Use it up
Fridge clear-out: 10 dinners from odds and ends
Ten forgiving dinners that exist to use up half an onion, the last of the cheese and whatever else is lurking.
Every fridge collects the same kind of mess by the end of the week: half an onion, the heel of a block of cheese, two sausages, a spoonful of pesto, vegetables that have gone a bit soft. Separately they are nothing. Together, in the right dish, they are dinner. These ten dinners are forgiving by design. Each one takes whatever you have and still tastes deliberate.
Before you start: soft, bendy or wrinkly vegetables are fine to cook with. Anything slimy, mouldy or sour-smelling is not. Cooked leftovers need to be within 3 to 4 days, and cooked rice within a day. See how long food lasts in the fridge.
1. Frittata
Takes: eggs, plus almost any vegetable, cooked meat or cheese.
The best clear-out dish there is. Soften chopped vegetables in an ovenproof pan, add leftover meat, pour over 5 or 6 beaten eggs seasoned well, scatter cheese on top and cook gently until the edges set. Finish under the grill (broiler) or in a hot oven. It works hot or cold, and slices for lunch the next day.
2. Fried rice
Takes: day-old cooked rice, any vegetables, eggs, small bits of meat or tofu.
Cold rice fries better than fresh because it has dried out. Get the pan very hot, cook the harder vegetables first, add garlic and ginger, then the rice. Season with soy sauce, push everything aside, scramble an egg in the gap and toss it through. Frozen peas and sweetcorn make it look like a plan.
3. Soup
Takes: any vegetables at all, especially tired ones, stock and a starch.
Soften an onion, add chopped vegetables and a potato or a handful of lentils for body, cover with stock and simmer until everything is soft. Blend it smooth or leave it chunky. A spoon of pesto, a squeeze of lemon or a swirl of yogurt on top finishes it. Soup freezes well, so make double.
4. Sheet-pan traybake
Takes: roots, peppers, onions, broccoli, sausages or chicken thighs, chickpeas.
Cut everything into similar-sized pieces, toss with oil, salt and one spice mix (smoked paprika, cumin, or dried herbs), and roast at about 425°F (220°C) for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once. Add softer vegetables halfway. One tray, one pan to wash.
5. Quesadillas
Takes: tortillas, cheese, and any leftover beans, meat, peppers, onions or greens.
Scatter grated cheese and fillings over half a tortilla, fold, and cook in a dry pan until golden on both sides. The cheese holds together whatever you put in. Serve with salsa, yogurt or a quick salad.
6. Pasta with whatever is there
Takes: pasta, garlic, oil, any vegetables, cheese.
While the pasta cooks, soften vegetables in plenty of olive oil with garlic and chilli. Add the drained pasta with a ladle of its cooking water and toss hard until glossy. Finish with cheese and lemon zest. Half a jar of pesto, a spoon of cream cheese or the end of a tub of cream all make it richer.
7. Stir-fry
Takes: any crunchy vegetables, a protein, noodles or rice.
Cut everything small and thin so it cooks fast. Fry the protein first and set it aside, then the vegetables, hardest first. Add it back with a simple sauce: soy sauce, a little honey or sugar, garlic, ginger and a splash of vinegar. Two minutes, and it is done.
8. Curry
Takes: onion, a tin of tomatoes or coconut milk, any vegetables, chickpeas or lentils, chicken.
A curry is a sauce that welcomes whatever you add. Soften onion with garlic and ginger, fry curry powder or paste for a minute, add tomatoes or coconut milk, then your vegetables and protein. Simmer until tender. Leftover yogurt makes a raita; spinach wilts straight in at the end.
9. Hash
Takes: cooked or raw potatoes, onions, peppers, leftover meat, eggs.
Fry diced potatoes until golden (boil them for five minutes first if they are raw), add onion, peppers and chopped leftover meat, and press into the pan to crisp. Top with fried eggs. Corned beef, sausages and roast chicken all belong here.
10. Loaded toast or open sandwiches
Takes: bread, eggs, cheese, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, avocado.
Not a compromise: plenty of good cooks eat this way on a weeknight.Garlicky mushrooms on toast, beans with melted cheese, or tomatoes crushed on grilled bread with olive oil and salt. Stale bread is at its best toasted.
Make the clear-out a habit
The day before you shop is the natural time for a clear-out. You see what needs eating, cook it, and write a shorter shopping list. A few habits make it easier:
- Keep a "use first" spot at the front of one shelf for anything opened or nearly done.
- Freeze small amounts you cannot use: grated cheese, cooked rice, bread, chopped herbs in oil.
- Plan the second use when you open something: half a tin of coconut milk tonight is a curry tomorrow.
Or let Make Do do the sorting. Photograph the shelves and it lists everything it can see and suggests five dinners that use it up, starting with whatever will not last another day. Each recipe tells you which ingredient it rescues.
For the method behind all ten of these, read what can I make with what I have?
Questions
What is the best meal for using up leftovers?
A frittata or fried rice. Both take almost any cooked or raw vegetable, small amounts of meat or cheese, and are ready in about 20 minutes.
Can I use vegetables that have gone soft?
Soft, bendy or slightly wrinkled vegetables are fine to cook with: they are ideal for soup, sauces and traybakes. Throw away anything slimy, mouldy or smelling off.
How often should I clear out the fridge?
Once a week, ideally the day before you shop. You see what needs eating, cook it, and buy less.
