need a midweek dinner that uses up fridge leftovers (with caveats!)

[Noideawhattowritehere]

I've got us on a roughly monthly meal rotation (basically 7 themed days, each with 4 options) which seems to work ok, but I'm short of an option four in 'meals that use up whatever is hanging around the fridge'.

I've already got frittata, jacket pots and breakfast for dinner, but I'm out of ideas for no.4 because of multi generational food intolerances and preferences:

• no chilli or curry spices
• not more rice or noodles
• no bread
• no meat substitutes
• no dried beans, peas or lentils
• no cabbage, leek, onion
• not salad
• not from Asia or South America

I've already got pastry topped pie, chips, shepherds pie, casserole, Yorkshire puds and fakeaways elsewhere on the rotation as well as lots of fish and pasta.

It needs to be ready in 45mins or less and not require much skill.

Help! and thanks in advance.

Pasta with veggie sauce from whatever's hanging about?
Homemade pizza?
Soup and cheese on toast

Food intolerances and preferences? That's a pretty restrictive list. Give them an apple and cook yourself a nice meal.

what sort of things do you have in the fridge?
Are you talking mainly veg stuff or meat, or left overs from previous meals, in which case what sort of leftovers?

I know you said no rice but what about risotto? There are some oven based recipes that you don't need to stir so are quite quick and easy. Or a big bowl of cous cous surprise (chuck in a stock cube and fry/roast any leftovers before throwing them in).

Roasted veg with halloumi
Sausage and mash

Maybe a puff pastry tart or quiche (would need to use ready made pastry/pastry case to get it into the 45 min category though).

Baked eggs, I usually do shakshuka, but you could always leave the chilli out and there are alway recipes for green baked eggs.

A pasta dish/ bake combining whatever veg, meat, cheese etc you have that needs using.

Pancakes with cheese and whatever veg filling.

Much depends on what you've got as leftovers, but soup is an obvious possibility. Though you say "no bread" would that include garlic bread, or croutons, or cheese scones to go with the soup?

Pasta bake with leftovers and a cheese sauce, call it "something" gratin!

Make whatever you've got into a pie with bought puff pastry with added gravy or white sauce.

Thanks everyone. We do eat a fair bit of pasta and sausages already and soup and bread feature heavily at lunchtime, but @AtleastitsnotMonday had a great idea about pancakes which I'll definitely try, thank you!

Usually by the time we get to leftovers day there's some veg on its last legs, a few eggs and slices of bacon and sometimes half a portion of cold meat left from the weekend roast. Plus we always have lots of cheddar on hand and a stocked pantry and freezer.

Quesadillas. You can bung anything I'm as well as the cheese and get everyone to make their own do them to personal preferences

Pancakes is a good suggestion, or if you have lots of different leftover veg make fritters - chop the veg small, add some flour and and egg and cheese if you want and fry. You can serve with a fried egg on top to make it more of a meal.

Omelettes or Spanish omelette?

How about a bubble and squeak type dish? You could use tinned potatoes which are great in this sort of thing, random green veg, chopped up bacon fried off and mixed in with the potatoes, then combine and whack in the oven with some cheese on top then serve with cold meat and chutney.

Omelettes
Egg muffins and beans
Quesadillas

I would use a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry, top with your leftovers and bake for 25mins or so.

To be honest, with that many restrictions I'd forget the whole idea of having 28 different meal options

@Noideawhattowritehere

Usually by the time we get to leftovers day there's some veg on its last legs, a few eggs and slices of bacon and sometimes half a portion of cold meat left from the weekend roast. Plus we always have lots of cheddar on hand and a stocked pantry and freezer.

with this I would do a spanish omlette type thing.

My dh does one in the oven. basically cooks the veg and bacon, and then adds eggs and milk and shoves it in the oven. It is a sort of crustless quiche.

You could then chop some potatoes into small squares, toss in oil and herbs and put them on a roasting tin in the oven. So oven egg bake with mini roasties. The dish does take about 30 mins to cook, but not long to prepare.

I've already tried quesadillas which did not go down well with the octogenarian, but fritters and a sort of bubble and squeak are both possibilities to try too.

Thanks a lot, you've given me ideas that didn't come up when I was searching online.

By the way, for those who think I'm trying too hard, I've got one with a medical condition and an 80-something with old fashioned tastes to cater for and neither should have to eat what doesn't work for them x

How about a stew or sausage surprise?

I'd just fry it off and put it through pasta +/- a simple tomato sauce would that work ? Gnocchi is a super quick and different alternative.

Bung it all in a cheese sauce and bake? A sort of variation on cauli cheese. I’d serve it with garlic bread or something, but I imagine it would be fine with potatoes (either in the sauce too or as the side item).

By the way, for those who think I'm trying too hard, I've got one with a medical condition and an 80-something with old fashioned tastes to cater for and neither should have to eat what doesn't work for them x

I found this really lovely OP.
You are going to great lengths to care well for these people.
x x