(Pick up some healthier habits, weight loss tips, clean recipes and more by signing up for Prevention’s FREE newsletters!) Your first inclination is probably to toss it into the garbage, compost it, or head to the park and feed the ducks, but here’s a better idea: Breathe new life into your loaf with these eight delicious uses for stale bread. (You can also try this genius trick that will bring your stale bread back to life.)
Make homemade croutons.
Even when they’re made with stale bread, homemade croutons will still taste fresher and more flavorful than most of what you’ll find at the store. And making them couldn’t be simpler: Start by slicing bread into cubes, drizzle them with olive oil, and toss with whatever herbs or spices you like. (Dried rosemary, oregano, or thyme are especially tasty.) Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet, and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until the bread is browned and toasty. (Add them to one of these 12 hunger-fighting power salads for a delicious and healthy meal.)
Fry up some French toast.
While it may seem a bit counterintuitive, next time you make French toast try using stale bread instead of fresh. Dry bread that’s a few days old will sop up more of the egg and milk mixture, so your French toast will have a creamier, more custard-like coating. (For even more ways to make over your favorite morning meal, try making our pineapple-stuffed French toast or strawberry-banana topped French toast.) PREVENTION PREMIUM: 5 “Healthy” Eating Habits That Aren’t Nearly As Good As You Think They Are
Try DIY bread crumbs.
Bread crumbs are supposed to be dry and crunchy, which makes stale bread the perfect base ingredient for a homemade batch. Start by cutting your bread into cubes, then run them through the food processor until the texture is fine and crumbly. Use them as is in any recipe that calls for plain bread crumbs (like this beef tenderloin), or add fresh or dried herbs, lemon zest, and grated Parmesan to make them Italian-style. Here’s how you can make your own organic bread at home:
Cook a batch of bread soup.
Ribollita, or Tuscan bread soup, is really just pasta e fagiole that uses stale bread instead of macaroni. Like most vegetable soups, there are about a million variations out there. But the basic method is the same: About 15 minutes before your soup is finished cooking, stir in your stale bread cubes. The bread will soak up some of the flavorful broth, act as a thickener, and generally make your soup more delicious. MORE: 8 Genius Ways To Use Up Leftover Broth
Whip up some romesco sauce.
Romesco, the classic Spanish red pepper sauce, just so happens to use dry bread cubes or bread crumbs as a thickener. To make it, purée a jar of roasted red peppers in a food processor with toasted almonds, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, smoked paprika, and stale bread cubes to form a thick, chunky sauce. (The consistency should be similar to a chunky marinara sauce.) Use it as a dip for raw veggies, spread it on a sandwich, or pour some on pasta in place of tomato sauce. MORE: 10 Pasta Recipes That Won’t Leave You Bloated
Bake a better strata.
Add some stale bread cubes to your favorite frittata or crustless quiche recipe before baking, and viola! You have strata, an egg casserole that’s traditionally made with day-old bread. Now, there’s no need to serve brunch with a side of toast or potatoes—the carbs are baked right into the main dish. (Looking for more breakfast recipes? You can make these seven breakfast casseroles in your slow cooker.)
Create pizza toast.
Spread tomato sauce on one side of your bread, add some shredded mozzarella cheese, and top with your favorite pizza toppings—like sliced olives, sautéed mushrooms, or chopped and steamed broccoli florets. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melty, and you’ve got lunch or a hearty snack. Unlike fresh bread, the crispy, stale kind won’t get soggy beneath layers of pizza toppings. (Speaking of pizza, if you haven’t tried these healthy pizza toppings yet, you need to ASAP.)
Try an easier way to make stuffing.
Now’s your chance to make everyone’s favorite turkey side dish on a day that isn’t Thanksgiving. Most stuffing and dressing recipes instruct you to toast the bread cubes until they’re dry and crumbly anyway. When you use stale bread instead of fresh, you can consider that step taken care of.
