Hi, everyone! Mia here, filling in for Emily today.
A moment of truth: Sometimes, I cook not what I want to eat that night, but what I want to eat the next day. Chili, all sorts of soups and stews and roasts, fried chicken — these are all delicious straight from the pot (or the cooling rack set in a baking sheet). But I like them better as leftovers, after they’ve had a moment to mellow in the fridge and relax into their best selves.
So today’s lineup features five dinners that are quick and perfect for eating tonight but, I think, really shine as leftovers, whether reheated or repurposed into other equally delicious dishes. I’m not great at multitasking, but my meals are.
1. Meatballs With Any Meat
We all know that meatloaf makes terrific leftovers, and what are meatballs if not tiny round meatloaves? Melissa Clark’s meatball recipe is, as the name indicates, wholly versatile, and a reader favorite with five stars and over 4,000 reviews. Stuff leftovers into split hero rolls for sandwiches; I smush mine into marinara for a slapdash Bolognese situation.
2. Sheet-Pan Scallion Chicken With Bok Choy
I always make extra of Kay Chun’s miso-mustardy chicken so that I can shred leftovers and pile it on rice for incredible lunch rice bowls. Or I follow her lead for chicken salad: “Simply pick the meat off the bones, chop the bok choy and mix it with some olive oil, lemon juice and chopped celery or fresh herbs.”
3. Cauliflower Adobo
I cannot stress enough how much better any adobo is the next day, after the soy sauce and vinegar have had time to round out each other’s sharp edges. This cauliflower variation from Ali Slagle is no exception.
4. Salmon With Lemon-Herb Marinade
Is there anything more luxurious than leftover salmon? Eat it on buttered toast or a cream-cheesed bagel! Flake it into a salad or grain bowl! Greedily grab big hunks of it straight from its container to scarf down with half of a sleeve of Saltines and a couple of pickles! This recipe from Moira Hodgson yields one lovely dinner and a bunch more excellent meals.
5. Niku Jyaga (Japanese Beef and Potato Stew)
We can’t talk leftovers without mentioning some sort of stew, and this Japanese beef and potato stew from Saori Kurioka and Cheiko Kumagai, adapted by Hannah Kirshner, comes together in just 45 minutes. Two things: One, of course it will be at its most delicious after a long rest, but those soy-mirin-sake flavors will sing straightaway. Two, if you don’t have the optional kombu, you can use dashi powder, as suggested by a reader, Diane. This is what my mom and grandma did for their Japanese stews, and what I do, too.
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