What to Make with Produce That’s About to Go Bad

Do you love to save money? 

Do you hate to waste food? 

If you answered yes to either, this is for you! I’m telling you everything you need to know about what to do with produce that’s about to go bad.  Produce that has seen its better days is not doomed to the trash, we just need to get creative and think outside the box to find a worthwhile (and delicious!) purpose for it.  From simple and savory to sweet and satisfying, here are my favorite and most frequently used ways to resurrect well-lived old fruits, veggies, and herbs!

Veggie and Chicken Broth

Save scraps of veggies and bones to make delicious, nutrient rich broth for soup bases, or to make sauces or sip on! I keep a zip-top bag in my freezer for odds and ends and when I’m ready to make broth I can just use what’s already there.  I use celery tops, carrot tops and ends, the ends of onions that I remove, peels, the ends of garlic or turmeric pieces, and any old produce, along with any bones that I’ve also saved from roasted chickens, etc.  The broth can be make on the stovetop or (even easier) in the Instant pot or Crockpot.

Pesto

Pesto makes a great topping and mix-in for veggies, pasta, meats, and fish and is perfect for using up all those plentiful garden herbs, like basil.  Simply blend any almost-old herbs in a food processor (basil is most traditional) with ½ c nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, or pistachios are some that I like in this recipe) ¾ c parmesan or romano cheese, garlic, salt, and drizzle in ¾ c olive oil.  Pesto can also be frozen, just omit the cheese and pour into ice cube trays and freeze.  When you want to use it, thaw a few cubes and add in the cheese!

Add To Baked Goods

Add extra ripe bananas, sweet potato, apples, zucchini or carrots to baked goods such as breads, brownies, muffins, and bakes for added moisture, texture, sweetness, and nutrition! Many times, extra ripe fruit can even replace the sugar in a recipe, such as ripe banana, in which case use half the amount of the sugar called for.

Frittatas and Egg Muffins

Spread old veggies onto bottom of pie plate or, for portable egg muffins a greased egg muffin tin.  Pour beaten eggs on top to ¾ full, sprinkle with cheese (optional), and bake at 400 degrees for 10 min for frittata, and 350 degrees for 20 min for egg muffins.  Easy-peasy and also make great leftovers!

Pasta Sauce

Use up any tomatoes (looking at your show-off garden tomatoes ), herbs such as basil and oregano, onions, and garlic oil by combining with olive oil in a pan and roasting for about 5 hours in a 400 degree oven.  Remove and blend in batch in a high power blender.  This is comfort food at its finest, transports you right to Italy, and can also be easily frozen for easy future meals, too.  Saluti!

Soup

Perhaps no better use of veggies and herbs that are about to go bad than to make a big batch of soup! Sautee carrots, onion, and celery as a base, and add in broth (use the broth you make from above!) or water, any veggies and herbs, rice, etc. and bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour.  You can get as creative as you want to create this hearty, healthy one-pot meal.

Smoothies and smoothie prep

Freeze fruits and veggies that you have too much of, or are going to spoil.  Simply cut into smaller pieces and freeze in zip-top bags to pull from for your smoothies.  For easy single-serving smoothie prep you can also combine fruits and veggies in individual bags for each smoothie, so that all you have to do is empty contents of one bag into the blender.  For example, each bag could contain ½ banana, a few bunches of kale, some blueberries and strawberries, and ½ avocado!

Freeze herbs in olive oil 

Chop up herbs and add to ice cube trays with enough olive oil to cover them.  Store in freezer in the tray or remove and place in zip-top bag.  Pop one or two out when you’re ready for starters in soups, stews, and sautés.

Pickled Veggies

If you know me well you know my love of pickles! Quickly pickle your own veggies by chopping up veggies and herbs/spices (such as garlic, peppercorns, dill, or chilis) and placing them in jars.  Boil 2c apple cider vinegar, 2c water, ¼ salt and 1 TBS honey.  Pour this over the veggies in jars, allow to cool and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours.  Grillos, who?! 

>>> Tell me, what will you be making with your well-lived produce?? I’d love to hear in the comments below!