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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
19/02/2026
When creating your leftover recipes with the intention of repurposing food finds the strongest support from this article. Not only do you reduce the amount of waste created, but you also teach yourself and your family how to eat more sustainably and improve their eating habits.
During Ramadan 2026, every day you fast and then feast means having plenty of food left from iftar, which is often eaten in a hurry for suhoor. Instead of throwing away that food, smart use of the kitchen can turn leftovers into nutritious, energy-packed meals. These leftover recipes are created with a focus on: using ingredients you already have, being easy to prepare, and using ingredients that are staples in your kitchen. Using leftovers creates convenience when you need to prepare meals quickly, helps reduce waste and helps you fuel your body in preparation for the day ahead.
A popular leftover at iftar is spiced ground meat (or keema), which can also take the spotlight at your suhoor if you make stuffed parathas out of the leftover keema. By wrapping the leftover keema into whole grain flatbread (parathas), and then lightly warming them until they are warm (not hot) before eating, you are creating a delicious meal that has excellent flavour and protein for early morning energy.
Fresh fruit chaat is often eaten at iftar as well and is a great addition to any energising drink you may make at dawn, especially if you happen to have a piece or two of fruit in your fruit chaat that is almost overripe. If you freeze your fruit chaat in portions, they can then be blended into a smoothie, which will give you a good source of fibre, natural sugars, and hydration so that you feel fuller longer during the fasting hours.
Leftover dal is another nutritional powerhouse, and combined with cracked wheat or daliya, it can create an amazingly high-protein meal for suhoor. This combination will provide you with complex carbohydrates, fibre, and plant-based protein, which will slow down digestion and help you maintain energy levels during the fast.
If you happen to have some roasted or sautéed vegetables from your iftar meal that you have not yet eaten, do not let them sit in your refrigerator. If you add either legumes or proteins to the leftover vegetables and serve them together in a bowl, you will create a healthy and balanced meal that contains carbohydrates and micronutrients to help keep your caloric intake in check while you are fasting during Ramadan.
Other than fruit, yoghurt, nuts, seeds and oatmeal are common ingredients for iftar, as they can be used individually, or together in combination to make suhoor smoothie bowls providing high protein, probiotics and long-lasting energy. Little cooking is needed for these bowls, and by using yoghurt or soaked oats from the fridge, the nutritional value is amplified compared to eating them plain.
Using leftovers in innovative ways is not only a practical way to prepare for the upcoming day's meals, but it also serves to uphold an overall culinary philosophy of respecting food, alleviating waste and maximising nourishment during an important time for energy management. Blending smoothies, stuffing bread, or mixing grains and legumes can help take the abundance from last night and make power for today.
