I had a dinner party Saturday night for my DH’s Birthday. I love having a really nice dinner, but I don’t like leftovers. We had Chicken with Mushrooms in a Garlic Butter Sauce, Yukon Potatoes with fresh Italian Parsley and drizzled with Garlic Butter plus Baby carrots and Fresh Green Beans.
We had 5 chicken breasts and some potatoes left over, so Monday morning I decided to reinvent them.. I got out a box of bow tie pasta and chopped up a red onion.
I needed a potluck dish for a luncheon on Tuesday, so I thought I would make a Chicken Pasta Salad. I put some eggs in water so I could have some hard boiled eggs for the salad and when they came to a boil I added the Bow Tie Pasta.
While that was cooking, I took three of the chicken breasts and placed them in a baking dish.
I added some Marinara Sauce and fresh chopped Italian Parsley. ( A quick easy marinara sauce is just a small can of tomato sauce and a tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning.)
Then I covered each piece with a slice of Mozzarella cheese. I will cover this with foil and bake at about 350 for 20 minutes or so until the chicken and sauce is hot and the cheese melted. Perfect with a salad for dinner tonight and it won’t look like leftovers.
Next I took those leftover potatoes, added a chopped hard boiled egg, a few red onions, some relish, parsley, mayonnaise and a little mustard and I have a great potato salad that will be fabulous with our sandwiches for lunch today.
Once the pasta was done and cool, I got busy creating my potluck salad.
I added two of the large chicken breasts diced up, some chopped red onion, parsley, and a few mushrooms I had left over in the fridge.
Then I chopped up a few tomatoes and three hard boiled eggs.
I wanted a really light creamy dressing, so I took some Ranch and added a little milk to thin it down.
I poured a generous amount over the pasta and tossed it all together.
I put the rest of the dressing in a bottle so I could add more if needed tomorrow before I go to the luncheon.
My fridge in the laundry room comes in super handy when I make meals ahead.
In the back I have some strawberries I cut up and some whipped cream topping so we can have Strawberry shortcake tonight with our chicken. My Chicken Marinara is covered with foil and all ready to just pop in the oven.
My potato salad is ready for our lunch and the pasta salad is ready to go for my potluck lunch tomorrow.
I love having meals organized ahead and using up leftovers in new creative ways is always the best.
So tell me, how do you reinvent your leftovers?
I am joining the following parties:
Craftberry Bush , Rattlebridge Farm, Posed Perfection ,
Katherines Corner , The Vintage Farmhouse , A Delightsome Life ,
Love of Family & Home ,Between Naps On The Porch ,
From My Front Porch To Yours , The 36th Avenue , Imparting Grace ,
My Romantic Home , French Country Cottage ,The Thrifty Groove ,
The Charm of Home , Chic On A Shoestring Decorating , Finding Fabulous ,
Rooted In Thyme , Jennifer Rizzo , Redoux Interiors
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