There is nearly always some meat leftover if I do a roast dinner and the meals I make with it I often prefer to the roast dinner itself. So much so that I have taken to slow cooking a chicken or joint for the sole purpose of dividing up into portions for ‘left over’ meals through the rest of the week!

I think the reason I love these meals so much is because they are super fast – generally the thing that takes longest to cook in a recipe is the meat – so if that’s already cooked and just needs reheating, it can cut the cooking time of a meal in half. Perfect for school nights when you have to fit meals in between after-school clubs and swimming lessons and whatever else life throws at you.

Most of these recipes work fine with any meat, so it doesn’t matter if you have left over chicken, pork or beef, they all work. Also, there are loads of ready made sauces available which cut the timings even more but if you don’t have them to hand, these recipes are all pretty simple & use things you probably just have in your cupboards.

1) Chow Mein

You will need:

• Egg noodles
• Left over meat
• 1 onion (sliced)
• A tin of beansprouts (optional)
• A large handful of frozen mixed vegetables/leftover vegetables (optional)
• 1 tsp Fresh ginger (I use rinsed Very Lazy Ginger, you could probably use ground)
• 3 tbsp Tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce
• ½ tsp Chinese five spice
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (optional) (I use a small squirt of garlic puree instead)
• 3 tbsp water

1. In a bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, five spice, ketchup, soy sauce and fish sauce with the water.
2. Cook your noodles according to the instructions on the packet. If using frozen vegetables, add them to the noodles to cook. Drain, ready to use later.
3. Meanwhile, gently fry the onion in a little oil until soft in a wok or frying pan.
4. When the onion is soft, add the left over meat to the pan and pour on the sauce. Stir well until sauce is bubbling slightly.
5. Add the noodles, vegetables and beansprouts and stir until everything is well coated in the sauce and warmed through.
6. Serve!

2) Curry

You will need:

• Rice (I would suggest cooking twice as much as you need to have some left over for the next recipe!)
• Left over meat
• 1 onion
• ½ tsp fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 100g chopped tomatoes (fresh or tinned)
• A pinch of sugar
• Salt & pepper to season
• 4 tbsp plain yoghurt
• Vegetable Oil

1. Cook your rice according to the instructions on the packet. (I sometimes like to chuck in a handful of frozen vegetables with my rice)
2. Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook over a low-medium heat until soft and golden brown.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for one minute.
4. Add the curry powder and tomato puree and stir for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, sugar a small splash of water and season to taste.
6. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Add the left over meat and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the yoghurt and serve with the rice!

3) Egg Fried Rice

You will need:

• Cooked rice (Preferably completely cooled, so left over rice is best!)
• 2 Eggs
• Left over meat
• Left over/frozen vegetables (unless you already have them in your rice)
• Soy sauce
• ½tsp Chinese five spice
• Cooking oil

1.  Heat a little oil in a wok or frying pan, break in both eggs and stir quickly.
2. Throw in the rice, vegetables and meat and stir well to mix in the egg.
3. Add the five spice and enough soy sauce to colour all the rice (probably about a tablespoon – I never measure so I can’t be sure!)
4. Continue stirring until everything is cooked/heated through.
5. Serve!