Elly Curshen’s quick weeknight recipes for using up leftover greens, bread and vegetables

These are all about taking the spoils of the weekend, whether that’s leftovers from Sunday lunch, the bits you couldn’t finish from a takeaway or the last scraps from a party spread, and stretching them out to make joyous weekday lunches. I’m concentrating on ideas, rather than recipes as such, because using up the odds and ends from the fridge needs to be part of the flow of your cooking to avoid waste. Everything is quick, easy, involves minimal prep and, crucially, is endlessly open to adaptation.

Leftover naan with egg, chilli crisp, chutney and spring onion (pictured top)

Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 1

1 medium egg
Leftover naan or roti, or frozen paratha cooked from frozen in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes
1 spring onion and/or fresh herbs – coriander is perfect
Chutney, such as mango, raita, mint, lime pickle
Chilli crisp – I like Laoganma

Bring a small pan of water to a boil, then add the egg and set a timer for six and a half minutes. (To save time, boil and peel a few eggs, then keep them in a sealed container in the fridge, where they’ll be fine for three days.)

Meanwhile, sprinkle a little water over the leftover naan and stick it under the grill for a minute on each side, to wake it up a bit. (If you are using frozen paratha, remove from the packaging and put directly into a large, hot frying pan and cook as per the packet instructions.)

Finely slice the spring onion and roughly chop the herbs, if using. Spread some chutney over the naan, then peel and quarter the boiled egg and arrange it on top. Add the spring onion, herbs, if using, and chilli crisp, then roll or fold up and eat over a plate.

Leftover greens on toast with cottage cheese, melted chilli jam and toasted seeds

Elly Curshen’s leftover greens on toast with cottage cheese, chilli jam and toasted seeds.

Prep 5 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 1

2 tsp olive oil
1 small handful leftover greens (cooked or raw), such as cabbage, green beans, kale, cauliflower leaves, peas and/or broccoli, all roughly chopped
2 slices bread
2-4 tbsp cottage cheese, or cream cheese or creme fraiche
1 tbsp chilli jelly or jam, or sweet chilli sauce
Flaky sea salt
2 tsp toasted mixed seeds – toast a whole bag, then store in a jar to have to hand

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the leftover greens. If they are already cooked, just let them heat through and char a bit (avoid the temptation to jiggle them around too much); if they’re raw, stir-fry with a splash of water until tender, then leave to char. You want hot, slightly blistered greens that retain their bite.

Meanwhile, toast the bread, then spread it with the cottage cheese. Pile the hot greens on top, then immediately stir the chilli jam into the empty hot pan, add a splash of water and warm through for 30 seconds, until the jam liquefies (if using sweet chilli sauce, skip this step). Spoon the sauce over the greens, finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and some toasted mixed seeds, and serve hot.

Olive, red onion and mint salsa with hummus on toast

Elly Curshen’s olive, red onion and mint salsa and hummus on toast.

Prep 5 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 1

30g mixed olives, pitted and roughly chopped
20g very finely diced red onion
A few mint leaves, roughly chopped
A splash of red-wine vinegar (about ½ tsp)
A few grinds of black pepper
2 slices bread, such as seeded sourdough, or crackers, or crudites
Hummus – you’ll need about 1 tbsp per slice of bread

• Elly Curshen is a food writer based in Bristol.