My kids often refuse to eat leftovers so I have to get crafty. Heck, sometimes I’m not even thrilled about eating leftovers. I’ve developed a knack for turning leftovers into lasagna using a few base ingredients. I always see great responses when I post the pics on my Facebook page so I figured it’s time to write a post about it!
This post may seem complicated because I listed off all the options but it’s really easy! Just use up whatever leftovers you have, add some sauce and veggies and WALAH!!!! 🙂
Leftovers Lasagna with “Veggie” Pasta
Possible “pasta” options:
- Regular pasta noodles – 1 or 2 boxes, depending how much you like.
- Thinly sliced and peeled sweet potatoes – I use my mandolin and slice them on the “thin” setting, longways (2 medium to large ones for a 9″ x 13″ pan)
- Thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash – I slice these a tiny bit thicker than the sweet potatoes, longways (4-5 medium ones for a 9″ x 13″ pan)
- Thinly sliced polenta tube – you’ll need 2 tubes for a full 9″ x 13″ pan
Possible sauce options:
- Sweet Potato Hash or Tofu Scramble… any type of leftover casserole is good!
- Leftover Cheezy Rice/Quinoa & Lentil Bake
- Any leftover chili (I often use leftover Really Good Chili) or stir-fry (Lemony Chickpea Stir-Fry is good)
- Sometimes I chop up 1 bunch of kale, chard, collards or any other greens wilting in my fridge and saute them with mushrooms, carrots, onion, garlic, chopped red or green peppers and a little italian seasoning or Homemade Taco Seasoning for a Mexican flair  (optional combo – really depends on your leftovers)
- Frozen veggies – spinach, mixed, broccoli, etc – thawed and drained
- Leftover juicing pulp – sprinkle it on top of a sauce layer
- Leftover Buffalo Ranch Roasted Chickpeas (sprinkle a few on there or a lot in the middle layer… so good!)
- Leftover pasta dishes – Quick Pasta Alfredo with Broccoli works!
- Leftover burgers – crumble them into the dish for a hearty texture!
- Hummus – Our Favorite Hummus makes a yummy, creamy layer!
- Shredded tempeh added to the sauce is delicious!
-
Possible Toppings:
- Almond flour – my favorite because it gives it a baked breadcrumb’ish top!
- Sliced olives – I add these when I use the Mexican cheeses with the sauteed greens, mushrooms, peppers, onions and garlic.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start with a 13×9 pan – I’ve used smaller but I usually use this one
- Start with a layer of sauce first at the bottom
- Next add a layer of “pasta” – whichever you choose but if you use sweet potatoes, make sure they’re thin enough to cook through
- Top the “pasta” with a little more sauce – make sure the “pasta” is surrounded by sauce or wet leftovers so they cook through
- Next add a layer of veggies or leftovers
- After this I usually do a leftover dip, cheese or hummus IF USING
- Next another layer of “pasta” followed by a thin layer of sauce
- Repeat and make sure to end with sauce at the top. Make sure all of the “pasta” is covered.
- Sprinkle the top with almond flour or topping of your choice and cover with foil.
- Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until sauce is bubbling.
- Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until top looks crusty and brown’ish
A few older variations I’ve made:
Tags: Cooking, Facebook, Facebook features, Fruits and Vegetables, Home, Lasagne, leftovers, leftovers lasagna, pasta, vegan lasagna, vegan leftovers