Life
Don't Throw Away Your Old, Stale Bread — Try These 8 Easy Recipes Instead
by Kaitlyn Wylde
If you're anything like me, you've probably thrown out a lot of bread in your life, only because you can't ever seem to make enough sandwiches in the short period of time you have before your bread gets moldy. Luckily, there are some good hacks to help you utilize your leftover slices — and they're in the form of some very unique recipes you can make with bread that will use up your entire loaf and give you something to eat that isn't another sandwich. Never again will you need to throw away loaves of half-eaten bread because they're growing mold or getting stale — that time is over. You're welcome.
Not only does using your leftover bread in other recipes help you open yourself up to making some new, delicious meals, it's actually a great way to combat food waste. According to Toast Ale, a UK-based brand that literally brews beer with surplus bread, around 24 million slices of bread are wasted per day. Considering how much most people love bread, it's kind of shocking that so much of it can go to waste.
But, part of being more resourceful is being informed. So, let us open our minds and rethink bread as we know it, for bread can be much more than a vehicle for peanut butter and jelly, or deli meat — it can be incorporated into a dessert, a casserole, a soup, and more. Here are eight recipes starring your new favorite ingredient — bread.
1
French Onion Soup With Cheesy Croutons
There's no better place for bread than under a melted pile of cheese, floating in a bowl of French onion soup. Check out this hearty recipe on Foodie Crush to see how you can bring this cozy recipe to life. Fun idea: make yourself an open-faced hot sandwich with extra soup-soaked cheesy croutons.
2
Grilled Cheese Croutons
Whether you want croutons for a salad or for soup, it's super easy to make them yourself at home. That way, you can do fun things like add cheese. Check out this recipe on A Cozy Kitchen.
3
Bundt Pan Stuffing
Stuffing isn't just for Thanksgiving. This savory recipe from A Spicy Perspective looks like dessert, but is most definitely meant for the dinner table, year-round. Add as many veggies and herbs as you like! This dish can easily be fine-tuned to your tastes.
4
Pop-Tarts
Instead of following this Brown Eyed Baker recipe exactly, you can swap out pastry sheets for slices of white bread. All you have to do is roll them out flat with a rolling pin!
Coat the flattened bread slices with melted butter, and then fill it with whatever you like. Press two slices together to create a pocket. Put the attached slices with fillings in the toaster for one to three minutes, and you have an even faster snack.
5
Tuna Casserole
One of the easiest ways to make a lot of bread go to good use is to make a giant casserole. This Big Girls Small Kitchen recipe adds tuna, mushrooms, and scallions to breadcrumbs and noodles for a dynamic and protein-packed dish. If you don't like tuna, swap in chicken, pork, shrimp — literally any protein that you want.
6
Eggplant Veggie Meatballs
Meatballs don't have to have any meat at all! This recipe by A Cozy Kitchen mixes eggplant with seasoned breadcrumbs, and it's a perfect addition to an entree or a great appetizer all on its own.
7
Vegan Fondue
Even if you don't eat cheese, you can still have a fondue party and get rid of tons of bread. This recipe from Fo Reals Life teaches you how to make the cheesiest cheese-free sauce that doesn't compromise the fondue experience.
8
Strata
Not only can this savory dish be enjoyed at any time of day, it's also a great way to get rid of leftover bread. This Big Girls Small Kitchen recipe includes spinach with sage and gruyère — a great example of how you can use a few boring pieces of bread to add some heft and structure to a dish. Aka, when in doubt, cube your extra bread, toss it in an oven-safe dish with some veggies and some cheese, bake it, and be amazed as there are so many creative ways to eat bread.
See? I told you it was going to be your new favorite ingredient.
