What to do with the Christmas leftovers

Surely I can’t be the only one who cooks way too much for Christmas day.

Are your family’s hands as clean as they could be? Read the DETTOL Liquid Hand Wash reviews here

My theory is “it’s always better to have too much than not enough”. But being the frugal gal I am, I cannot bring myself to throw out the leftovers and certainly cannot serve up Christmas lunch again the next day.

So here are my thoughts on transforming those leftovers into fresh, delicious meals that no one will guess are making an encore.

First rule is to make sure you use any leftover prawns on Boxing Day. They won’t keep any longer.

Try a fresh and tasty Prawn Noodle Salad or
Slice the prawns in half and make my favourite Vietnamese Prawn Rice Paper Rolls.

Cooked chicken can last for 3 days in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container or zip-lock bag. Then try:

Chicken and Nectarine Salad,
Caesar Salad or
Barbecued Chicken Pizza.

If you are a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas lunch and have the cooked roast feast, then here are some ideas for your leftover vegies:

Pumpkin and Feta Salad
Pumpkin and Spinach Frittata
Potato Salad (sprinkle with leftover Christmas Ham)
Green Bean Salad
Quinoa Salad

Do you struggle with what to do with the leftover pork? It can be tricky but no one will see these coming:

Hoisin Pork in Spring Onion Pancakes
Pulled Pork Tacos
Pork San Choi Bow

And there are only so many ham sandwiches you can face day-after-day. So when you have eaten all the ham you can eat, and you can’t face one more morsel, try:

Ham, Carrot and Zucchini Frittata
Potato Salad with Crispy Ham
Ham, Tomato and Onion Frittata

Or, what about making Pea and Ham Soup – yes I know it is summer and it may seem crazy to talk about soup but the leftover ham and bone make a wonderful base for Pea and Ham Soup. Freeze the soup and have a nice surprise waiting for you when winter rolls around.

Last but not least, what to do with the leftover champagne (does that really exist?). Now I am sure you are thinking, ‘this girl is bonkers’, but if you just so happen to have 1/3 of a cup of leftover champagne, don’t toss it, make a decadent dessert of Strawberry Shortcakes.

For all these recipes and many more fast, delicious and healthy ideas, click here.

Do you have any great leftover tips to share? Please SHARE in the comments below.

Main image courtesy of Shutterstock.com
Other images: Supplied

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.

21 Comments

- - mom281973 said
  - 27 Dec 2017
    2:59 pm
I love these Christmas ham salad bowls – still festive but fresh and light after a day of feasting

- - mom281973 said
  - 27 Dec 2017
    2:53 pm
I love using Christmas ham for a salad Buddha bowl. The perfect balance between eating light after a big Christmas feast and still feeling festive

- - Some_Toss said
  - 15 Feb 2016
    6:05 pm
What brilliant ideas! Thanks so much for sharing!

- - mom101628 said
  - 05 Jan 2016
    9:37 pm
Great ideas for your leftovers – I’m going to make ham san chow bow tomorrow, drizzled in hoi sin sauce.
- Summer TABLE replied
  
  06 Jan 2016 , 8:54 pm
  Wow! Sounds interesting. Let us know how it goes and post a photo too.
- - Nas01 said
  - 26 Dec 2015
    9:22 pm
Great ideas. We always cook too much for Christmas and New Year’s Eve party every year. We generally take plates to neighbors after cooking and do lots of salads and stirfrys the next day.

- - mum888 said
  - 25 Dec 2015
    11:37 am
This year we had to make fruit salad, so I am always careful not to over purchase as these are perishable foods especially items like strawberries, grapes and don’t want any waste. My guess work has been good and enough to make enough without too much wastage.

- - Mummytoabeautifulprincess said
  - 23 Dec 2015
    2:45 pm
Love these! Thanks!

- - mom94125 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    11:47 pm
yeah a lot of fab ideas. these are really creative and use up the food staples of alot of people’s christmases
- mom94125 replied
  
  29 Dec 2015 , 6:22 pm
  i used my leftover salad and some meat to make pizzas! it was fantastic! i felt really genius too!
  - Summer TABLE replied
    
    29 Dec 2015 , 8:58 pm
    
    Great idea. Pizza is always a favourite in our house.
- - mom160421 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    9:28 pm
I always make fried rice and throw in the left overs.

- - mom90758 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    7:47 pm
So many interesting ideas. I like making savory muffins with what’s left.
- mom93821 replied
  
  23 Dec 2015 , 6:03 am
  Muffins sounds good – savoury and sweet?
- - mom93821 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    6:08 pm
Thanks for this list and the ideas for leftovers. LOL! Leftover champagne! I love the idea of Pea and Ham Soup. This is my favourite recipe for leftover ham – perfect for my freezer as I love this soup all year long!

- - mom165081 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    3:15 pm
Much more creative than my left overs meals. Great ideas thanks!!

- - mom112217 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    1:14 pm
We always have left-over’s and you can use them in so many recipes,l like frittata’s and healthy sandwiches and wraps!

- - rachelvk said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    12:37 pm
I try and send leftovers home with guests where possible because our tiny family generally can’t get get through them all. What we are left with becomes lunches and dinners for a couple of days. I will try and be more creative when we do use leftovers and there are some great ideas here.

- - mum888 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    12:25 pm
Leftovers are never wasted every year because we either have it for lunch or dinner the next couple of days . With anything that is perishable such as fruits/vegies eat it quickly because it goes off easily and I enjoy making vegetatian omelettes or noodles which is easy . Also you can also boil a batch of fresh rice and it looks like you just cooked a new meal !

- - mom169310 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    11:53 am
I dont have a recipe for leftovers to post id just find someone who wasnt fortunate to have xmas lunch and give them what i had so they could have a nice dinner.

- - mom74640 said
  - 22 Dec 2015
    11:31 am
Lke it