I love to Reinvent Leftovers. I make it a habit to cook extra the first time around with the intention of that something new will be reinvented the second time around.
We cooked way too many steaks this past weekend. I was left with the dilemma of what masterpiece to create the second time around.
I tweeted out “What to reinvent with my leftover Steak?” and got some great suggestions from my Tweets:
@specialforksndy suggested steak sliced on top of green salad or rolled in tortillas with salsa… What a great suggestion! … except I didn’t have greens or salsa in the house and did not have time to run out.
@4everfoodie and @jackknightcooks suggested Fajitas! My kids would love fajitas but I did not have the veggies & condiments required.
How about a Stir Fry over rice @burdladi suggested.. Another great idea but I did not have all the ingredients without running out.
Then @msmary1962 suggested some type of Beef & Pasta, perhaps soup…. Aha! I love creating new recipes and this was just the inspiration that I needed!
I’ve got steak, I’ve got seashell pasta….just need to come up with a great sauce…
I will save the Fajitas & stir fries for another night for sure…
Nothing Fancy Schmancy but a great Pre-Football Practice Easy Meal…
Reinvented Steak in a Creamy Red Wine Sauce
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Green Onions (I love to grow mine, so I always have some on hand)
3 Cooked Steaks sliced thinly
1 Cup of Red Wine
2 Cups of water
2 Tablespoons of Wondra Flour
1 lb pasta cooked (shells work great because they hold the sauce inside)
Saute green onions in the olive oil.
Add the steak and brown slightly.
Add red wine and reduce in half.
Mix water and wondra flour and add to steak mixture.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add cooked pasta and simmer.
I made this pasta dish with a side of Broccoli sauted in garlic.
Awesome, easy weeknight meal! It may be even better than the first time around!
Kid Ratings: Ronnie 8.5, Reis 8, Riley 7.5
What is it about reinventing leftovers that warms my heart? Maybe because I’ve had to reinvent myself …. and know that I have become a better person due to the reinvention…. the second time around can be an even better choice!
Miss Pamela (@WineePamela)
September 13, 2011 at 2:41 pmGreat ideas!
Family Foodie
September 13, 2011 at 2:59 pmThank you Miss Pamela!
Nicole @ Daily Dish Recipes
September 13, 2011 at 1:29 pmWe do this all the time at our house! Pure brilliance. I never thought of actually tweeting out to others… what should I do with this, which is funny because I tweet everything else. LOL
I usually use the site My Fridge Food because you can pick what you have and it presents you with a bunch of recipes, also letting you know what you might be missing for more (because you might actually have it).
This recipe looks AMAZING! YUM!!
Family Foodie
September 13, 2011 at 2:59 pmNicole,
It really was very good for just throwing together what I already had!
Let me know if you try it!
Isabel
Sandy Hu (specialforksndy)
September 13, 2011 at 10:31 pmNice solution! I always feel virtuous when I use up leftoers.
Gina
September 14, 2011 at 9:41 pmReinventing..who doesn’t love the idea of a “Do-over”? This post by Family Foodie inspired me to do something similar with leftover pork roast and some vegetables that were starting to cry from neglect. Mine has an Italian flavor to it.
In a large sautee pan, heat up some olive oil then add: 1 large sliced onion, 1 sliced bell pepper, 1 sllced jalapeno, seeds & ribs removed (or leave out if you don’t like heat). Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp. salt & pepper & 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried oregano or italain seasoning blend. Cook for 5-8 minutes until they start to soften then add 2 cloves chopped garlic. In another pot, boil salted water for 1/2 pound whole wheat penne and cook until al dente (about 2 minutes short of package time). Back to the veggies, add 1- 8 oz package sliced fresh mushrooms and 1 -15 ounce can diced tomatoes (italian flavored is what I had on hand). Cook vegetable mixture about 10 minutes longer, pasta should be cooked by now. Remove pasta from water w/slotted spoon, add to veggie pan and you may need to add a couple of ladles of the starchy pasta water to the vegetables. I had a partial container of chicken stock in the fridge so I used it to. I probably added about 2 cups of extra liquid all together. Toss the pasta veggie mixture until everyone looks happy together. Taste and adjust seasoning as you prefer. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. You can either spoon this over your leftover sliced roast pork or in the last couple of minutes of cooking time, you can slide the meat under your veggie/pasta mixture so it can absorb some of those flavors. For households that are wine friendly, some nice red wine can be added for the cooking liquid as well.
Family Foodie
September 14, 2011 at 11:31 pmGina,
I can not wait to try your Reinvention!
Thank you for sharing!