13 Clever Ways To Use Up Leftover Roasted Vegetables

Very few things can beat classic roasted vegetables when you’re looking for the perfect side dish. They’re healthy, delicious, and can be served with just about anything, from meaty mains to carb-loaded meals. And whether you keep veggies simple or go beyond salt and pepper and top them with various other tasty seasonings, roasted vegetables are scrumptious either way. The only downside might be in eyeballing the proper quantity — sometimes you’ve got a bunch of leftovers. And let’s face it, reheated roasted veggies don’t taste as good as a freshly-made batch.

If you’re wondering what you can do with leftover roasted vegetables, you’ve landed in the right place. We’re sharing some clever ways to use leftover roasted veggies and transform them into a new lip-smacking dish. We’re talking sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, lasagnas, flatbreads, fritters, soups, and even mixing leftover roasted vegetables into salads. Yum! 

Roasted veggie sandwiches and wraps are already popular, so it’s a no-brainer to make them with your leftovers. In fact, it usually takes a while to make these wraps and sandwiches, only because roasting vegetables is time-consuming. So, you’re saving a step by using leftovers.

Keep your sandwich simple by just slathering the bread or tortilla with any kind of sauce (pesto is an amazing option), and then loading it with roasted vegetables. Or, crank it up by adding protein like chicken, steak, tofu, or anything else. Roasted veggies are also a great way to upgrade your usual ham sandwich.

Don’t forget to top the veggies with glazes and cheese to further improve the flavor of your sandwich or wrap. Some simple options worth considering are balsamic glaze, honey, and sriracha if you like a little heat. A few types of cheese that pair well with roasted vegetables are goat cheese, provolone, and feta. You can also go for simpler varieties like cheddar, mozzarella, and good old American cheese. Truth be told, the sky’s the limit with roasted veggie wraps and sandwiches, so go ahead and experiment as you’d like — the final dish will taste exceptional.

Salads can get boring after a while if you use the same raw veggies. If you’ve been looking to make them more interesting, you’ll be happy to know you can use those leftover roasted veggies in your salads. They can amp up veggie, vegan, and meat-based salads equally well.

To make one of these salads, you’ll need to toss leafy greens with roasted vegetables, a protein of your choice, and salad dressing. You can go for a hearty mayo-based dressing, or use some great mayo substitutes for salads, like sour cream, yogurt, or a vinaigrette for a healthier option.

If you’d like to add bulk to your salad without using meat or poultry, opt for chickpeas, kidney beans, cannellini beans, or tofu. Lentils are another wonderful and highly underrated option worth using. The only thing to keep in mind when making a salad with these leftover veggies — irrespective of the ingredients, toppings, or dressing you choose — is to not mix too vigorously. Doing so can turn the roasted veggies mushy if they’re already soft, which will ultimately ruin the texture of your salad.

Gone are the days of making pasta sauce from scratch, as you can easily blend leftover roasted veggies into a rich sauce and use that instead. This roasted veggie sauce isn’t just for pasta — it’s also a fantastic substitute for pizza sauce. Or, you can serve it alongside your usual meats and mashed potatoes for a flavor boost.

Be sure to use the right medley of roasted veggies to make this sauce, because using starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn isn’t the best idea. They’ll most likely turn the sauce gluey and make it taste dull. Apart from these, you could use just about any roasted vegetables to make your sauce – tomatoes, onions, peppers, squash, carrots, and mushrooms all come to mind. To give the sauce a silky texture, consider adding a splash of heavy cream (or nut-based milk if you’re vegan), and parmesan cheese while blending. You might want to season the sauce with fresh herbs and spices to add depth. 

While regular omelets and poached, boiled, or scrambled eggs are amazing, it’s a good idea to elevate them once in a while. And if you have leftover roasted veggies, you can (and should) use them to upgrade egg dishes.

