Make breakfast from dinner leftovers.

Making a quick, hearty breakfast can be nearly impossible some mornings. In addition to the lack of time, coming up with new ideas for the first meal of the day is equally as frustrating.

I’ve started transforming my dinner leftovers into breakfast as a way to cut down on cook time and eat something different each morning.

If you are experiencing some humdrum breakfasts, try these recipes using leftovers:

Tomato sauce

Simmer the liquid in a skillet on the stove with some cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Stir. Crack an egg or two on top and cover the pan. Let mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Meanwhile, toast bread for dipping.

Rice

Cook bacon or ham along with whatever vegetables you have on

hand to toss into the reheated rice. Season with a combination of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce or with a little harissa for some heat.

Spinach salad

Wilt spinach by stirring it in a hot frying pan. Meanwhile, heat a tortilla or two (depending on the size) in microwave or oven. Cook your favorite breakfast protein (I’m a fan of chorizo sausage, but this is pretty delicious with tofu). Toss spinach and protein into the tortilla with salsa, sour cream and/or cheese.

Protein

Toss diced up chicken, steak, pork or tofu and toss into some savory oatmeal. For the oats: Mix cooked oatmeal with salt, pepper and your favorite cheese. I like to top my mix with some avocado, too.

Pasta

Preheat oven to 400F. Chop up leftover pasta and place in baking pan — I typically use a muffin tin. Mix some egg, salt, pepper and cheese (I like Parmesan) in a small bowl before pouring over pasta. I didn’t give you exact amounts because they depend on the quantity of leftover pasta. The egg mixture should almost cover pasta. Bake until eggs are no longer jiggling. You also can toss in leftover proteins or vegetables into the pasta.

I’ve started transforming my dinner leftovers into breakfast as a way to cut down on cook time.