Cooking Thursday

I love making something for supper, and then using the leftovers to make a whole new meal.  It's a great way to save time and money!
Today I'm sharing what I did with a roast, that made 3 meals! Roast beef isn't very economical nowdays, so I feel like I have to stretch it when I buy one.  I started with a standard meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn.  That was meal one.

For the second meal I made Shepherds Pie.  To make it, I take part of the leftover meat, shredd it and put it in the bottom of a 7x11 pan. I pour a little of the left over gravy over that and then whatever vegetable we had - usually corn or beans. I then seal it tightly with aluminum foil and freeze it.
When I'm ready to use it, I put it in the frig the day before to defrost. I usually buy a prepared container of mashed potatoes (Found in the refrigerator section of the store). Put the mashed potatoes over the thawed meat and veggies and place in a 350 degree oven. Bake for about 35 minutes and you will have a dinner that doesn't taste like leftovers.

For my third meal I made this vegetable beef soup, perfect for a cold winter night.

Vegetable Beef Soup

1 1/2 cup leftover roast beef, cubed or shredded
3 cups beef stock
2 stalks celery,chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves

In dutch oven type pot, saute onion in olive oil for about 3 minutes or until softened.   Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and allow soup to simmer for about an hour, or until potatoes and carrots are cooked.  Remove bay leaves before serving,