5 Tips To Transform Soggy, Day-Old Roasted Vegetables Into Something Legitimately Delicious

There are few feelings worse than opening up the fridge, excited about the spoils of your hours spent binge-watching The Bachelor and meal-prepping the night before, only to find that your formerly flawless trays of roasted vegetables are soggy and lifeless. (And therefore that much less exciting or delicious to eat.)

Indeed, while there are some foods that are made to be repurposed again without a second thought (see: rotisserie chicken or homemade bread), when it comes to yesterday's roasted veggies, reusing the leftovers in a way that still feels fun and fresh calls for a dash of creativity...and maybe a pinch of salt. Thankfully, top chef and self-proclaimed veggie-lover, Nyesha Arrington, Maya Feller, RD, and Brigitte Zeitlin, RD, owner of BZ Nutrition, are here to help you breathe new life into your tired, old veggies and limit waste in the process with their five tips on what to do with leftover roasted vegetables.

1. Fold them into an omelet

Picture this: It's Monday morning, you have last night's roasted veg in the fridge, but no desire to sit and eat straight sweet potatoes with a fork and a side of coffee. Well, you don't have to. All three experts tout the ease and yum factor of tossing your old vegetables in with some eggs to elevate an omelet. Eating colorfully is the basis of any healthy diet, so adding some leafy greens and sautéed veggies into the mix with your protein will give you long-lasting energy to get you through the day. (Added bonus: Because they're pre-cooked, there's less you have to do to prep them.) Zeitlin even suggests switching it up and dicing the veg to throw into a frittata or baked eggy muffins if you're feeling creative.

2. Turn them into a soup or stew

If you're looking for something heartier that will last you through the week, Arrington suggests adding some beans, herbs, and a stock of your choice to leftover roasted carrots, onions, leeks, and celery to repurpose the veg into a soup or stew. The beans are a great way to add in some protein, and give the vegetables a new life. Feller's favorite spices to sprinkle into the mix are cumin, black pepper and paprika.

3. Add them to a salad

If you're packing a lunch or want something easy to grab on the go, chopping up the veggies and adding them to a bed of your favorite greens (for Zeitlin, that means romaine) is a great way to make a roasted vegetable salad. Zeitlin also suggests switching up the flavors with a homemade tahini dressing. Feller likes to combine her roasted vegetables with feta, cooked grains, nuts, pomegranate seeds, then drizzles everything with a tart lemony dressing made with apple cider vinegar, lemon, garlic, and olive oil.

4. Use them in a wrap

For larger vegetables that are roasted but not diced, Arrington recommends adding them into a wrap with naan or tortilla and a roasted vegetable spread (like her roasted beet hummus recipe). Feller likes to add some tuna for a bit of protein to round things out.

Here's how to make Arrington's incredible beet hummus—the perfect addition to your leftover veggie wraps:

5. Throw them into a pasta

Finally, for a fan fave, Zeitlin says, pass the pasta. Choose your favorite pasta (regular, whole wheat, chickpea, or lentil), reheat the veggies in a pan, add your choice of sauce to the pan, and add the cooked pasta to the veggie mixture. Once plated top with some Parmesan cheese... and then maybe a little more.

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