Store Cupboard Recipes: 4 Things to Make with Leftover Salad

How’s everyone getting on? It’s pretty boring, this lockdown stuff. I’ve resorted to playing Roller Coaster Tycoon, listening to rewatch podcasts (Office Ladies and Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald if you’re interested) and exercising – FOR FUN. Ew.

But it’s important that we keep plodding along for our own protection and the protection of everyone around us, so well done for doing your bit! While we’re all still pining after our favourite food, I’ve found that coming up with new meal ideas a welcome challenge to distract me from constant daydreams about Nandos and Pizza Express.

I know salad isn’t exactly a “store cupboard” food but, in our house, it’s ALWAYS leftover – I guess that’s what happens when you ignore it and eat pizza instead. Who knew?! And I know we’re not alone, so here are a few ideas for using up that wilting bag of salad leaves before it dies a sad, lonely death in the bottom of the vegetable draw.

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1. Lemon ‘n’ lime salad

This is my favourite go-to salad because it’s super easy, really refreshing (perfect for the hot weather we’re having!) and full of flavour. If you don’t have fresh lemon and limes – I literally NEVER do – then bottled lemon and lime juice is something I’d definitely recommend picking up; seriously, so handy. I also find having various nuts and seeds in the cupboard (sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, cashews – whatever you like and whatever is in your budget) is really useful, especially for dishes like this.

Believe me, those limp lettuce leaves will come ALIVE with this recipe! Empty your leftover salad into a large bowl (along with any other salad ingredients – tomato, cucumber, red onion, grated carrot, etc.) and add a few drops of lemon and lime juice (I prefer more lime than lemon, but each to their own) and season with a pinch of garlic powder, salt, pepper and a teeny drizzle of oil. I also like to throw in pine nuts and sesame seeds, and I have a little shaker of fake parmesan “hard cheese” that I like to use for a delicious savoury flavour. I can find everything here in my kitchen 99% of the time, and they can all be swapped for whatever you have at home.

2. Burrito bowl

I’m seriously missing burritos right now, you guys. No Mexican restaurants are open for delivery near us, the supermarkets have v. limited veggie options and whenever I make burritos at home I always overfill them and they split (me? greedy? never!).  So, right now, a burrito bowl is the closest thing – and they’re awesome! 

Burrito bowls are perfect because you can make them using fairly basic ingredients, swapping most of them out for something else if you prefer. All you need to do is layer a bowl with rice and salad, throw some peppers and onions (with paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper) on top with a spoonful of beans – I like black beans or mixed taco beans, but you can spice anything up with garlic and paprika – and finish off with a little cheese, salsa and sour cream. Throw in plenty of spices along the way and you can’t go wrong!

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3. Club sandwich

Lunch is something I’ve reeeally struggled with during lockdown – without my Boots meal deal, I’m lost. Trying to make something exciting to look forward to every day (because let’s face it, even from home the best part of the work day is lunchtime) has been hard for me. I’ve fallen back on a pot of Super Noodles more than once these last few weeks, let me tell you!

Club sandwiches are probably the closest to a pub garden lunch we’ll get for a while, and it’s a really good way to use up some of those random fridge ingredients in one big wedge of sandwich-y goodness. Take a few slices of bread, layered up with your choice of main filling – chicken, turkey, or maybe mushrooms or marinated tofu – and then stuff in your salad along with any optional extras like avocado and tomato, perhaps a little mayonnaise or mustard, add in some egg or cheese if you feel like it, and you’ve got a great lunch! Don’t forget that extra slice of bread in the middle to make it a true club sandwich…

4. Mixed bean salad

I’m aware that a mixed bean salad probably sounds like the most boring thing in the world right now and, well, I won’t lie to you – you’re not wrong. It won’t light fireworks, but it’s a healthy, colourful plate, quick to put together and really good way to use up lots of different ingredients. And sometimes, in the middle of a pandemic, that’s all you need.

You can either grab a few different tins of beans yourself, or find a ready-made tin of mixed beans if you can’t be bothered to pick and choose (like me!). All you need to do  is heat them up, season with paprika, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, and toss them together with your leftover salad ingredients and BAM – you’ve done it! Tuck into this for a quick lunch, or perhaps serve up on the side of chicken or with a garlic flatbread to make more of a meal out of it. Perfect for a lazy summer evening!

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RECIPE: Rainbow Salad | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This rainbow salad recipe cost me less than £1.50 per person.
What are the benefits? This dish is loaded with veggies and easily gives you three of your five a day, not to mention it’s a great low-carb meal and vegan option.


I think I’ve probably said before that I’m not really a “salad person”. I’ll be honest – I don’t trust them. I know that sounds a bit weird, but hey, whatever. I just don’t trust salads. I don’t believe a salad will set my tastebuds alight and I’m very suspicious of a salad’s ability to actually fill me up. They’re just not a meal you can rely on, in my opinion.

However, I know that’s mostly nonsense made up in my head and that salads can actually be very tasty filling – if you do them right!

This rainbow salad is something I came up with on Pancake Day, mainly because I knew we’d be eating a mountain of batter loaded with chocolate spread, honey, fruit and basically all the sugar in the world later for dessert and needed something light and nutritious for dinner to offset the upcoming pancake rush.

The best thing about this salad is you can literally swap out any part of it to suit your needs. I made my plate out of veggies I love and ingredients that are easily accessible for me; that might not be the same for you. You want cucumber instead of tomatoes? Cool! Celery instead of sweetcorn? Go for it! Chicken breast instead of sweet potato? Okay, fine! Whatever changes you want to make, you can.

