Divas on a Dime: Give leftovers new life with this easy technique

To keep our grocery budgets on track we need to consume the food we purchase with as little waste as possible. This means eating leftovers.

However, serving the same thing a twice can feel a little boring. Sometimes it’s helpful to totally re-invent leftovers to make them more enticing.

Here’s a fun way to up your leftover game. We’re going to fill a pie crust with your suppertime surplus making a rustic potpie. But because we’re Divas we’re going to put on our fancy pants and call this a galette.

In French, “galette” is a term used to describe freeform pies made with only one crust. These can be sweet or savory, often filled with eggs, vegetables or fruit. A galette is a perfect way to creatively use up all the little bits and pieces left over in the fridge.

A nine-inch pie crust holds between two and three cups of filling and yields two to four servings. Extra Diva points if you make your own pastry, but purchasing ready-made pie crusts is perfectly fine.

This is more of a “technique” than a recipe because anything goes as far as your filling. When choosing leftovers to put in your galette, divide filling between protein (like cooked shredded or chopped chicken, pork, beef or beans), and cooked veggies. Of course, cheese goes with everything. If you total two to three cups, you can get as creative as you desire.

We begin by heating the leftovers in a skillet to combine the flavors. If you’re adding items that need to be cooked, like chopped onion, cook them before adding the leftovers. Consider adding sauces, (like barbecue, alfredo, marinara, teriyaki) if appropriate.

If you’d like to include a creamy sauce here’s how to make béchamel sauce right in the pan. If your filling has a bit of fat from the leftovers you chose, you’re probably good as you are. If it’s on the dry side, add a tablespoon of fat (like butter, olive oil, vegetable oil) and stir to distribute. Sprinkle the heated filling with ¼ cup flour, stirring for two minutes to cook the flour. Add one cup liquid (milk, cream or broth) and mix it together. It will thicken as the liquid comes to a simmer.

Meanwhile; preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll your pastry into a round on a piece of parchment paper. Place the filling in the center, leaving about three inches border on the sides. Pull the sides of the pastry up over the filling, pinching at intervals to secure the pastry. Place the pastry along with the parchment onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden.

The combination in the photo is purple onion, sliced mushrooms, shredded chicken breast, artichoke hearts and chopped spinach. I made the cream sauce as shown above with a handful of parmesan cheese. It was divine, but since I just threw leftovers in the skillet, it’ll never be the same again. And that’s exactly as it should be.

“Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous!” Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com