The Key To Upgrading Leftover Pizza Is Already In Your Fridge

Pizza has become one of Americans' favorite foods, so we're all used to having leftovers in our refrigerators. With proper storage, leftover pizza can stay fresh for a few days, but while eating pizza cold is delicious, it tastes best when it's fresh out of the oven. You could reheat leftover pizza in the air fryer to reinvigorate its crispiness, but turning it into French toast is the ultimate upgrade.

In a mashup of classic breakfast and dinner, this twist on transforming leftover pizza is easy because everything you need is probably already in your kitchen. Like the TikTok pizza French toast trend, whisk up a custard of eggs, cream, paprika, salt, and pepper. Then, thoroughly soak your leftover pizza slices before laying them bottom-side down on your hot griddle or pan. The egg custard gives the dried-out crust a fluffy cake texture. When the pizza crust is browned to your satisfaction, flip it over so the cheese and topping side is down. The egg custard creates a barrier around the cheese so it doesn't burn on direct heat.

French toast pizza is more of a savory dish than the classic French toast recipe you're used to, but that's why it's such a great option for any meal of the day. And, if you still want to sweeten it up, there's absolutely nothing wrong with drizzling your favorite maple syrup brand on top. You can even sprinkle on some chopped bacon for a bit of crunch.

Turning your leftover pizza into French toast is one way to repurpose and revitalize your cold slices. You can use some of the same ingredients in your kitchen to make an omelet or frittata instead. Just pour whisked eggs or an egg-and-milk mixture over a leftover slice in a pan and cook until the eggs set. Also, you can cut the leftover pizza into pieces beforehand.

Thinking outside the egg carton, put a twist on the perfect grilled cheese by heating two sandwiched pizza slices with extra cheese in the middle in a pan. Alternatively, place the sandwiched pizza slices in a panini press for a few minutes. On the other hand, fold a pizza slice with the crust trimmed off and heat it in a waffle iron. It's not too much of a stretch from how Ree Drummond makes waffle iron pizza from fresh ingredients.

For a fun snack, repurpose your leftover pizza into loaded fries. After cutting the leftover pizza slices into strips, slightly mash two strips together with the cheese facing inward, and repeat the process until all the strips are used. Then, layer the pizza fries you created in a cast iron skillet or casserole dish with chopped bacon and shredded cheese. When it's done baking in the oven, drizzle with your favorite sauce and sprinkle with green onion.