It’s a bright, vibrant plate of food with loads of different flavours and textures and plenty of variety to keep you full and tick plenty of boxes. Love yourself AND what you’re eating without missing out on a thing!

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INGREDIENTS
2 Sweet Potatoes
1 Onion, Sliced
1 Bell Pepper, Sliced
1/2 Red Onion, Sliced
1 Avocado, Sliced
1/2 Cup of Sweetcorn (frozen or fresh)
4 Cherry Tomatoes
1 Bag of Prepared Salad

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With the onions and peppers, throw in a small pinch of garlic (dried or fresh), paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper to give a little flavour to the dish. But that’s about it!


HOW TO MAKE RAINBOW SALAD

1. Heat the oven to 200°C, wash and prick the sweet potatoes and bake them in the oven for around an hour, until soft all the way through. If, after the hour, they’re still a little hard, blast in the microwave for a couple of minutes to finish them off.

2. Meanwhile, in a pan with a very small drop of oil or cooking spray, fry the onions and peppers with seasoning on a low heat for 10 minutes or so.

3. In a saucepan of salted boiling water, chuck in the sweetcorn and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. The last step is really just to bring everything together on the plate. Arrange the salad leaves, avocado slices, red onion and tomatoes on the plate. Pile up the cooked onions and peppers, drain the sweetcorn, and top everything with the sweet potato.


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Rainbow salad with buttered sweet potato, salad leaves, tomatoes, avocado, sweetcorn, peppers and onion

RECIPE: Crispy Ham & Roasted Parmesan Potato Salad | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This cost me less than £1 per person.
What are the benefits? This recipe is very high in antioxidants, provides at least one of your five a day, and both the cous cous and salad are, surprisingly, excellent sources of fibre.


Growing up, ham salad was one of my most dreaded dinners. When I got home from school, asked mum what was for tea and that was her answer, turning my nose up was almost instinctual. I’d ask if I could make myself something else just so I didn’t have to face a plate of cold ham, plain boiled potatoes and a few lettuce leaves. It did NOT appeal to me!

But as an adult, I now totally appreciate the benefits of this meal!

It’s really cheap – like living on a shoestring kinda cheap – it’s healthy, and you can throw it together in a matter of minutes.

So, I’ve taken this idea and turned it into something perhaps more inspiring, with the ham cooked until it’s warm, salty and crispy, the potatoes roasted with a parmesan crumb and the salad vibrant, full of colours and textures. It’s still a low cost, healthy dish but with a little more pizzazz.

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INGREDIENTS
4 – 8 (depending on size) Slices of Wafer Thin Ham, Sliced
1 Baking Potato, Cubed
Sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese 
1 Bag of Prepared Salad Leaves
8 Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1/4 Carrot

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As I’ve mentioned, it’s really important to me to make sure this recipe is full of flavour. The potatoes, as well as shavings of parmesan, should be coated in a teeny tiny dash of olive oil and a generous helping of salt, black pepper, dried rosemary and garlic flakes. The ham, even though already a salty meat, needs a touch more salt added whilst frying to give it that real bacon flavour, as well as some black pepper and dried thyme.


So, this is how I did it…

1. Chop the potato up into small cube shapes (or as close as you can get!). Place them in a roasting tray, coat with cooking spray and seasoning, sprinkle over some parmesan cheese and pop them into the oven on 200°C for about 30 minutes.

2. Slice the ham into strips or ribbons, place in a hot pan with the tiniest dash of olive oil, with a dash of salt and pepper, and cook on a pretty high heat for 10 minutes or so. The ham will cook incredibly quick but don’t be scared! We want it to get really crispy, almost to resemble bacon.

3. To get the salad together, slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Use a potato peeler to shred super thin slices to add raw carrot to the salad. Toss them in with the salad leaves.

4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and the ham from the frying pan, place on top of the salad mix and enjoy!

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RECIPE: Grilled Halloumi and Roasted Red Pepper Cous Cous Salad | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This cost me less than £1.50 per person.
What are the benefits? Cous cous is a good source of plant-based protein making this recipe completely vegetarian-friendly, and it provides at least one of your five a day.


Halloumi is deeeeee-licious, but it’s such a distinct taste and texture that you can’t just throw it into any old thing and expect it to work. It needs a bit of thought, this one.

But, accompanied with sweet, charred roasted red peppers, gently spiced cous cous and mellow salad leaves, halloumi is the perfect ingredient.

This salad is really easy to make, with most aspects of the dish taking just minutes to put together. It’s healthy too, bursting with colour, flavour and nutrition – enough of everything to keep you satisfied!

I managed to get the ingredients together for this one for around £1.48 per person (damn, halloumi can be kind of expensive…). It’s a quick, simple veggie meal, full of leafy greens and gorgeous colours – what more could you want?!

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INGREDIENTS
Block of Halloumi Cheese, Sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper
Bag of Prepared Salad Leaves
1 Packet of Flavoured Cous Cous

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I didn’t really add too much to this recipe, because I think the flavours really burst on their own. I seasoned the bell pepper with salt and ground black pepper before roasting, but that’s about it!


So, this is how I did it…

1. Heat the oven to around 220°C – you want it hot, hot, hot – and add the pepper, cut into quarters with stalk and seeds removed, to a tray, skin-side up. Coat with cooking spray and roast for 25 minutes.

2. Remove from the oven, swap over to the grill and slide the slices of halloumi underneath, grilling for 2-3 minutes each side (or until the cheese is a gorgeous golden brown).

3. While the halloumi grills, add some boiling water to your cous cous and cook according to packet instructions (usually only a couple of minutes).

4. Your salad leaves can go straight from the packet into a bowl, topped with the charred roasted red peppers, gooey halloumi cheese and tasty cous cous. Enjoy!

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