Do you ever throw food away that’s been sitting in your fridge for too long and then feel guilty about it afterwards? C’mon, you know you have. We all have.

It’s that time of the month for another Recipe ReDux post and this challenge was a good one! ReDux members were charged with the task of showing how they reduce food waste.Ā  Iā€™m the type of person who will make a dish and then eat the leftovers for the next 5 days so I donā€™t throw away any uneaten food.Ā  Now, Ā if I can just get my husband on the same page about eating leftovers, Iā€™d only have to eat them for 2 days instead of 5!

Here are 5 tips for reducing food waste:

  1. Pick a day where you intentionally cook your meal from food that you need to use up!
  2. Shop smart and donā€™t overbuy, especially on produce.
  3. Write ā€œeat byā€ dates for items in the freezer.Ā  Donā€™t be like me and forget when you put that chicken in the freezer and then have to throw it away because youā€™re not sure if itā€™s still good! Ā Check out this great food storage chart from the FDA.
  4. Use FIFO !Ā  In restaurants we use the term FIFO:Ā  first in first out.Ā  Arrange your fridge like the pros and put older items at the front so you use them up first.
  5. Turn dying herbs into pesto.Ā  If you donā€™t need the pesto that day, freeze it in an ice cube tray and pop out as needed.Ā  Need a pesto recipe?Ā  check out this Parsley-Sage Pesto

Now…onto the ReDux!

I somehow always end up with a big package of corn tortillas that sit in my fridge FOREVER! Ā Once they’re stale, I throw them away. Ā Recently, I thought, why have I never thought of making chilaquiles with my stale corn tortillas???Ā  Not familiar with chilaquiles?Ā  Theyā€™re basically corn tortilla chips bathed in a red or green salsa and topped with cheese, sliced onions, eggs, chicken or every Dietitianā€™s favorite ingredient, the humble avocado.

How did I make my chilaquiles healthier?Ā  It may be sacrilegious to do this, but I did it anyways. Ā I Ā baked my tortillas instead of frying them to make the chips for the chilaquiles ! Ā  And you know what? Ā Still delicious and less mess! Frying in my kitchen usually means splattered oil all over the stove and the floor.Ā  I also added plenty of chicken to up the protein factor in a traditionally carb heavy dish.

This chilaquiles recipe uses a rotisserie chicken because it’s easy. Ā Of course, you can cook off your own chicken and shred it, but, sometimes (ok, most of the time), Ā I need a shortcut. Plus, you can use the leftover chicken carcass to make homemade chicken stock! Ā Add whatever mirepoix veggies you have lying around in the fridge (onion, celery, carrot) or don’t use any at all. Ā I just put the leftover chicken into a large pot, covered with water and let it simmer for at least 1 hour to make a flavorful stock to be used in soups, sauces, and chili.

Iā€™d love to know if you have any tips and tricks for reducing food waste!Ā  Leave me a comment below!

 

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Chilaquiles with Chicken and Queso Fresco

While this version of chilaquiles is made with chicken, I love making a vegetarian version with scrambled eggs. Sometimes, I’ll add some sauteed zucchini to up the veggie factor of my meal!

  • Author: TastyBalance Nutrition
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 8 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 214.5 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes in juice
  • 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons chile powder
  • 1 cup chopped white onion
  • 1 whole jalapeno (if you want it spicy, leave the seeds in. If you want a mild sauce, remove the seeds)
  • 4 medium size garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grab 2 baking sheets and spread 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on each pan. Divide tortilla wedges between the 2 pans and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt over each of the pans.
  3. Bake chips for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden and crunchy.
  4. While chips are baking, place tomatoes, chile powder, onion, jalapeno, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt into the blender and puree until smooth.
  5. Heat a large saute pan or pot on medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the sauce to the hot oil. Once sauce starts to bubble, turn heat down to medium low and simmer until thick, about 15-20 minutes.
  6. Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir to combine. Add the chips and stir, being careful not to break the chips.
  7. Portion chilaquiles between 4 plates and top each with chopped cilantro and queso fresco. Enjoy immediately!

Notes

To lower the sodium content, use no salt added canned diced tomatoes

Keywords: chilaquiles, leftover tortillas, corn tortillas, breakfast, brunch, red chile sauce, chicken, gluten free, nut free

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Showing 23 comments
  • Liz
    Reply

    Looks beautiful Linds! My dad loves this at restaurants, I’ll have to show him this version!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      thanks liz! I love eating chilaquiles with scrambled eggs in the dining halls at work!

  • Sara
    Reply

    Chilaquiles are the best! I’m incredibly in love with them! These look super tasty Lindsey!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Sara! I love them too!

  • Abbey Sharp
    Reply

    I love your food waste tips! Also recipe looks delicious šŸ™‚

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Abbey! Breaks my heart to throw food away.

  • Reply

    Great tip about freezing pesto! I’ve never done that before – it’s so smart!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      It’s a helpful trick! Thanks Whitney!

  • Stacey Mattinson
    Reply

    Looks yummy!! I’ve never had chilaquiles! Great food waste tips, too!!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Stacey! You’ve got to try them sometime! Very simple dish, but tasty!

  • Kristina @ Love & Zest
    Reply

    What great tips! I know I’m definitely guilty of wasting some food a time or two…or three… I love finding recipes that use up stuff I would have otherwise thrown away! And I’m def down with baking instead of frying! Thanks for sharing!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Kristina! I definitely am guilty of wasting food too, but make more of a conscious effort to minimize that as much as possible!

  • Reply

    This is a perfect idea! I love chilaquiles, but haven’t ever made my own. Gotta do it soon!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Me too! I’d only ever had them in a restaurant before.

  • Danielle Omar
    Reply

    These look incredible! Such a great idea for leftover corn tortillas!!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thanks Danielle!

  • Kelly Jones
    Reply

    Avocados are Evelyn RDs fave Mexican ingredient for sure! šŸ™‚ these look great

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      yes they are! Thanks Kelly!

  • Kelly
    Reply

    Meant every in above comment! Sorry for auto correct šŸ˜‰

  • Leslie
    Reply

    I made this, and it was fantastic. I used one 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes and one can of rotel type spicy tomatoes. I had leftover succotash, and added that to the sauce along with the chicken. Inste3ad of mixing the tortilla chips in the sauce, I layered them in the bottom of a shallow dish and scooped the sauce on top of the chips. Same effect, then sliced them in the dish along with the sauce. Really a great way to use up corn tortillas, thanks so much for the inspiration!

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Thank you so much Leslie! I really love the creativity you used to make the dish your own!

  • Tracy
    Reply

    I use grass fed ground beef and zucchini, corn, peppers, onions, chiles, green salsa, cheese and top with a bit of sour cream and/or pick de gallo, avocado or guacamole. As a rule I use 1.5-2 eggs per serving. I feel great when I eat eggs, Iā€™m just not a super fan of their flavor.

    • TastyBalance
      Reply

      Sounds delicious!

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