Cooking With Leftovers in Mind

With a little bit of advance planning, you can create really great meals in minutes if you cook with leftovers in mind.

I was surprised when my girlfriend went to the butcher and came home with a whole leg of lamb and a rack of lamb -- in other words, half a lamb. I don't know how she managed to carry so much meat all the way home, but somehow, she did. Once I got past my surprise, I set to work cooking.

(If you don't love lamb as much as we do, try these ideas with chicken or beef...)

First, I deboned the leg and used the bone to make a lamb stock. I simmered some of the stock with garlic, red onion, rosemary, and Tabasco, then added some cooked rice and vegetables to make a wonderful soup.

Then, I cooked the ribs barbecue-style with garlic, tomato sauce, brown sugar, and chilies, then braised the sweet-and-sour concoction in a low oven for several hours. I let the entire pan, liquid and all, sit in the refrigerator overnight, and the next day heated it up and served it with couscous.

The leg of lamb was cut into cubes and marinated with garlic, olive oil and rosemary overnight. The next day, I roasted it in a huge pot with garlic, red onion, and tomato paste. When the meat was nice and brown, I added some of the lamb stock and simmered it for 2 1/2 hours to make a deliciously tender lamb stew. We ate some of that with a side of stewed cabbage.

The next day, I made a stick-to-your-ribs pasta by tossing the leftover stew with tagliatelle, feta, and some olives.

Do you have any similar dishes that you transform into other meals? Share your tips with other Yahoo! readers.