Pizza Croutons Make Salad Taste Like Pizza

Pizza Croutons — Thrillist Recipes
Drew Swantak/Thrillist
Drew Swantak/Thrillist

I’ve always loved croutons: they’re an easy way to add salt, fat, and carbs to anything remotely healthy... like rich, creamy soups and overdressed salads and that weird, gray casserole my Grandma still force-feeds me whenever I visit. But instead of crusty old bread with a bit of parsley and Parm, I make my croutons out of what should be the obvious ingredient: pizza.

Rather than, you know, microwaving and eating leftover slices, you can smash those day-old pies together, slice and dice them, and fry up the little squares. They're basically the pizza rolls that Chad's Mom made after school in third grade, but without the annoyance of crusts, or hanging out with people named Chad.

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We can eat salad again!
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Pizza Croutons Recipe

Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 18-20 croutons

INGREDIENTS:
  • 6 slices leftover pizza
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS:
  • Stack two cooked pizza slices on top of each other with toppings facing each other. Using a pizza wheel or knife, cut 1-inch-wide strips, following the straight edges of the slices. Cut the strips crosswise into 1-inch squares.
  • In a large nonstick pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pizza squares, and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook just until the crust is crispy, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
  • Serve warm in soup, salad, or a game of "Chubby Bunny."
Pizza Croutons — Thrillist Recipes
Drew Swantak/Thrillist