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8 Ways to Use Up Leftover Produce

Do you ever have leftover fruits and veggies that you just don’t know what to do with? When I first got married, I was TERRIBLE about letting leftover produce go bad. Ahem, let me be transparent. I can be bad about letting leftover produce—or even excess produce from our lovely summer garden go bad. And I always feel so guilty. Sure, there may have not been enough leftover green beans or carrots for a side dish for an entire meal, but there must have been something I could have done with that food I let go to waste. Right?

And I’ve discovered there is! Whether it be a spoonful of leftover peas or 5 lbs. or extra carrots from your garden (I wish we had that problem!), there are lots of ways to use up all those veggies without letting them get all moldy in the bottom of the produce drawer of your refrigerator!
Here are some ways I use up my leftover produce:

  • Chop them up and throw them into homemade pasta sauce or even pizza sauce. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be homemade. Pop open a jar of Ragu and stir those veggies into the pot! If you use an electric food chopper that can get your veggies teeny tiny, your family may never notice! I especially enjoy adding carrots and leftover greens to sauces.
  • Add them to a smoothie (no pre-chopping required!). I used to make the same old yogurt+fruit+ice smoothies all the time. BORING! Only want half a banana? Freeze the other half and throw it into a scrumptious blueberry-banana green tea smoothie the next morning. Have some leftover pumpkin puree? Try a festive pumpkin smoothie. My personal favorite? Try a green smoothie with leftover spinach, kale, swiss chard or even broccoli.

  • Toss them into a winter soup or stew. I love making this creamy potato soup with leftover carrots and just a hint of greens. Have a handful of peas? Why not create a chicken noodle-with-peas-and-carrots soup? Toss an assortment of extra beans into a chili (who says kidney beans are the only chili-worthy legumes?). Have an odd assortment of veggies? Make up your own vegetable soup based on what you already have on hand.
  • Puree a small portion of baby food. I know this doesn’t apply to everyone. Or does it? I’m betting a close friend with a baby wouldn’t say “no” to free homemade baby food! You never know…your leftover produce could bless a tired mama! Lexie @LexieNaturals has a great tutorial on making homemade baby food.

  • Use them to make homemade vegetable or bone broths. This is my new personal favorite. If you haven’t tried it already, making your own stock is extremely affordable and extremely easy! Nikki @Christian Mommy Blogger has a great tutorial on making homemade chicken stock, and Anne @Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy has some great instructions on making homemade veggie stock.
  • Turn your leftovers into a whole new dish. This might require thinking a little outside the box, but you can create a whole new meal with leftover veggies, rice, etc. The other night I turned a one-portion leftover of paella into one of the main ingredients in stuffed peppers to feed my family of 4!
  • Freeze them little-by-little, until you have a larger portion. Only have a few spoonfuls of beans? If you have room in your freezer, why not pop them into a freezer bag and keep adding leftovers to that bag until you have enough leftovers to make a whole pot of chili?
  • Use leftover pumpkin puree or applesauce as egg substitutes in baking. I didn’t even realize the two of these could serve as such good subs until we recently found out my daughter is intolerant to eggs. Pumpkin and applesauce have been lifesavers in my kitchen!

What are some ways you use up leftover produce?

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  1. Dani says

    Great ideas! I also keep the ends and bits of onion, celery and carrots for bone broths, but I also love to chop stuff up and throw it in the dehydrator. It helps me stretch my garden deep into winter to throw some of last summer’s zucchini and other goodies in. Works with fruits, too–especially blueberries and the like!

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  2. Living So Abundantly says

    That is a great idea to blend the extra veggies and throw them in pasta sauce. I am definitely going to do this. 🙂

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  3. Robbie says

    Great tips! Frequently I only need to use half an onion or one stalk of celery. I hate throwing away celery! So the last time I needed only 1 stalk of celery, I chopped, blanched and froze the rest! Now I have celery whenever I need a little bit for flavor, and no waste! Same with the onions–I chop the whole thing up, use what I need and the rest goes into a freezer bag.

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  4. Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy says

    Great tips! I have so many bags in my freezer of different leftover bits of produce: citrus peels, apple peels, peels for stock, etc. Using up leftovers makes me feel so frugal:)

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