The presents are unwrapped, the good tableware has been put away and the in-laws are out the door. Breathe a sigh of relief — Christmas is over for another year. But what about all the bits that didn’t get eaten? Don’t let them go waste – we have recipes to give those leftovers a delicious encore (and minimise food waste at the same time).
From recipes that transform leftover Christmas ham into classic toasties to lobster pasta and Asian-style prawn noodles, these are 50 of the best Christmas leftover recipes to see you through that blurry time between Boxing Day and the new year.
Lobster pasta with lemon crumbs
The pasta bake takes a luxe turn.
Five-cheese and ham triple-decker toastie
Five-cheese and ham triple-decker toastie recipe – Preheat oven to 180C. Stir ricotta, cheddar, provolone and parmesan in a bowl to combine, and season to taste.
Ham and provolone mac and cheese with fried egg
If there were such a thing as breakfast pasta, this would be it.
Thai Tide’s tom yum fried rice with prawns
“This zesty, bold version of one of Thailand’s most famous dishes is a playful rethink made with rice instead of soup,” says Thai Tide chef-owner Merica Charungvat.
Chicken, prawn and chilli pot stickers
If you’re entertaining a crowd, prepare the pot stickers ahead and store, covered with a damp clean tea towel in the refrigerator and cook when required.
Charred cabbage with chestnuts and prawns
Turn the humble vegetable into something special.
Little Valley’s miso-poached chicken and ham salad with chilli dressing
Miso is protein-rich paste made from fermented soybeans and is a staple in Asian cooking.
Cheesy polenta waffles with fried egg and ham
Polenta adds a gorgeous texture to these waffles, which are perfect for breakfast or brunch – or dinner, or supper for that matter.
Lobster spaghetti with tomato water
Substitute the lobster meat for any sweet, tender seafood like prawns or crab meat in this quick decadent pasta dish.
Prawn yiouvetsi
A classic Greek dish of prawn, risoni, oregano and fennel. What’s not to love?
Hot buttered lobster rolls
Why not turn the lobster roll into a transseasonal snack by serving them hot?
Beetroot and ham salad with sour cherry dressing
This is the ideal Boxing Day salad when you need to use up any leftover ham.
Prawns with saffron, chilli and quinoa
A light midweek dinner made easy.
Prawn linguine with semi-dried tomatoes and olives
A summery prawn pasta that’s a no-fuss midweek meal? Yes please.
Salt and pepper prawn and pork noodles
A flavour-packed noodle dish that requires very little time and effort.
Fragrant prawns with Thai basil and udon noodles
Fresh, fast and flavourful: this is the easy way to make prawns a midweek meal.
Prawn and crab toast with herb salad
This crunchy, fragrant prawn and crab toast recipe makes for a tasty snack at cocktail hour.
How to make hummus with fragrant prawn and crab sauce
Chef Tom Sarafian shares the hummus that earned him a cult following both in restaurants and out.
Fried cavolo nero and peppered prawn gnocchi with pancetta
Pan-fried comfort and coastal richness with a hit of green — this is a top gnocchi recipe for seafood lovers and flavour seekers alike.
Thai-style barbecued lobster with lemongrass, makrut lime and palm sugar
A vibrant take on a classic seafood Christmas dish.
Lobster rolls with potato chips
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for lobster rolls with potato chips.
Yabby jaffles
Recipe for yabby jaffles by Sean McConnell from Canberra restaurant Monster.
Lemongrass prawns with gỏi xoài
Gỏi xoài is a traditional Vietnamese green mango salad with a zesty dressing. In this recipe, we used ripe sweet mangoes to balance the sharp green mango and tart salad dressing.
Barbecued prawn and corn rolls with smashed avocado
Primed for backyard barbecues this summer.
Prawn and soba noodle salad with sesame-ginger dressing
A go-to summer recipe that’s light and satisfying in equal measure.
Bloody Mary prawn rolls
Vodka-pickled prawns, soft pull-apart rolls and a generous slather of mayonnaise. It’s the sandwich of summer.
Prawn and pomelo salad with roasted chilli dressing
The prawns in this salad can also be left whole and barbecued in their shells for extra flavour.
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Prawn and avocado salad with spiced tomato dressing
How to improve on fresh prawns with avocado? Adding a smoky, spicy tomato dressing to the mix.
Smoked trout, carrot and quinoa salad with harissa dressing
If you’re after a salad with spice, acidity, sweetness and smokiness, we have you covered.
Smoked trout scramble
A breakfast that’s guaranteed to please.
Farro, broccoli and smoked trout salad
Remember when you promised to eat more whole grains?
Ham steaks with fried egg and chilli tamarind sauce
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for ham steaks with fried egg and chilli tamarind sauce.
Banh mi thịt (Vietnamese pork roll)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for banh mi thit.
Russian salad
Need a quick and easy potato salad? Look here.
Spicy roast chicken noodle soup
A cure-anything chicken soup that’ll become a weeknight staple.
Chicken and avocado salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for chicken and avocado salad by Pete Evans.
Chicken, radish and bean salad with tarragon dressing
This simple salad is a great way to use up leftover roast or barbecued chicken.
Turkey and pistachio terrine with pickled nectarines
Pickled nectarines on the side are the perfect accompaniment for this turkey and pistachio terrine, cutting through the richness with light and fruity notes.
Christmas pudding semifreddo
If there’s a better way to use up leftover Christmas pudding, we’ve yet to find it.
Roast pork rolls with apple slaw
Rolls stuffed with tender pork and crunchy crackling have to be one of the easiest (and most popular) ways to feed a crowd.
Grilled pork with pineapple and curry vinaigrette
Pork works well with most fruit, and we’ve added a curry dressing for a touch of spice. Leftover ham (from Christmas, say) would work well in place of the pork.
Cuban sandwiches
The Cubano, or Cuban sandwich, is like a ham and cheese sandwich on steroids, made with roast pork as well as ham, and pickles and mustard.
Pork scratchings with spicy salt
This could be the ultimate beer snack. The key is to dry the skin thoroughly in the oven so it puffs when it’s fried.
The Hawaiian
Is Hawaiian pizza your guilty pleasure? If so, this one’s for you. Inspired by Bar Brosé’s “late-night sandwich”, this is all about tangy pineapple pickle and excellent leg ham and Gruyère.
Ham tamales
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for ham tamales,
Kylie Kwong’s Christmas fried rice
We’ve teamed up with OzHarvest and Kylie Kwong to create Gourmet Leftovers: a fried rice that uses up your Christmas produce.
Darren Robertson’s shaved zucchini salad with Christmas ham and macadamias
We’ve teamed up with OzHarvest and Darren Robertson to create Gourmet Leftovers: a zucchini salad that uses up any odd ends from Christmas.
Cauliflower piccalilli with ham and buttermilk biscuits
You’ll fall in love with this turmeric cauliflower piccalilli. They’re a perfect match with sliced ham and buttermilk biscuits, the savoury American cousin to scones.
Christmas leftovers: Boxing Day sandwich and pink Champagne
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe and wine match for Boxing Day sandwich.
Ham and cheese toasties with quick-pickled cucumber
Layer these quick pickles into sourdough sandwiches filled with leg ham and Gruyère before toasting, or keep them on hand to serve with smoked trout or gravlax.
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