10 Creative Ways To Use Leftover Roasted Vegetables

Roasted vegetables are one of those reliable side dishes you can always count on. You don't need a recipe, since you can just combine whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand with a mix of seasonings. Suddenly, your beans, tofu, chicken thighs, or fish have a tasty side dish, which will add bulk and nutrients. Whether you're the type to roast all of your veggies together in one pan or meticulously separate and cook them individually to ensure each one reaches the ideal texture, this is a dish that can play a starring role in your weekly meal rotation.

You may find yourself with leftover roasted vegetables after you finish your meal. If you're like us and the idea of reheating them and eating them when they're slightly soggy the next day makes you cringe, you've come to the right place. These are some of our favorite ways to use leftover roasted vegetables. By employing these ideas, you can ensure that those leftovers will never go to waste again (without having to pretend like you enjoy day-old limp roasted carrots).

Incorporating salads into your daily routine is a great way to boost your produce intake and feel your best. But just because you're making a salad doesn't mean you can only use raw vegetables; roasted ones can come in handy. Simply toss them into your salad alongside greens, fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and some sort of carb, and you'll have a balanced meal that doesn't take too long to make.

We love this solution because it helps us use up those leftover roasted vegetables, of course, but it also makes constructing a salad that much easier, since you won't have to chop as much fresh produce. You can either keep the roasted vegetables cold to pair with the rest of your salad or heat them up before serving to create a nice temperature contrast between the hot and cold elements in the dish.

Sandwiches are a totally underrated vegetable delivery vehicle. Not only do you get to work more produce into your diet, but you get to eat a ton of bread in the process. What's not to love? Roasted vegetables usually aren't great fillings for cold sandwiches because they clash with the other cold ingredients and the raw bread may not hold them as well.

That's why you may want to consider making a panini if you're looking for a way to use up your leftover roasted vegetables. Since you're pressing that sandwich as you're cooking it, it's easier to ensure that none of the ingredients will fall out once you start eating. This works particularly well with sliced vegetables, like eggplant or peppers, because you don't need to compress them as much. In fact, our recipe for ratatouille-ish eggplant paninis with herb aioli is a great example of just how tasty veggies can be in this type of sandwich. 

Risotto is one of those dishes that just feels super luxurious, even though it's a rather humble recipe. One of the best parts about it is its versatility. You can add basically any type of vegetable to it to make it more flavorful and bulk up your meal. And when you're just trying to throw together an easy meal on the fly, it only makes sense to use what you already have in the fridge. If that happens to be roasted vegetables, you're in for a serious treat.

Since roasted vegetables have already been seasoned and browned, they pack a ton of flavor. Adding all of that flavor to your risotto will automatically make it more interesting and complex without requiring a ton of work on your part. Plus, the chopping is already done. Whether you're working with leftover Brussels sprouts, onions, squash, or all of the above, your homemade risotto is about to get a lot more delicious.

Pizza is one of our favorite end-of-week treats, but ordering takeout or delivery on a regular basis can be pricey. That's why it's such a good idea to make your own pizza at home. Not only is it much cheaper than getting pizza out, but you can also customize your toppings using whatever you're craving or whatever you have on hand. If you have leftover roasted vegetables in your fridge, it might just be a sign to put them on your pizza.

Roasted onions and garlic would clearly work really well here, as would roasted tomatoes. However, you can get a little more creative with your toppings. Eggplant, for instance, can make for a delicious roasted pizza topping, as can roasted sweet potato. Roasted kale can also make for a tasty addition, but just remember that you'll only want to add it to your pizza right before it's done cooking — otherwise, it might burn, especially since it's already been roasted. Experiment with different types of roasted vegetables; they may just become your new favorite pizza topping.

You can always start your day with fried, scrambled, or hard-boiled eggs, but there's something so much more exciting about an omelet. Not only are you getting eggs, but you can also bulk them up with any other flavorful, savory ingredients you happen to have in your fridge. When we make omelets at home, we usually just toss whatever's in the produce drawer into it without doing much planning. But who says you have to stick with the raw, fresh produce? If you really want to boost the flavor of your dish and cut down on your prep and cook time, you can just use some leftover vegetables.

