8 Ideas for Leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned beef and cabbage is one of the most wholesome dishes I have tasted. So soft, rich, rustic, and incredibly delicious, it is a pleasure to cook as it is to eat. When I make this dish, no amount seems enough, and I always end up with plenty of leftovers, so I have a few tricks up my sleeve. So, what to do with leftover corned beef and cabbage?
Corned beef and cabbage leftovers fit marvelously into a number of dishes, whether as a side or as part of the main dish. Chowders, soups, casseroles, sandwiches, rolls, or pies are excellent ways to use your leftover corned beef and cabbage.
Reviving leftovers is one of my specialties and an extreme pleasure; you can even say that it’s a hobby of mine. Transforming one dish into another while saving its identity, for me, is a form of art. In this article, I will give you some delicious ideas about how to enhance and enjoy your corned beef and cabbage leftovers.
What to Do with Leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage?
Here is the list!
Corned Beed and Cabbage Chowder
As a moist dish, corned beef and cabbage is transformed easily into a chowder. If you like chowders as much as I do, you will definitely enjoy this dish. The best thing about this chowder is that it takes very little time to make, and basic cooking skills are more than enough.
You can have it as a meal or as a snack between meals. It is light, delicious, and very easy to pair. I like to combine my corned beef and cabbage chowder with a tasty piece of bread, focaccia is my favorite, but you can pair it with ciabatta, cottage, or even whole grain bread.
Salads are great companions of this dish, such as a green salad or perhaps the vitamin-rich cabbage and carrot salad. All you need are a few more ingredients, and your corned bread and cabbage chowder is ready!
Soup with Leftovers
This is one of my favorite winter soups. I sometimes intentionally make more corned beef and cabbage so that I have enough leftovers for this soup. Wholesome, hearty, warm, rustic, and very comforting, this soup is likely to become one of your favorites too.
Since corned beef and cabbage soup requires the ingredients to be well-cooked before whipping them into a soup, your leftovers will do nicely in this story. You’ll need a few more veggies, and you have some sautéing to do, but other than love, appetite, and basic cooking skills, you’ll hardly need anything else.
This soup is a great way to spend time curled up with a good movie or with your loved ones in a warm and wholesome atmosphere. Maybe it’s just me, but I love having it around the winter holidays.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Casserole
As a fan of the simple yet efficient things in life, this casserole has captured my heart since I first tasted it. It is so rich, even richer than the original corned beef and cabbage dish, and the best thing is that you can add any ingredients that you like to give it your personal touch.
It can taste different each time you make it, so you can be as creative or as lazy as you want. I usually pair this delicious casserole with arugula salad, but you can mix and match until you get your perfect combo.
Sandwich
If you feel extremely lazy but just as peckish, a sandwich is the easiest yet most delicious way to use up your corned beef and cabbage leftovers with virtually no effort. For me, the most important thing is the type of bread I use.
Since the corned beef and cabbage filling is pretty substantial, I prefer to make this sandwich with lighter bread. My all-time favorite is focaccia due to its airy consistency and gentle, flavorful crust.
You can go with any bread you prefer, and even if it’s not the perfect one, your sandwich will still be delicious. I usually go straightforward and just cut the bread, add the corned beef and cabbage filling, and top it with cheese. You can add an extra step and microwave or oven-heat the sandwich until the cheese melts.
Reuben Calzones
This is the perfect way to use your corned beef and cabbage leftovers if you are a fan of baking. These calzones are both simple and rich, being the perfect snack or a complete meal. I love this idea because it allows further combinations with various ingredients.
You can use store-bought bread dough or make one from scratch. Once the dough is ready to handle, cut it into a few pieces and roll each out. I like to roll the dough in squares, but the shape doesn’t really matter.
Place a spoonful of the corned beef and cabbage leftovers in the middle of each triangle. Chop them before if the pieces are too large. Seal the dough, and bake for about 18 minutes.
I usually have these calzones with various dips, but you can also pair them with salads, soups, and sauces or simply have them as they are.
Corned Beef Cabbage Rolls
I am a huge fan of Oriental cuisine, and I often seek ways to incorporate my cooking with the culinary pearls of the Orient. I modified the traditional Turkish Dolma, which resulted in a dish that was beyond delicious.
It may seem like a complicated dish, but it is actually very simple. It does take time and some meticulous work, but it is genuinely easy to make. The original recipe doesn’t call for extra cabbage inside the rolls, but why not?
You will need a few extra ingredients you probably have lying around already, and you are all set for a culinary trip to the Orient.
Corned Beef Cottage Pie
This idea is a variation of the traditional and classic diamond from British cuisine. When I am inspired, feeling creative, and don’t mind spending extra time in the kitchen, this one is my golden recipe for leftover corned beef and cabbage.
While the original recipe doesn’t call for cabbage, you will love the savory and slightly umami element of the dish. Soft and tender but, at times, slightly crunchy, the cabbage injects extra flavor and texture, giving this classic dish a crunchy twist.
I won’t sugar-coat the work, there is plenty, but I don’t want you to get discouraged because it’s nothing you can’t handle!
Corned Beef And Cabbage Scrambled Eggs
The name says it all, and I am sure that you already know what recipe I am talking about. If you are looking for a nutritious and satiating breakfast idea to get you through a busy day, indulge yourself with this savory and rich dish.
All you have to do is sizzle the leftover corned beef and cabbage and pour scrambled eggs over them. Let them cook together, season to taste, and grate cheese on top. You can further elevate this breakfast with a salad or fuel up on some carbs by adding a piece of toasted bread.
What was your favorite idea? Tell me how will you use your leftovers in the comments below. 🙂
