What do you do when you are stuck with tons of leftovers?? Make another meal with it! “Kale Mac & Cheese.”
Happy Friday Folks!
Next two days are seriously intense for me with lots and lots of cooking involved. I decided to help out with the diwali party my folks are organizing tomorrow and I am making my all time favorite spinach dip and lemon-pistachio bars (I mean a huge load of it for a crowd !).I am excited and both scared and I am keeping my fingers crossed that the dishes turn out good and people enjoy them. So well when life gets crazy hectic, that’s the time when you need quick, fast meals (usually made out of leftovers) that taste ah-mazing!
There is a story behind this mac & cheese. So few nights back I decided to try Ellie Krieger’s Macaroni and cheese with butternut squash. It was a very simple humble recipe but it lacked a big time in the flavor department. So my attempt at sneaking more veggies into our meals didn’t receive a big thumbs up and I was left with leftovers sufficient to feed 3-4 human beings with a good appetite!
The only trouble being that in no way I was going to throw it in the trash. Can you imagine all that cheesy goodness going to the drain?!! So nest day when looking for a quick lunch option for myself, I decided to saute a bunch of kale and throw in some of the mac & cheese goodness and spice the things up with some hot sauce!
I am telling you that was like the best use of left over food ever (atleast in my kitchen!). Leftovers never tasted that good! So If you are stuck with a big pot of mac and cheese (any flavor, any kind basically), try this twist and you will love your leftovers!
If you are wondering what recipe I used initially for mac & cheese, then this is the one.
- 1 cup leftover mac & cheese
- 1.5 cups chopped kale
- 1 tsp oil
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Your favorite hot sauce **
- In a skillet, add oil. Once hot, add chopped kale. Saute until little soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir it around. Add reserved mac & cheese and your favorite hot sauce. Mix it all together and cook it little longer so cheese melts and it gets warmed all through. I like cooking it little bit extra so I get crispy bites of macaroni.
- Serve while hot.
- Devour every single bit!
Hit me with your ideas to use up leftover mac and cheese!!
More Simple Pasta Recipes:
I am a huge fan of leftovers, especially when you can turn it in to another meal. I hear loads of people saying they don’t like leftover, but I love them.
I like that you have added kale to mac and cheese. It makes it healthier 😉
A well use of leftovers. This is one satisfying and delicious meal.
I love to use leftovers and create new recipes. Isn’t it so much fun! This looks great Ami, I love Kale! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Ahhh!! Look at you go girl!! Talk about creative! Love how innovative you are with your leftovers! Way to NOT be wasteful! Love it!
Mmmmm … nice idea!
I find that leftover pasta often isn’t so good because it soaks up all the sauce and leaves it a bit dry. It happened to me last week and so I ate it for lunch the next day with tomato ketchup. It did the trick, but I much prefer your hot sauce idea. I’ll remember it next time!
I love the idea of turning regular mac and cheese into something bright and healthier with the kale! Great idea!
Good luck with your diwali party 🙂
I often have leftover fatigue so this delicious recipe is a great way to re-use leftovers! I have also never added kale to mac and cheese before, think I definitely need to try the recipe out.
Do it Thalia!! You will love it!
Ha! I put kale in mac and cheese all the time! Hubby thinks it is odd, I think its delicious!
Yep i agree with you!! Kale in Mac and cheese is so delicious!
Hot sauce fixes a lot, doesn’t it! Whenever I make something that turns out bland, hot sauce to the rescue! I love the idea of kale in mac ‘n cheese!
I am in love with this one habanero hot sauce which I literally put in almost everything I eat!!
What a great use of leftovers! Love that you added kale – it looks awesome!
Thanks!!