27 Awesome Recipes to Give Fresh New Life to Stale Bread

This summery salad is made with five ingredients plus a few pantry staples. The croutons should be made with day-old bread because it is dry and sturdy enough to absorb the vinaigrette without getting mushy. Only have a fresh loaf? Cut it into cubes, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 300°F until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

This holiday season, skip the usual marshmallow-topped casserole and serve this Savory Sweet Potato Casserole for a change of pace. Because sweet potatoes are so naturally sweet, they are nicely balanced by this savory Parmesan-herb streusel topping. The topping is made with day-old sourdough bread, but you can use another type of stale white bread such as country white, if you prefer. To cut down on sticky clean up, place the potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet before roasting them. We promise, no one will miss the marshmallows.

Fill both the “eggs” and “stuffing” elements of your Friendsgiving brunch with this casserole. Start out with a classic baked stuffing (purists may call it a “dressing” since it's not going inside a turkey), then crack a bunch of eggs into the center of the dish. Pop it back in the oven for perfectly baked eggs nestled between chunks of Thanksgiving-scented bread. For the best results, use stale brioche—leave the bread out on your counter for at least 8 hours before making the dish.

Keep leftover French bread from going stale by re-purposing your loaf into a decadent praline pecan bread pudding. Finish with a drizzle of praline sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.

Sarah Gavigan learned this hearty soup from her Sicilian-born grandmother, who would often visit from Florida for a week at a time and who, Gavigan says, "filled the kitchen with magic." Nonna made use of whatever scraps were on hand in their middle Tennessee home, from collards and lima beans to a Parmesan rind, and insisted it was all "about the touch." Any winter greens work great, and you can use any type of bean.

This savory chicken dish is easy to prepare and a great way to put that favorite enameled cast-iron dutch oven to good use.  Toss day-old cubes of peasant bread with olive oil, capers, raisins, shallots, garlic, and thyme, plus one bunch of fresh Swiss chard.  Toss with seasoned chicken pieces and bake for a one-pot main dish that is both delicious and healthy.  

A riff on the classic Italian combo of bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley, this dish's crunchy topping contrasts nicely with the delicate trout. If you don't have day-old bread, toast fresh bread in a low oven.

Juicy, ripe peaches at the height of stone-fruit season shine in this great summer dessert. "The brandy sauce makes it special, but it's also good for breakfast without the sauce," says Sunset reader Sarah Epstein, of Palo Alto, California. "During the rest of the year, I use the basic recipe and substitute other fruits. One of our favorites is sour cherries with dark chocolate chunks."

This simple broiled oysters recipe is courtesy of Jim Gossen, a Louisiana-born bonafide ambassador for Gulf seafood--especially oysters.  For an even easier version of Jim Gossen's oysters, omit the shells, double the recipe, and broil the oysters in a baking dish.

This savory breakfast treat is definitely worth the overnight wait. Taking a crazy spin on traditional French toast, this recipe yields a drool-worthy outcome. Soaked with brown sugar, apple jelly, and freshly sliced apples, this French toast recipe will soon become a family favorite.

Enjoy the taste of Thanksgiving anytime with this too-easy stuffing balls recipe. Lots of the ingredients are likely already in your pantry. If you don’t have cream of mushroom soup on hand, you can use chicken or turkey broth instead. Serve them alongside your bird for the full effect, or set them out as a potluck-friendly finger food for guests to graze on while they’re waiting for the big feast. 

Sealegs Kayaking Adventures, based on Vancouver Island, B.C., starts the morning by serving its guests this decadent creation. They cook it over an open campfire, but it can be prepared over a stovetop griddle as well.  Slather a blend of mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and blackberry liqueur between slices of day-old French bread, then dip sandwiches in a traditional egg-and-milk mixture before frying in butter.  Serve with bacon, plus a hearty helping of blackberries cooked down in maple syrup.

Topped with buttery fresh-baked croutons, here is a tomato soup that is anything but ordinary.

This bread pudding is from New Orleans chef Leah Chase, the queen of Creole cuisine. And yes, it does call for 5 tablespoons of vanilla extract!

Summer's freshest veggies combine in a colorful side-dish salad. Toss in grilled shrimp or chicken for an easy one-dish dinner.

In France, French toast is called pain perdu, meaning "lost bread," as it is a delicious way to use up bread scraps that have gone stale.  This version features a decadent sweetened strawberry-and-orange topping.  

We updated ribollita, a hearty, comforting Tuscan vegetable soup thickened with lots of day-old bread, with this lighter version. (We've added the bread at the end and only on top—and used oil sparingly.)

For easier shucking, steam clams over simmering water for two minutes or just until their shells barely open. Run a knife or small screwdriver around a shell's edge, and pop it open. If you partially steam the clams, reduce the broiling time by a minute or two. The clams may be unsteady on the jelly-roll pan, so you can line the pan with a bed of rock salt for more stability.

Chocolate bread pudding just got better with the addition of decadent dulce de leche.

Adding finely chopped day-old bread to the cheesy, garlicky sausage stuffing gives these stuffed mushrooms both substance and structure.  

This simple springtime side is the perfect way to use up pieces of day-old bread.  Steam asparagus spears and top with our homemade butter-and-garlic breadcrumb mixture for a unique twist on the classic asparagus side.  

At $1.60 per serving, this hearty and savory bread pudding is delicious at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  If your supermarket offers turkey Italian sausage in the butcher case, purchase one or two links to equal 4 ounces. If starting with a package of several sausages, freeze leftover links up to two months for later use.

In this variation of the humble dessert, two types of apples are used so it's not too sweet or tart.

Toss cooked spaghetti with a homemade anchovy paste (trust us, you'll love it!) and toasted garlicky breadcrumbs for a fresh spin on spaghetti and meatballs--no tomatoes allowed.  Serve with a simple green salad and your favorite glass of white wine.  

A waffle maker creates a crisp, brown French toast without a skillet. Just make sure you start with slightly hardened bread so that the toast won't be soggy. Serve toast with fresh berries, powdered sugar, or maple syrup.

For family meals, roll pork tenderloin in a mixture of fresh breadcrumbs, dried thyme, and dried onion flakes. Day-old bread makes superior crumbs.

This striking yet simple entrée will win you applause. You can prepare the mustard mixture earlier in the day. The breadcrumb mixture (minus the lemon juice) can also be prepared ahead; just remember to add the juice before patting the pistachio crust onto the lamb.