The simplest way to go about it is to top your roasted veggies with a poached egg to turn it all into a hearty breakfast. Boiled or scrambled eggs work too. We suggest using leftover roasted veggies to make an omelet or frittata. To make an omelet, add the roasted veggies directly into whipped and seasoned eggs, then pour that mixture into a pan and cook it. Or top a plain omelet (maybe even the Denver Omelette) with the leftovers along with feta, cheddar, or American cheese, then fold it over for a scrumptious omelet wrap. If you’re making a frittata, toss the veggies in a pan with oil, top that with whipped eggs and cheese, and let it cook until it sets, without flipping it.

Even though you can mix any ingredient as a filling for pot pies and quiches, roasted veggies are usually overlooked. It’s time to change that, as a pot pie or quiche made with leftover roasted vegetables is highly underrated and just as flavorful as a meat-based one.

It’s ideal to use pie dough as the base for both of these options if you’d like a lighter version. But if you want to go all out and indulge in a buttery crust, go for puff pastry. Now, getting to how you can enjoy your leftovers in a quiche or a veggie pot pie, the good news is the process remains just like you’d usually make them. For a pot pie, you’ll need to line a pie tin with pie dough or puff pastry sheets, then add the leftovers into it along with béchamel sauce, top it with pie dough/puff pastry, and bake it.

The method for making a quiche is quite similar to pot pie, with a few exceptions being that you’ll have to mix the roasted veggies with eggs instead of the béchamel sauce, and you won’t need to cover the top. We also recommend amping up your quiche with mayo for a super smooth bite.

Using roasted vegetables on pizza or flatbread is an excellent way to eat up those veggie leftovers. You’ll choose a base, then spread sauce on it, lay out the roasted veggies over it, sprinkle heaps of cheese and dried herbs over everything, then bake it. Avoid overcooked roasted veggies, because they’ll turn mushy when you bake the pizza or flatbread. 

Roasted veggies pair well with a range of bases, toppings, and cheeses. For instance, you could use puff pastry or naan as the base for your flatbread, or use a whole wheat pizza base. Similarly, ditch pizza sauce and top your creation with other sauces in its place. When it comes to cheese, a combination of mozzarella and goat cheese work well, as the latter blends nicely with roasted veggies.

Trust us when we say that you’ve been missing out if you’ve never tried a roasted vegetable lasagna. They’re highly underrated among meat eaters, but truthfully, they shouldn’t be — also, you can add meat of your choosing. And it’s yet another great way to use up those leftover roasted veggies.

You’ll cook the meat or chicken separately, prepare béchamel sauce (or a ricotta, parmesan cheese, and egg mixture) along with marinara sauce, and boil the pasta sheets. Assemble it by spreading marinara at the bottom, placing pasta sheets on it, topping with béchamel sauce or ricotta and egg mix, and finally, placing the roasted veggies on top of that. Repeat the process until you get to the rim of the baking dish, top the lasagna with freshly grated mozzarella cheese, then bake it. And voila, there’s your leftover roasted vegetable dish!

Using leftover roasted vegetables to make soup is an excellent (and clever) way to enjoy them a second time around. It’s an especially great option on those days when you’re craving a veggie soup but don’t have a lot of time. And the best part is that you can drop in any sort of roasted veggies to make one of these soups – tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, onions, zucchini, squash, or mushrooms work well.

Blend the vegetables with a little stock or broth to adjust the consistency. You can heat up the soup and add seasonings if you’d like, toss in heavy cream while blending for a creamy finish, and add beans toward the end to make the soup extra hearty. Alternatively, you can make your roasted veggie soup by cooking butter and flour, then adding broth or stock. After, chop the roasted vegetables and toss them into that mixture along with seasonings. Both these options are equally tasty and worth trying.

If you like all types of enchiladas and quesadillas, you’re going to love hearing this: Roasted veggies make an amazing filling for both of these Mexican dishes. Since these options are versatile, you could use only roasted veggies as the filling, or amp it up with beans, chicken, steak, or tofu.

