16 New Uses for Old Bread Recipes

Ina Garten's lemon chicken roasted on top of a bed of bread croutons and lemon wedges.

Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken1/16

If we had to choose just one roast chicken to spend the rest of our lives with, this would be the one. No contest.

Wood bowl of panzanella from Ina Garten with bread chunks, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, basil, and parsley

Panzanella from Ina Garten2/16

Stale bread? Itsoaks up a tangy vinaigrette in this interpretation of an Italian classic from the Barefoot Contessa herself. You're welcome.

Four fillets of baked fish with almonds, lemon, and bread crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet.

Baked Fish with Lemon Bread Crumbs3/16

Quick, easy, healthful, spectacular in terms of taste, and exactly what you need these last couple of Fridays before Easter.

A grey ceramic bowl filled with baked mac and cheese with bread crumbs

Baked Mac and Cheese with Bread Crumbs4/16

Because nothing says love like cheesy pasta magnificence. This baked mac 'n cheese, with Colby, Cheddar, and crisp, buttery bread crumbs can be made ahead of time, too.

A white bowl of savory bread pudding with bacon, peppers, and spinach on top of a folded napkin

Savory Bread Pudding with Bacon5/16

This bread pudding is filled with bacon, peppers, spinach, and cheese making it a one-dish meal. It's ideal for Christmas and Thanksgiving, but it works for the remaining 363 days, too.

A white plate filled with baked mushrooms, broken bread, and two glasses of red wine in the background.

Baked Mushrooms, Broken Bread6/16

An effortless, elegant side that takes inspiration from two enduring entertaining icons: the stuffed mushroom and Thanksgiving stuffing.

A white bowl filled with spaghetti topped with bread crumbs and a chunk of pecorino beside the bowl.

Spaghetti with Bread Crumbs7/16

Bet you've already got everything you need for this frugal pantry pasta. All you need now is 15 minutes to pull it together.

A stack of four slices of banana bread French toast dripping with maple syrup and topped with whipped cream

Banana Bread French Toast8/16

That's right. A behemoth stack of French toast made from—believe it—thickly sliced banana bread. Sort of makes you believe in magic, doesn't it?

Two slices of tomato rubbed bread and three tomato halves that have been rubbed on the bread.

Tomato-Rubbed Bread ~ Pa Amb Tomàquet9/16

Bread rubbed with tomato, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt. Pa amb tomàquet. Also known as yum.

A wooden bowl filled with Catalan bread salad and a frothy beer on the side.

Catalan Bread Salad ~ Escalivada10/16

We wish someone had told us a heck of a lot sooner about this uncommon bread salad, which embellishes the usual ingredient suspects with figs and walnuts.

A white serving bowl filled with sauteed spinach and bread crumbs.

Sautéed Spinach with Bread Crumbs11/16

That frugal Italian trick of adding buttery bread crumbs to just about anything to make it more enticing works its considerable charms here. Swoon.

Three slices of cinnamon toast stacked on a white plate.

Cinnamon Toast with Butter and Honey12/16

Everything you remember from childhood--slathered with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon, and, if you were lucky, drizzled with honey.

Glass bowl filled with pecan pie bread pudding, caramel sauce, bourbon-vanilla ice cream on a marble table

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding13/16

When you've got leftover bread, sure, you could make bread crumbs. Or you could make this Southern melding of pie and pudding that's obscenely indulgent. Tough decision, eh?

A white bowl filled with warm sourdough bread salad with chicken and fresh baby greens.

Warm Sourdough Bread Salad with Chicken14/16

Tender. Crunchy. Savory Sweet. This satiating bread salad is full of contradictions, including how something so straightforward can taste so complex.

A little gem salad with bread crumb croutons and sliced radishes on a white plate with a bowl of dressing nearby.

Little Gem Salad with Bread Crumb Croutons15/16

An incomparably more elegant (and, we dare say, delicate) version of the classic iceberg wedge salad that's almost too pretty to eat.

Wine-soaked autumn pudding in a white bowl with wine dripping down the side topped with a white plate and a bottle of whiskey.

Wine-Soaked Autumn Pudding16/16

An autumnal take on the classic British summer pudding, melding booze and berries and apples and plums to really quite a lovely effect.