Easy Recipes That Are Guaranteed To Have Leftovers

Sometimes you want to make a big meal, whether you're feeding a large family or group of friends or just don't want to have to cook for yourself for a few days. That's when one-pot meals like risotto, chili, braised meats, beans, and casseroles come in handy. They're often more affordable because they use economical pieces of meat, grains, and legumes. And an added perk is that they're often pretty hands-off. You throw them in the oven, slow-cooker, or Instant Pot and dinner's ready when you are. For some recipes, that's a mere six minutes in the case of foolproof Instant Pot risotto or, at the other end of the scale, somewhere between six and eight hours for slow-cooker chili. 

Then there's spicy jambalayas, simple chicken fried rice, and Vietnamese-inspired chicken pho soup, which, after you've made them once, you'll want to keep in your dinner recipe arsenal for a long time to come. Because your time's valuable and your stomach deserves a great meal, here are easy recipes that are guaranteed to give you some delicious leftovers, from classic lasagna and copycat rotisserie chicken to Instant Pot pork carnitas and pork loin roast for a crowd.

This Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dish is like a beef or lamb lasagna, but with a béchamel-inspired cheese sauce and fried eggplant slices in place of noodles. This moussaka is rich and tangy thanks to the addition of ricotta. feta cheese, and Greek yogurt. It gets an aromatic boost from cinnamon, nutmeg, red wine, and mint. And in true Mediterranean style, there's plenty of olive oil involved. 

Like lasagna, there's some assembly required, but the results speak for themselves. Though this recipe for moussaka serves 10, you should probably make a second casserole dish and freeze it for when you run out of leftovers.

Whether you're craving tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas or flautas, this Instant Pot carnitas recipe is going to be the go-to tortilla filling for pork-lovers everywhere. The secrets are in the spice rub, the quick sear, and the two and a half hours of slow-cooking. That process uses orange juice or pineapple juice so that the sweet-and-sour flavor can mix with the juices of the pork for taco perfection.

It's also an incredibly economical recipe, using five pounds of pork shoulder to yield 10 servings. Purists might say that all you'll need are tortillas to make a complete meal, but some salsa fresca, rice, or guacamole wouldn't go astray here, either.

A giant pot of beans is always guaranteed to have leftovers, not just because they're not delicious, but because it's so easy to make a huge amount at once (this recipe serves 12!). The only downside is that dry beans usually take forever to make and you often have to remember to soak them overnight. 

But with an Instant Pot, even the potentially laborious task of cooking beans is easy. You don't even need to pre-soak the beans here. These baked beans cook in just 25 minutes, after which you can drain them and add them along with barbecue sauce, cider vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, sautéed bacon, bell pepper, and onion, and then cook for just 15 minutes more. As a result, you'll have sweet and tender barbecue "baked" beans in less than two hours.

Take leftover cooked rice, add low-fat chicken breast, eggs, and simple, fresh seasonings and dinner will come together in no time. This one-pot meal of chicken fried rice is supposed to serve four people, with almost 20 grams of protein per serving. However, remember to plan for leftovers, especially if you throw in some extra veggies that will help to bring up the volume of fried rice. 

You'll like this one so much that you'll want to always have extra rice on hand for a last-minute dinner that's sure to please everyone.

Take a giant piece of pork loin, stick it in the oven for an hour and a half along with some vegetables and spices and serve it with a gravy made from the tasty pan drippings. Simple, but don't let that fool you into thinking you're missing out on flavor and wonderful leftovers. That couldn't be farther from the truth. 

The 2 to 3 pounds of meat called for in this pork loin roast recipe makes a hearty meal for up to eight people and there are bound to be leftovers unless you're feeding a truly ravenous group. The extra step of searing the meat before roasting makes all the difference for a browned, crisped exterior and juicy, tender interior.

There's nothing that fills you up and warms you up quite like chili. With chili powder, a can of diced green chiles, ground cumin, and smoked paprika, this turkey chili recipe stays on the mild side but still has a considerable depth of flavor. It also comes together in just 40 minutes with canned beans, tomatoes, and corn. 

It serves six and hits the spot, so don't be surprised if it turns into a weeknight staple with plenty of leftovers.

This homemade chicken pho recipe is a relatively quick version of the traditional Vietnamese soup that's usually simmered for hours, but it's still got all the aromatic spices and rich bone broth with oh-so-slurpable rice noodles to satisfy your craving for comfort. The beef base and boneless chicken give it a meaty feel without the heaviness of a stew or long-braised dish. 

It officially serves four, but those are ample servings and you're likely to have leftovers. You can always add more broth or noodles to make use of that last bit of delicious broth.

You don't just want leftovers from dinner, do you? Breakfast can come with leftovers, too, making it easier to eat well again tomorrow morning (or later the same day — we're not judging). So this hashbrown casserole basically takes all the best parts of a filling breakfast and puts it into one giant dish, perfect for reheating by the piece or altogether later. 

It's a creamy, chewy, salty, and crispy blend of potatoes, cheese, onion, and butter, with sour cream to give it tanginess and condensed cheddar cheese soup to bring it all together in true casserole style.