Finding new ways to use up or recycle leftover pizza crust is an entertaining way to spend your time. You can make delicious snacks with it, like bread sticks or croutons, or bake it into something more nutritious like baked pasta or tarts.
It’s also easy to do! There are lots of recipes online that tell you how to make everything from crunchy biscuits to crispy flatbreads.
Leftover pizza crust is pure gold in terms of cost-value because you get so much food for very little money. If you have any leftover dough, try to work it into another recipe!
There’t really anything wrong with eating pizza every day, which is why most people don’t usually stick to one square slice per person. So when there’s leftovers, you should definitely save some for later.
But what if there’s none? Or only enough for a few bites before it goes bad and you have to throw it away? That was the case for me this past weekend when I made my own personal pizza.
I had just run out of toppings, and nothing sounded fun, so I decided to go through our leftover pizza crust and see what we could do with it. And I am telling you – these ideas will surprise even the most picky eaters!
You will probably be amazed at all the different things you can make using your old pizza dough.
Make pizza salad
Add some olive oil, tomato, and spinach to your leftover crust and you have made what is called a pizza salad. This can be done as a side dish or breakfast item and it makes for a nice change of texture and flavor.
Making a pizza salad isn’t very complicated either, so if you are ever in need of an extra serving idea, this is something that you could try. If you like crunchy vegetables, then add those to taste.
This will make for a great lunch option or dinner party treat.
Make pizza soup
One of our favorite ways to use leftover pizza crust is as an ingredient in some kind of pasta or soup dish. We like to call it pizza soup because of that!
A little bit of mushroom, tomato, and spinach soup with crumbled up cheese and rice in it – what a beautiful way to enjoy your leftovers! This recipe was inspired by one we made back when we were doing our quick recipes this week.
We love having low-cost food options at times, so adding vegetables to the meal makes sense. Plus, you get more veggies in your day if you are eating them for lunch every few days!
So, let’s make some pizza soup today! What are you waiting for?!
Pizza Soup Recipe
Step 1: Cook your pasta according to the package instructions
You want to cook the pasta until it is al dente (drastically changed) texture, which means it will keep its shape well while boiling.
Once it is cooked, drain it and set aside. You can rinse the noodles under cold water if necessary, but only for a minute or two to avoid washing away all of the flavor.
Now, return the pot to medium heat and add your liquid, mushrooms, tomatoes, and garlic. Let everything simmer together for about 10 minutes.
While the mixture simmers, prepare the rest of your ingredients.
Make pizza pasta
One of our favorite ways to use leftover pizza crust is as an easy, crispy topping for pasta dishes. To make this recipe, you will need one cup cooked pasta per 1–2 cups dried pizza dough crumbs.
To cook the pasta, we like to put it in a pot with just enough water to cover it and a little bit more. Then, we season the pasta with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt and cook it until both are dry.
Once it’s done, you can mix together the sauce and pasta and enjoy! This recipe takes no longer than half hour to prepare and can be made ahead and frozen if needed.
If you want to give this recipe a try, all necessary ingredients and tips can be found here on our site or through our recipes box.
Make pizza chips
If you are always buying pizza, there is an easy way to use up your leftover crust. These crispy pieces of pizza dough can be made into delicious snacks or even recipes.
Pizza chips are very similar to oven fries, except they are cooked in the oven instead of fried. They are typically mixed into a baking dish and baked until crisp.
Making pizza chips requires two main components-the dough and toppings. The most common recipe for making the pizza chip dough starts with one batch of white bread dough that is then rolled into a thin sheet.
The rollers are used to create the thin layer of pizza dough before the topping comes next. Once the toppings have been applied onto the pizza, the pizza chip is baked, usually just like any other type of flatbread.
Leftover pizza crusts will give you some nice crunchy bits that do not require too much work to make.
Bake with cheese
While some prefer to eat their pizza as is, most people like to add toppings or make new pizzas using the leftover crust. Topping your pizza with additional ingredients such as mushrooms, onions, tomato, pepper, and/or spinach can be done several ways.
You can toast the vegetables in olive oil and season them lightly with salt and garlic powder. Then, spread onto the crispy pizza crust. When baking, sprinkle more seasoned bread crumbs on top of the veggies and then broil until golden brown.
To cook the spinach, just wash it first and then either use in a recipe or put into a pan and fry with butter or olive oil until soft. Drain well and set aside.
When cool, chop up the spinach and mix together with tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and/or grilled peppers and onions.
Make crustless French toast
Making pizza crusted French toast is another way to use up all that leftover pizza dough! Simply mix together some bread, olive oil or butter, and milk in a baking pan and cook as normal french toast. Add toppings like cinnamon and sugar and poof! Crunchy, cheesy, soft, warm — it’s perfect breakfast food.
Making pizza-crusted french toast is a fun way to enjoy leftovers! If you make sure to let the cooked pieces sit for at least five minutes before serving, then it will set properly and taste better.
Make cheesy bread
Another way to use your leftover pizza crust is in making some kind of toast or bread. To make cheese toast, you will need 1 slice fresh wheat bread, 2-3 tablespoons melted butter, and one cup shredded extra soft cheese like mozzarella.
Spread the melted butter onto the bread and top with the cheese. Then bake it in a dry oven (250°F) until the cheese melts and starts to brown. Let it cool before serving!
Cheesy bread can be served as an appetizer, snack, or meal. It makes a great lunch box item or party food because it’s easy to take just about anything off the shelf and make it into something delicious.
Cooked rice is another perfect ingredient to layer up in this recipe as a binder. You can either fry it in olive oil or bake it in a baking pan at 350 degrees F for five minutes to warm through and set aside.
Make pizza rolls
While most people throw away leftover pizza crust, there are many ways to re-purpose it! One of the best things you can do with left over dough is make pizza roll-up snacks or breads.
Pizza rolls are similar to baguettes, but they have an additional ingredient: leftover pizza dough. The dough is stretched like pasta and baked until crispy.
Most recipes call for butter as the spreading agent while baking, which helps keep the roll soft and flexible. Some recipes also mix in tomato sauce or cheese to taste at that stage.
The filled rolls can be sliced and served warm or cold. They’re great plain or dressed up with toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, and mushrooms.