, then added the meatballs on low for another 45 minutes or so. 013

Cook your pasta and add your sauce…
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Sunny-side Up Leftovers

Asian, Eggs, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals

My girls LOVE runny eggs, sunny-side up is their favorite. So when I was trying to sell the leftover Chinese food we had in the fridge, I knew I had to top it with these beautiful eggs. B is an egg drop soup fanatic, so when I topped her beloved soup with an extra egg, she thought she had hit the jackpot. For my dinner, I defrosted some homemade chicken stock, added lo mien noodles, broccoli, and chicken. Of course, I love runny eggs as much, if not more than the girls, so I topped my faux pho with an egg as well. For K, my 4 year-old?  Well, she is going through a bit of a phase where she doesn’t want her food to be combined. So her chicken, rice, and egg were all on her plate, but not combined. It was still pretty, but before I could snap a pic, she had already almost finished her entire egg.

For a perfect sunny-side up egg…heat your pan to med. heat Melt a pat of butter and crack the egg. Once you see the egg start setting, take some melted butter and put on top of the whites. Delish. If you don’t want to add butter, use a non-stick cooking spray, and once the egg white is almost cooked, take it off the burner and cover with a lid for just a few seconds. This will cook the egg without cooking the yolk. Don’t leave the lid on too long!

Tip: Invest in farm fresh eggs;  they are so worth the extra money. In the summer months, the chickens eat the bugs in the soil, and this diet makes the eggs taste extra rich and earthy. Even if you just buy them when you are making the eggs the star in a dish, you will thank me!

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