What To Do With These Leftover Veggies?

[LTS3]

I have leftover uncooked cubed butternut squash (maybe 2 -3 cups?) and about a cup, maybe a little more, of diced celery. What can I make with these two ingredients? A dish that uses both ingredients is a plus. Could I do a stir fry or a simple saute, including other ingredients if needed?

 

[orange&white]

I don't think raw butternut squash would be a good candidate for stir-fry. It takes too long to cook through. You could steam it until tender, and then stir-fry it though.

I would try a baked casserole, or make a soup. I love blended soups!

 

[betsygee]

I love finding creative recipes for leftovers. How about soup?

 

[LTS3]

I don't have a blender so soup is out Maybe I can just roast the butternut squash? No idea what to do with the celery, though. Taco filling, maybe?

 

[betsygee]

Oohhh, this one looks good! Roasted Butternut Squash, Cranberries and Celery with Pecans - Kevin Is Cooking

 

[LTS3]

The celery I have is diced pretty small. Do you think it would still work in this recipe?

 

[orange&white]

Oohhh, this one looks good! Roasted Butternut Squash, Cranberries and Celery with Pecans - Kevin Is Cooking

Mmmm...that does look delicious!

LTS3 ...I think you can use your celery in that recipe, even if chopped more finely. If it's in a very small dice, you might start the rest of the dish baking for the first 15-20 minutes, then stir the celery in for the last 25-30 minutes.

...or use the celery for stir fry or salads.

 

[LTS3]

Fresh cranberries aren't in season so I did a simple roast on the butternut squash following one of Ina Garten's recipes.

 

[betsygee]

Just about any butternut squash recipe would be good, IMO--it's one of my favorites.

 

[orange&white]

I do like roasted winter squash. I bet it was good!

Did you decide on something for the extra celery? You can always, sauté it in some butter or olive oil then cool and freeze flat in a Ziploc bag. Then you can just break off chunks or use it all for a future soup or casserole, ready to go.

 

[Winchester]

I dearly love roasted butternut. Just an FYI, you can buy fresh cranberries when they're in season and then toss them into your freezer. I do that, so that I have them year 'round for making sauces and such for chicken and pork chops. You can easily chop them when they're frozen, too, to add to recipes. Dried cranberries would work, too, if you're in a pinch.

Anything that Ina makes is bound to be delicious! And she makes an excellent soup from her recipe for Roasted Winter Vegetables. I'll make the vegetables and then make soup from the leftovers.....when there are any leftovers, that is. It's a really good soup.

As for the celery, I'd add it to anything that normally takes celery.

And I've bookmarked that recipe, betsygee . Gosh, but that looked good! Thanks!

 

[LTS3]

I'm going to use the celery in a stir fry tomorrow.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I'm going to use the celery in a stir fry tomorrow.

I love vegetables, especially stir fried ones. Celery is a good additive to anything for us. Lots of folks don't like it. Hubby likes it cooked and in salads. I like it washed, cut in strips and smear something good on it to eat. My favorites are piemento cheese and peanut butter on it.

I admire people who try to find ways to use leftovers instead of pitching them out. My husband and I were having that conversation at our dinner table last night. I was raised in a household where there was nothing to waste. I remember things like leftover corn and potatoes being made into fritters for the next meal. My grandma could take anything leftover and make it deliciously into something else. One of my favorites was bread pudding. She made it from leftover biscuits. If she had chocolate, lemon raisins, coconut or anything she could add, it became flavored. I think a lot of families throw out enough leftovers to feed another family.

 

[orange&white]

I try to use every morsel of food I purchase. Seems I've read that we throw away over 1/2 of our food in the US. That waste is probably mainly restaurants following food safety laws, but still that seems such a waste.

 

[Winchester]

We're a big leftover family. Last night and tonight are Leftover Nights, but both Rick and I will enjoy our leftovers. I really hate throwing food away, especially as food has gotten very expensive....at least I think so.

And since I usually cook for an army anyway, it's nice having meals in the freezer for later on. I like the idea of making a roast and then using leftovers in a sandwich or some kind of salad. I really really try to make leftovers into something else, so it doesn't seem so much that we're actually eating the same thing twice. Sometimes it really works out well; other times, not so much.

I'm fortunate that Rick does not mind leftovers. He'll gladly take them to work whenever he can. He says that our leftovers are better than a sandwich made with deli meat any day. And I'm glad he feels that way.

 

[Kieka]

This is one benefit of a rabbit, he eats all our random scraps and leftover veggies.

Reality is it is usually just the peels and ends because veggies tend to get eaten at our house. We usually just roast or steam them or they get mixed into a stew. I have done finely minced squash and carrots mixed in with meatloaf or meatballs.