After big celebrations—Christmas, Eid, weddings, birthdays—it is not uncommon to have bowls of leftover meat tucked in the fridge: fried beef, grilled chicken, or some spicy goat meat.
Instead of letting it sit or eventually go to waste, here are five creative, practical ways to repurpose leftover meat into fresh, satisfying meals.
Read also: Exploring the world of meat
Meat Wrap with suya sauce
Ingredients:
Leftover meat (beef, chicken, or goat)
1 wrap or flatbread
1 small onion (sliced)
1 tomato (sliced)
Cabbage or lettuce (shredded)
1 tbsp suya pepper
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp ketchup
Oil for heating
How to prepare:
1. Chop or shred the meat.
2. Heat a little oil and toss in meat with suya pepper until warm.
3. Spread mayo-ketchup mix on wrap.
4. Layer with cabbage, onions, tomatoes, and meat.
5. Fold, then toast in a dry pan for 1–2 minutes on each side.
Meat egg muffins
Ingredients:
3 eggs
½ cup shredded meat
¼ cup green pepper
¼ cup onions
¼ tsp thyme
Salt and seasoning to taste
Muffin tray
How to prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Beat eggs and mix in meat, veggies, and seasoning.
3. Pour into greased muffin tray.
4. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until firm.
Read also: Lagos unveils butchers’ academy to sanitise red meat value chain
Spicy meat porridge (with potatoes or yam)
Ingredients:
Leftover meat (cubed or shredded)
3 medium potatoes or yam cubes
Palm oil
Scotch bonnet (blended)
Onion
Seasoning cube
Salt
Optional: crayfish, scent leaves
How to prepare:
1. Cook yam or potatoes with pepper, onion, salt, and seasoning.
2. When soft, mash lightly.
3. Add palm oil and mix well.
4. Toss in meat and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add scent leaves at the end if desired.
Gizdodo
Ingredients:
Leftover meat (cubed)
2 ripe plantains (diced)
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
Onion (sliced)
1–2 tbsp oil
Blended pepper mix (tomato, tatashe, onion)
Seasoning cube, salt, curry, thyme
How to prepare:
1. Fry diced plantain and set aside.
2. Stir-fry onion in oil, add blended pepper, seasoning, curry, thyme.
3. Let sauce reduce, then add meat and simmer.
4. Add fried plantain and bell peppers, stir gently.
5. Simmer for 2–3 minutes, serve hot.
Read also: The rarest and most expensive meat in the world to eat
Meat toastie
Ingredients:
Shredded leftover meat
2 slices of bread
1 tbsp butter
1 egg (optional)
Cheese (optional)
Mayo or leftover stew/sauce
How to prepare:
1. Mix meat with sauce or mayo.
2. Spread on bread, layer with egg or cheese.
3. Cover with a second bread slice and butter the outside.
4. Toast till golden.