Roasted potatoes are a solid addition here, since they're already a widely recognized breakfast food that pairs well with eggs. But greens, like roasted broccoli and roasted cabbage, are also top-notch additions, since they add both flavor and fiber. Since eggs are such a neutral base, you really can't go wrong here — experiment with different types of roasted vegetables to see what tastes best to you. Who knows? You may start making extra veg on purpose just to include it in your omelet the next morning.

Jarred pasta sauce is always an option when you want to get dinner on the table quickly without a lot of fuss, but it rarely yields the most delicious dish. When you're really trying to go all out with your pasta, it's generally a good idea to make your pasta sauce from scratch. While you're going to want to add the basics — like tomatoes and garlic— you can kind of play with the other ingredients. As long as you have some leftover roasted veggies on hand, why not incorporate them?

For a more fall-themed pasta dish, for example, you can include roasted squash or pumpkin. Middle of the summer? Try incorporating some roasted zucchini. Eggplant, onions, and even carrots can add nutrients to your meal and offer the sauce a more complex flavor. Either blend the roasted vegetables into the sauce, or simply leave them chunky so you get a mix of textures in every bite. Your homemade pasta is going to taste better than ever.

When you're trying to use up leftovers of basically any kind in your fridge, there is one dish that'll help you get rid of all of those random scraps of ingredients: soup. Sure, if you follow a specific soup recipe you may need to incorporate certain ingredients into the mix, but most of the time, you can pull off a simple soup with random produce you already have in your fridge. That applies to fresh and frozen vegetables, of course, but you can also throw some roasted vegetables into the pot as well. They're already cooked and have their flavors concentrated, making them an easy way to add flavor to your soup.

Roasted potatoes work particularly well in a soup if you're trying to make it heartier and more filling. You can blend them up to create a creamy soup, or use chunks of them in a nice, light broth to bulk up your recipe,. Honestly, though, just about any type of roasted vegetable can work well here, since soups are so incredibly versatile.

Going out for tacos is always fun, but when you're trying to save money, you can always make them at home. Luckily, depending on what kind of tacos you're making, they can be pretty easy to throw together even with the random ingredients you just happen to have on hand in the refrigerator. And although leftover roasted vegetables may not offer the most typical flavor profile for tacos, they can create an interesting, flavorful filling that can complement or even replace the other ingredients you plan on adding. For example, the roasted vegetables can be used as toppers for fillings like meat, tofu, or mushrooms, or you can skip the typical meaty filling altogether and just focus on those veggies.

Roasted potatoes, of course, work well here, but you can also go a less conventional route and include roasted Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or even carrots in your tacos. Roasted cabbage can make a particularly flavorful addition, with its signature bitterness lending some complexity to the taco.

You've probably noticed that a lot of the dish suggestions on this list are pretty versatile, which is what lends them to being such great vessels for leftover roasted vegetables. Stir-frys are no exception; they're one of the easiest types of dishes to make when you're trying to use up leftovers. Of course, roasted vegetables work well here too. Basically, all you have to do is add some oil to your pan, throw in those veggies, add whatever other ingredients you want to incorporate into the dish, and make some sort of sauce to bring it all together. Then, you can layer your stir-fry over rice, pasta, a baked potato, or eat it all on its own. What more could you want from a simple, no-fuss dish like this?

Just consider how cooked each type of veggie is before you add it to the pan. Your slightly overcooked roasted celery, for instance, should be added to the pan after the still-al dente potato chunks. That way, none of the components of the dish will end up overcooked or soggy.

We all love a quick and easy breakfast that's both filling and tasty, which is why homemade breakfast burritos are some of our favorites. They taste amazing, allow you to incorporate a ton of different produce in one meal, and you can make them ahead of time and freeze them so you always have an easy, microwavable breakfast on hand when you're on the go first thing in the morning. The options are endless when it comes to fillings, so it just makes sense to use up whatever you already have in the fridge. And if you just happen to have some leftover roasted vegetables waiting to be used in some other recipe, you're in luck.

Basically, you can incorporate roasted vegetables into your breakfast burrito just like you would with any other filling. Cook them along with the eggs or tofu (if you're including any), or just add them in afterward. Either way, you're in for a super flavorful breakfast.