124 stale recipes

A velvety, creamy garlic soup loaded with 2 cups of garlic and caramelized onions, thickened with stale French bread and finished with half and half. Inspired by New Orleans chef Susan Spicer. Even better the next day.

Ribollita is a Tuscan bread soup layered with vegetables, chicken, kidney beans, spinach, stale bread, and Parmesan, then baked until thick and crusty. A hearty Italian peasant soup that improves overnight.

A rustic Italian stew where stale bread melts into garlicky Roma tomatoes, white wine, and fresh marjoram with tiny pastina stirred in at the end. Vegetarian comfort in 45 minutes.

This was the sourest sourdough I'd ever eaten but it was to die for.

Turn stale bread into chewy, cinnamon-spiced cookies packed with plump raisins and crunchy nuts. Breadcrumb cookies are a clever zero-waste baking trick your grandma probably knew.

Argentine Creole stuffing with pork and veal mince, milk-soaked bread, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and mango. A South American holiday tradition for roasted poultry.

Honey crunch pecan pie: classic pecan pie with a bourbon-laced custard filling topped with caramelized honey-pecan brittle. Two-stage pie that turns Thanksgiving pecan into a showstopper.

Tri-color pasta salad with juicy tomatoes, black olives and zesty Italian dressing, dressed in stages so the noodles soak up flavor as they chill. An easy vegetarian make-ahead side for picnics and potlucks.

Chicken and sausage chili loaded with smoked sausage, tender chicken and a trio of fresh chilies. Tangy tomatillos and a two-stage spice blend give this Dutch oven chili real depth. Top with sour cream and cheese.

Easy to scale down to make one or two loaves. Shortening can be replaced by butter. You will love the aroma during the baking, it fills up the entire house with freshly baked bread smell.

Golden, buttery scones studded with raisins or blueberries, baked to a crisp top and tender center. A bakery-scale recipe that scales down easily for home baking.

New England apple pie with a butter pastry, crumb topping, and heritage apples like Northern Spy or Rhode Island Greening. Cinnamon and lemon zest brighten the filling, and a two-stage bake browns the crust without burning.

Meatloaf for 120: a scaled-up classic ground beef, oats, and tomato juice meatloaf with tangy ketchup-mustard glaze. 16 loaves for church suppers, reunions, and crowd feeding.

Prune fudge made with stewed prunes, prune juice, sugar, lemon juice, and chopped nuts, cooked to soft ball stage and beaten creamy. An old-fashioned, no-chocolate fruit fudge.

Five pound fudge made with chocolate chips, chocolate bars, marshmallow cream, evaporated milk, and pecans. A big-batch holiday candy recipe cooked to the soft ball stage.

Old-fashioned white Christmas fudge loaded with pecans, walnuts, candied cherries, and candied pineapple. Cooked to soft ball stage for a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.