How To Make Delicious Omelettes From Leftovers

Omelettes (aka omelets!) are excellent for using up leftover bits and pieces so here are a bunch of ideas and suggestions to get you started. Firstly though, please see here for How to Make an Omelette – it’s easy!

How to Add Fillings to Omelettes

As omelettes don’t take long to cook the fillings should be to hand by the stove. Some fillings; leftover potatoes, stews, beans, etc. should be pre-warmed as they will have little time to warm up on the stove.

When the omelette is cooked and ready to fold, place the filling on one side of the omelette and fold over the other side.  Slide onto a warm plate and enjoy.

Suitable Leftovers to Add to Omelettes

The list is probably endless but here are quite a lot of ideas …

Cooked fresh veg – fresh green veggies are good, asparagus especially so although that might just be me. Roasted vegetables are also great in an omelette.

Cooked meats – sliced steak, chicken, sausages, bacon, haggis, black pudding, or a spoonful of leftover stew – whatever!

Cooked fish and seafood – crab, shrimp, lobster (you probably have a lot of this lying around!) etc.  Also smoked fish go well with eggs so make ideal fillings for omelettes.  In fact, there is a famous dish called …

Omelette Arnold Bennett

This was reated by the Savoy Hotel to feed their long term guest Mr. Arnold Bennett (coincidence?). A quicker, lighter, easier and frankly fake Omelette Arnold Bennett (the original recipe includes thick béchamel sauce AND hollandaise!) using leftovers is made by folding cooked smoked haddock into crème fraîche together with lemon zest, black pepper and chopped parsley and using this to top a barely cooked omelette. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pop under a hot grill to finish.

Cooked beans and pulses – any leftover beans are worth adding to an omelette, spice them up a bit and/or add some chorizo. Refried beans work well and so, in fact, do leftover baked beans which take very nicely to a little bit of bacon or cooked sausage.

Deli meats – ham, prosciutto ham, chorizo – see here for my lovely Crunchy Chorizo Flecked Omelette

Cheese – on its own or with other cheese friendly ingredients for instance try Brie with bacon or Feta with roasted or sun dried tomatoes.

Mushrooms – if raw then sauté first, maybe with some garlic or black garlic or roasted garlic.  Leftover mushrooms in a sauce also make a good omelette filling.

Potatoes – leftover mashed potato is good and even better with some caramelised onions and/or cheese or see here for Mrs Beeton’s Potato Omelette which is surprisingly different. Sliced cooked new potatoes are a good filling, add some cooked asparagus if you have some. Or add freshly sautéed leftover potatoes and some cheese.

Pasta – leftover cooked pasta in a sauce or even a spoonful or two of a leftover pasta bake work well.

Croutons – yes I sometimes add croutons to my omelettes as I love a bit of crunch in my food! Good idea for leftover bread.

Various bits and pieces – so long as they go well together. See Trash Omelettes below!

Sweet Omelettes are also good

~   When beating the eggs add a little sugar or honey or maple syrup.
~ Depending on the intended filling you could add a drip or vanilla extract or a little
cinnamon.
~   Continue as usual – here are a few ideas …

Leftover cooked fruit for instance blackberry and apple.

Butterscotch Roasted Pears – to these you could add either some chopped chocolate or some crumbled blue cheese, But Not Both!

Bananas – good with nuts and honey or maple syrup.

Fresh berries – to make these even more delicious toss the fruit with a spoonful of sugar half an hour or so before using and they will be deliciously syrupy. If using blueberries add a little grated lemon zest or a spoonful of lemon curd.

Trash Omelettes

Making omelettes from leftovers is not my own idea. When I lived in the British Virgin Islands I sometimes had breakfast at De Loose Mongoose which was on the beach just a few watery yards from our boat. 

I don’t know if they still do (possibly not after Hurricane Irma – but it has been rebuilt) but they used to serve a Trash Omelette, cunningly and blatantly making it out of whatever they had leftover from the night before.  

Frittatas

A frittata is a substantial relative of the omelette made by first frying your ingredients (possibly leftovers) and then pouring over the beaten egg. In more detail …

~   Fry raw onion, if using, gently in oil or butter till soft. Add garlic or any spices you are using.
~   If adding leftover potatoes increase the heat and add these now crushing them slightly and
cook till they start to crispen and colour. Add a little more oil or butter as necessary.
~ Now add any other cooked ingredients and mix into the potatoes, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
~ Turn down the heat, whisk together five or six eggs and pour them over everything else.
~ Cook the frittata gently for a few minutes till the bottom is set but the top still moist.
~ If adding cheese preheat the grill first. Sprinkle with grated cheese, slide under the grill till melted and
a little golden. A few breadcrumbs would be good added to the cheese.

A frittata this size is sufficient for two or three people. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or even cold.