Leftover Pizza Is Your Unexpected Ticket To A Better Salad

Pizza is one of those foods you can always count on when it comes to leftovers. Sometimes, folks are trying to get the most bang for their buck, like ordering a whole pizza from Costco instead of a slice. Other times, our eyes are simply bigger than our stomachs. Even if you don't just reheat the pizza in the microwave, those leftover slices can also be used to enhance other meals. With just a few minutes of manipulation, you can incorporate the flavors of tomato, cheese, Italian seasoning, and any other tasty toppings your pizza had into an upgraded salad that can dramatically change how you look at croutons.

Store-bought croutons create a welcome textural contrast for your greens, but they usually aren't bursting with flavor. To make zesty croutons that may inspire you to eat salads more often, simply cut your leftover pizza slices into bite-sized squares and drizzle them with olive oil. Give them a quick toss to make sure they are evenly coated, then pop them into the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Eight minutes later, you have salad croutons that blow any store-bought versions out of the water. 

Combine this trick with the bagged salad hack that makes dressing your greens a cinch. You'll have a convenient, satisfying meal in less than half an hour. The only problem with this hack is that you aren't always going to have leftover slices hanging around. Thankfully, you don't need to start overbuying pizza just for your new favorite salad topping. 

Making flavorful croutons from scratch is simple, but it does require some forethought. The first step is to gather enough bread for the batch, cut it into crouton-sized squares, and let those cubes dry out for about a day. This is a fantastic use for those bread heels that get tossed far too often.

Once the bread is slightly stale, grab a saucepan and heat two tablespoons of oil. Add in three tablespoons of tomato paste and stir until blended. Place your bread cubes into the sauce and let the bread toast over medium-high heat while absorbing the tomato flavor. Turn the bread cubes occasionally, and in about five minutes (or when the bread cubes are slightly browned on all sides) remove them from the pan. Toss your newly formed croutons in Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese while they are still hot, then let them cool for a few minutes.

You can also add some of your favorite pizza toppings to get even more flavor in every bite. Imagine bits of pepperoni or mushrooms amplifying the taste of the crunchy components in your salad. It's not as convenient as utilizing leftover slices, but if you can't go back to run-of-the-mill salad croutons after using pizza in their place, it will be well worth your time.