Mexican food is usually spicy, so season the roasted vegetables with a generous amount of cayenne pepper before filling them into tortillas. Once your veggies are prepped, place them on one side of your tortilla along with beans or chicken, then top the filling with cheese and fold the other side of the tortilla over it if you’re making a quesadilla. Toast it in a pan and you’re good to go. For enchiladas, you’ll need to place the veggies in the center and roll the tortillas, then place them in a baking dish, top with sauce and veggies, and bake. Also, don’t skip frying your tortillas for enchiladas, because they’ll turn soggy if you use them as-is.

Making fritters out of leftover roasted veggies is a clever and mouthwatering idea. They’ll be a scrumptious light snack that you’ll crave often. Since fritters are versatile, you don’t need to stick to just using those leftover roasted veggies to make them. You could add mashed beans, feta cheese, or shredded cooked chicken. The same goes for seasonings and spices, as fritters are the perfect blank canvas to throw in whatever you fancy.

After you’ve decided on what ingredients you’d like, just mash those veggies and toss in seasonings, add-ons, all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour), and eggs. Mix it all up, make little fritters, and fry, air-fry, or bake them until they have a crispy golden crust. Use at least one starchy vegetable in your fritters, with potatoes and sweet potatoes as the best options. These veggies prevent the fritters from falling apart when you cook them, and also improve their texture.

Who doesn’t love turnovers? They’re crispy, buttery, and just plain delicious. And the best part about them is that you can make turnovers with anything — fyi, apple cinnamon turnovers are amazing — so using those leftover roasted vegetables as a filling for your next batch of turnovers is definitely worth a shot.

You’ll start by finely chopping the leftover roasted veggies and mixing them with a sauce or soft cheese, otherwise the filling will turn dry when you bake. We suggest using cream cheese — it’s the safest option because it bakes well. Be sure to add a few seasonings to the filling when using cream cheese to prevent it from tasting bland. If you’d like to go for a sauce instead of cream cheese, béchamel sauce is a good option, or you can use mushroom sauce for a kick of umami flavor.

Once you’re done making the filling, start with the turnovers by rolling puff pastry dough out (or use store-bought sheets). Then, cut the rolled dough or sheet into small pieces (any shape works), place the filling on one side of each of those cut pieces, fold the other side over the filling, and pinch the edges. Brush the turnovers with egg wash before baking to give them a golden-brown finish.

Stuffed parathas haven’t gained as much popularity outside India despite being tasty and easy to make, which is unfortunate. But it’s time to turn that around. They’re worth preparing at home, even more so if you love Indian food. And, as you’ve likely guessed, you can stuff them with leftover roasted vegetables. Given that parathas are an Indian dish, it’s obvious that you’ll need to season those leftovers with lots of spices. Cayenne pepper, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala are all excellent choices — or add curry powder to the veggies after you mash them. Also, mix in a little lemon juice and chopped cilantro as they’ll add acidity and freshness. 

Prepare a simple dough with whole wheat flour, divide it into little portions, roll one out, place the filling you made right in its center, and flatten it. Place another piece of rolled dough on top of that, then roll the paratha, ensuring it isn’t too thick or too thin. Cook it properly in a pan with a few teaspoons of oil or ghee. Repeat the process and make as many veggie parathas as you’d like. Serve with yogurt and mint cilantro chutney to enjoy an authentic Indian meal.

Unless you’re someone who loves liver, the thought of authentic French pâtés (many of which are made with liver and meat) probably gives you pause. However, if you’re into exploring different cuisines but haven’t tried pâté (like this light and creamy mushroom pâté) because of the liver, you can make a vegetarian version with leftover roasted vegetables. Vegetarian pâté may not be authentic, but it tastes amazing.

Enjoy this pâté as a spread for toast and tortillas, or dip crackers and chips in it. Making this vegetarian pâté is also one of the simplest tasks ever, because you only need to blend the roasted veggies with chickpeas, toasted nuts (like walnuts or almonds), pumpkin or sunflower seeds, salt, and seasonings. You can use cannellini beans or Great Northern beans in place of chickpeas if you’d like. Or, skip all these extra ingredients and whip up the roasted veggies with boiled potatoes or sweet potatoes, as they’ll give it a similar thick texture.