Turn Christmas Leftovers Into These Tasty Brunch Dishes

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Americans throw out a tremendous amount of food year-round, but that waste increases by 25 percent around the holidays, according to data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, reported on SWTimes. Christmas leftovers wind up in more landfills than they do in Tupperware. Abundance is often a theme of holiday meals. Mountains of mashed potatoes, massive roasts, a whole pie to every individual guest…it’s a lot. And while it makes for a beautiful social media post, much of it goes in the trash.

If you’re looking for ways to reduce your holiday waste and want to learn clever ways to repurpose leftovers, here are ways to turn those Christmas leftovers into delicious Christmas brunch dishes.

Veggie Frittata

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Find yourself with more leftover roasted veggies than you know what to do with? Get a bunch of eggs, cream and shredded cheese, and make a frittata in the oven. You can finely chop the vegetables and fold them into the egg mix for a colorful and healthy, protein-packed brunch dish. (Pro tip: you can also toss leftover stuffing into this frittata for a kick of carbs).

Short Rib Breakfast Sandwich

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If you had short ribs at dinner, make these the star of a breakfast sandwich. You can shred them and add them to the inside of a warmed leftover dinner role with some scrambled eggs, cheese and hash browns. If you have leftover potatoes, you can make the hash browns yourself. Dip this in any holiday au jus you have leftover.

Turkey Hash

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If you do turkey for Christmas dinner along with potatoes (baked, roasted or gratin), you can turn this into a brunch hash. Shred the turkey, dice the potatoes and fry them up in a pan with your favorite seasonings. Put a sunny side up egg on top, and maybe some of last night’s gravy.

Cranberry Muffins

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Take your leftover cranberry sauce and add it to a baking mix for moist, sweet and tangy muffins. You can also toss in some leftover marshmallow topping from a sweet potato pie for a more dessert-like muffin. If you have any cream cheese leftover from various homemade appetizers or dips, spread a bit of that on the warm muffins.

Bread Pudding French Bread

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Don’t know what to do with all of that leftover bread pudding? Turn it into French bread. Make your usual French bread egg mixture (eggs, milk, and a little vanilla extract are usually a hit). Mash your bread pudding in one large pan. Pour your egg mixture over it and bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Christmas Ham Omelet

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If you had a classic Christmas ham, you can dice up the leftovers and toss them into an omelet along with any other leftover veggies you might have. If you want some carbs and you have leftover pie crusts, you can pour your omelet mixture into these and cook it in the oven for a baked omelet.

Dessert Odds-And-Ends Oatmeal

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If you want something simple but tasty, gather up all of the sweet toppings leftover from various dessert items. From raisins to caramel to marshmallows to candied pecans, you probably have spoonful’s of each lying around. Make a traditional bowl of oatmeal and top it off with these treats for a fiber full and filling breakfast.

Mashed Potato Cheesy Skillet

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For some serious comfort food, try this dish. Put your leftover mashed potatoes in a cast iron skillet. Crack several eggs on top, add shredded cheese and maybe some hash browns. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the eggs are just slightly runny. Top it off with scallions, bacon bits and sour cream.