In shortPut together a base (rice, pasta, bread, potatoes), a protein (eggs, tinned tuna, cheese, chickpeas) and something fresh (a vegetable, herbs, lemon). With those three pieces, almost any fridge gives a hot meal in 20 to 30 minutes.
The fridge is not empty. It is incomplete. Some leftover rice, three eggs, a tired cucumber, a piece of cheese. You could order in. You can also put together a real meal in 20 minutes.
The method: 1 base + 1 protein + 1 fresh thing
Pick one piece from each column.
| Base | Protein | Fresh |
|---|
| Rice | Eggs | Tomato, cucumber |
| Pasta | Tinned tuna | Herbs, lemon |
| Bread | Cheese | Salad leaves |
| Potatoes | Chickpeas | Carrot, leek |
A few combinations that almost always work:
- Rice + eggs + vegetables: fried rice in one pan.
- Pasta + tuna + lemon: ten minutes, one saucepan.
- Potatoes + eggs + mustard: a warm, filling salad.
- Bread + cheese + salad: a toastie or oven toasts.
Three catalogue dishes that start from leftovers
| You have | Dish | Time | Estimated price per serving |
|---|
| Cooked rice, eggs | Egg and vegetable fried rice | 30 min | €1.24 |
| Potatoes, eggs | Potato, egg and mustard salad | 37 min | €1.19 |
| Pasta, garlic | Garlic, chilli and olive oil spaghetti | 25 min | €1.23 |
Prices are estimates on 13 November 2026, in euros, from prices recorded at French retailers. The three recipes are detailed at the bottom of the page.
What you can save, and what to throw away
Often usable:
- vegetables that have gone a little soft: in a soup, a stir-fry or an omelette;
- cooked rice and pasta kept cold: in a pan with an egg or a sauce;
- opened cheese: on toast, in pasta or in a quick gratin.
Do not risk it:
- meat or fish whose smell or look has changed;
- leftovers that stayed out of the fridge for a long time;
- anything mouldy.
When in doubt, throw it out. Avoiding waste is not worth getting ill. As a rule, cooked leftovers keep two to three days in the fridge, in a closed container.
Before ordering in, three questions
- Do I have a base and a protein?
- Can I make a hot dish with a single pan?
- Do I have 20 minutes?
Two yeses out of three: cook. Otherwise, order without guilt and restock tomorrow with a simple shopping list.
And in the app?
With MoodDish+, you select the ingredients you have and the app finds the catalogue recipes that use them, showing what you are missing. It does not create recipes on demand.
If the real problem is having no idea, the method is here: What to cook when you have no idea?.
food wastefridgeleftoversmeal ideas
Recipes from MoodDish
Ingredients 9
- 150 g Dried long-grain rice
- 3 piece Eggs
- 120 g Frozen peas
- 150 g Carrot
- 80 g Onion
- 25 ml Soy sauce
- 20 ml Olive oil
- 30 ml Water
- 0.5 g Black pepper
Steps 5
- Cook fresh rice
Cook the rice in boiling water according to the packet, about 12 minutes. Drain well and spread on a large clean plate for just 5 minutes while preparing the pan.
12 min - Prepare the vegetables
Peel the carrot and onion. Cut them into very small dice. Beat the eggs in a bowl.
- Cook the vegetables
Heat 10 ml oil in a large frying pan. Cook the carrot and onion for 4 minutes. Add the peas and 30 ml water, cover for 3 minutes, then set the vegetables aside.
7 min - Scramble the eggs
Add the remaining oil and eggs to the pan. Scramble for 2 minutes until set, then add the vegetables and freshly cooked rice.
2 min - Stir-fry the rice
Add the soy sauce and pepper. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until piping hot throughout. Serve immediately; do not leave the rice standing at room temperature.
3 min
Ingredients 10
- 650 g Potatoes
- 3 piece Eggs
- 150 g Plain yogurt
- 20 g Dijon mustard
- 60 g Red onion
- 10 g Fresh chives
- 15 ml Olive oil
- 15 ml Rice vinegar without added sulphites
- 3 g Salt
- 1 g Black pepper
Steps 4
- Cook the potatoes
Peel and cut the potatoes into 2 cm pieces. Cover with cold salted water, bring to a simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain and cool slightly.
20 min - Boil the eggs
Gently lower the eggs into a second pan of simmering water and cook for 10 minutes. Cool, peel and quarter; the yolks should be set.
10 min - Make the dressing
Finely chop the peeled onion and washed chives. Whisk the yogurt, mustard, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Toss and serve
Toss the warm potatoes with the dressing, onion and chives. Arrange the eggs on top. Serve immediately or promptly refrigerate.
Ingredients 6
- 360 g Dried spaghetti
- 65 ml Olive oil
- 20 g Garlic
- 10 g Fresh red chilli
- 20 g Fresh parsley
- 5 g Salt
Steps 4
- Prepare
Thinly slice garlic and chilli; remove chilli seeds for a milder flavour. Chop parsley, keeping stems and leaves separate.
- Cook pasta
Bring a large pan of water to a boil with salt. Cook spaghetti for 2 minutes less than the packet time. Reserve 300 ml cooking water before draining.
- Infuse oil
Meanwhile, gently heat oil in a wide pan. Add garlic, chilli and parsley stems and cook for 3–4 minutes without browning garlic. Remove stems.
- Emulsify
Add spaghetti and 150 ml reserved cooking water. Toss vigorously over medium heat for 2 minutes to make a glossy sauce, gradually adding remaining water as needed. Fold in parsley leaves and serve immediately.
