21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (2024)

Fresh herbs are a blessing and a burden. They add incredible fresh flavors to dishes — but most recipes only call for a small portion of the bunch you just bought at the grocery store. Save the leftovers from wasting away in your fridge with these easy recipes. 🌱

Carlsbad Cravings / Via carlsbadcravings.com

Can you say steak night? Marinate tri-tip or sirlion in a sweet-and-spicy Asian-inspired marinade (which can be made five days in advance!), then top with a blitzed up chimichurri. This condiment will use up all that fresh basil, mint, and cilantro hanging out in your crisper.

Recipe: Grilled Asian Steak with Cilantro Basil Chimichurri

No. 2 Pencil / Via number-2-pencil.com

Break out the chips, because it's snack time! This simple chunky blender salsa comes together in no time and will make great use of your leftover cilantro.

Recipe: Chunky Blender Salsa

3. One Pot Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (2)

Ambitious Kitchen / Via ambitiouskitchen.com

Scrap parsley gets new life in this one pot wonder —no need to fill your sink up with dishes! This salad is packed with flavor and crunch thanks to the combo of chopped nuts and dried fruit.

Recipe: One Pot Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad

4. Lentil and Mushroom Stew over Potato-Parsnip Mash

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (3)

Dishing Out Health / Via dishingouthealth.com

Put that rosemary to work in this hearty vegetarian stew for lazy weeknights. Mushrooms and lentils simmered in a stick-to-your-bones stew go perfectly over a plate of mashed potatoes.

Recipe: Lentil and Mushroom Stew over Potato-Parsnip Mash

5. Mexican Fattoush Salad

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (4)

Climbing Grier Mountain / Via climbinggriermountain.com

Fattoush, a traditional Lebanese salad, takes a trip south of the border in this Mexican-style salad. You've got a little bit of everything: spiced pita chips, corn, tomatoes, and a trifecta of herbs: parsley, dill, and cilantro.

Recipe: Mexican Fattoush Salad

House of Nash Eats / Via houseofnasheats.com

One of the most classic uses for leftover mint: mint juleps! These southern co*cktails are known for their refreshing minty bite, which pairs perfectly with bubbly water and lime. Feel free to add a splash of alcohol — I'm not your mom!

Recipe: Non-Alcoholic Mint Julep

Sally's Baking Addiction / Via sallysbakingaddiction.com

Get on the breadmaking bandwagon with this super-easy focaccia! This soft and chewy bread gets a major hit of flavor, thanks to a few cloves of garlic and that leftover rosemary you don't know what to do with.

Recipe: Garlic Rosemary Herb Focaccia

8. Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus Recipe Without Tahini

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (5)

Food Faith Fitness / Via foodfaithfitness.com

This tahini-free hummus does taste a little different than your traditional hummus, but the streamlined ingredients list is worth it! Packed with heat from the jalapenos, and balanced with the freshness of the cilantro, this dip will be on your rotation from here on out.

Recipe: Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus Recipe Without Tahini

Jessica In The Kitchen / Via jessicainthekitchen.com

This flavor-packed side is perfect for any fall meal — try it with steak, chicken, and even salmon! All the best of fall produce is here, from Brussels sprouts, to apples, to red onions, and they shine extra-bright with the flavors of your leftover thyme.

Recipe: Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Pecans

Half Baked Harvest / Via halfbakedharvest.com

Clean out the crisper with this extremely green salad! The more herbs the merrier — you can use just the dill, basil, and chives the recipe calls for, but any herb you need to use up is totally at home in this salad. The whole thing comes together with the addition of avocadoes, crispy chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, and bulkier greens for the foundation.

Recipe: Super Green Sun-Dried Tomato Herb Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

11. Thyme Lemonade

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (6)

Hummingbird High / Via hummingbirdhigh.com

Refreshing lemonade gets even more thirst-quenching with the addition of thyme and blueberries! The secret ingredient: a lemon zest and thyme-infused simple syrup that brings the flavors to the forefront.

