10 Delicious Recipes to Transform Leftover Chili into New Meals
- Erika Doty
- Oct 8
- 3 min read
Ok...so you made the big pot of chili. It was cold that day, you needed some comfort food, something you could plop in the crockpot and forget about dinner for a minute. Or maybe you whipped up a double batch for your trick-or-treaters. Whatever the reason, now you're staring at the leftovers. You can always freeze those for another cold day when you don't want to make dinner. But let's not be so boring, huh? Plus, do you really want to hear, "Mom...chili again!"
For as long as I can remember, one thing that I was always impressed by with my sweet Italian grandmother was how she could take almost any combination of random leftovers from the fridge/freezer and whip up the most delicious meal. It felt like magic. Never did we say, "Ugh, not this again!" (even though it totally was that again).
Magic or not, Babble found this awesome list from The Food Network to help us get creative...at least with the leftover chili. Below are their 10 ideas to help you utilize those chili leftovers and win at dinner.
Shepherd's Pie
Warm the chili in a baking dish — stir in frozen peas for an extra hit of veggies if you’d like — and top with mashed potatoes. Bake till brown and bubbly, and dig in.
Empanadas
Fold prepared dough circles (empanada wrappers or pie dough work great) around leftover chili, crimp to seal and bake till golden. Serve with sour cream for dipping.
Chili Mac
The only thing better than mac and cheese is chili mac and cheese. Stir leftover chili into your favorite mac-and-cheese recipe and serve as is, or use to top hot dogs for a tailgate-style feast.
Picadillo
Warm up tomatoey chili with a generous dose of raisins and green olives to make this Cuban classic. Serve over rice.
Enchiladas
Gently fry corn tortillas and roll them around shredded cheese before tucking into a pan, topping with leftover chili and baking.
Shakshuka
The Middle Eastern fricassee has only a few must-have ingredients: tomatoes, chiles, onions and eggs. Poach eggs in leftover chili and you’re there. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.
Chili Eggs Benedict
Warm leftover chili and spoon over toasted English muffins before topping with poached eggs and hollandaise. Add some avocado or jalapenos.
Twice Baked Potatoes
Bake potatoes, halve them, scoop out their filling, mash and swirl chili in. Spoon back into the skins, top with shredded Jack cheese, and bake till warm and golden. Also works as just a baked potato topping. Try a baked potato bar for dinner one night - set out all of the fun toppings, including the warmed up leftover chili. Excellent on a sweet potato too!
Tamale Pie
Pour chili into a baking dish, top with dollops of your favorite cornbread batter, and bake until golden and bubbling. Spike the batter with cheese and fresh corn to really go all out.
Stuffed Peppers
Add cooked rice or quinoa to the chili and spoon into hollowed-out peppers with a flurry of freshly grated Parmesan, then bake until the peppers are soft and the filling is heated through.
What? Don't have a go-to chili recipe you love?
Check out Babble's Best Chili Recipe - the winner of our first-ever Chili Cook-Off, and Texas Chef Certified!
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