Recipe: Thyme Lemonade

Maebells / Via maebells.com

This keto-friendly dinner is perfect for folks who hate washing pans! Toss your potatoes in a mixture of rosemary, sage, Parmesan, and olive oil, then cook alongside a pork tenderloin, wrapped up in a neat little foil package. Bonus points: It's keto-friendly!

Recipe: Grilled Herb Crusted Potatoes and Pork Tenderloin Foil Packet

13. One Pan Herb and Garlic Butter Salmon

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (7)

The Busy Baker / Via thebusybaker.ca

For an easy, healthy dinner, one must always consider salmon. And in this case, use up all those leftover herbs! Combine melted butter with chopped parsley, basil, dill, and garlic, then douse the salmon fillets with the mixture. Dinner is served!

Recipe: One Pan Herb and Garlic Butter Salmon

14. Creamy French Chicken Tarragon

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (8)

Pardon Your French / Via pardonyourfrench.com

Weeknight wonder alert! These creamy French chicken thighs come together in a super-easy pan sauce that'll impress your loved ones. Best of all, you get to use up some of that leftover tarragon you don't know what to do with!

Recipe: Creamy French Chicken Tarragon

Family Style Food / Via familystylefood.com

When in doubt, make pasta salad! This easy fresh pasta salad combines chicken, white beans, and a DIY herbs de Provence blend that brings tons of herb-y flavor to the dish. Blitz up tarragon, thyme, rosemary, lavender — any of these you have on hand! — and you've got yourself a homemade herb blend that you'll come back to again and again.

Recipe: Dijon Chicken Pasta Salad with Herbs de Provence

Gimme Some Oven / Via gimmesomeoven.com

Leftover lemongrass is an absolute gift, because it means you've got the perfect base for a flavorful Vietnamese marinade, like this one! This recipe blitzes up a couple stalks with shallots, maple syrup, fish sauce, soy sauce, and lime. Pop in some chicken thighs to soak up the flavor, toss 'em on the grill, and you've got dinner!

Recipe: Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

17. Cucumber Dill Avocado Tuna Salad

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (9)

The Roasted Root / Via theroastedroot.net

This mayo-free tuna salad is ideal for when you're running low on groceries but still want something fresh and delicious. Canned tuna, avocado, dill, and chopped fresh veggies come together with a blend of stone-ground mustard and lime juice. Serve it on toast to make it a whole meal!

Recipe: Cucumber Dill Avocado Tuna Salad

18. Sweet and Spicy Corn Pasta with Ricotta and Chives

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (10)

Feed Me Phoebe / Via feedmephoebe.com

This pasta truly couldn't be easier: the sauce is a simple combo of ricotta and lemon juice! The real star of the show is your leftover chives, which add a real brightness to the dish. If you can't find fresh corn to use in this recipe, a trusty bag of frozen will totally work.

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Corn Pasta with Ricotta and Chives

Reichel Schultz / Via rachelschultz.com

You can't argue with the classics! This potato salad is a super-smart use of your leftover herbs — you can use just about anything you have on hand, and it's a side dish that goes with just about any main (steak! chicken! salmon! you name it!). Herbs like dill and parsley really shine under the lemon-dijon sauce.

Recipe: Herbed Lemon Potato Salad

20. Chicken Breasts & Asparagus Foil Packets

21 Flavorful Recipes If You Have Leftover Basil, Parsley, Or Cilantro (11)

Eat Well 101 / Via eatwell101.com

Bring campfire cooking home with these handy little dinner packets. That lone lemongrass stalk in your crisper finds a new purpose here — just chop it into fine pieces, alongside some shallot and garlic, and nestle them among the chicken and asparagus.

Recipe: Chicken Breasts & Asparagus Foil Packets

21. Green Goddess Dressing

Platings and Pairings / Via platingsandpairings.com

Green goddess is one of those dressings you should always have on hand — it goes great on salads, grain bowls, and roasted chicken. It's also a great way to use up leftover parsley and cilantro (or basil, if you have it)! Toss 'em in a blender with greek yogurt, de-seeded jalapenos, garlic, and some lime, and you're done.

Recipe: Green Goddess Dressing

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