Whether fresh or store-bought, breadcrumbs are good for so much more than just making meatloaf. Here are some of the many ways you can use them:
A final shower of grated cheese on pasta is standard, but a dusting ofpangrattato (grated bread)is a pro move. Add fresh breadcrumbs to avegetable-heavy orecchiette, or use panko crumbs to add body to linguine with a briny sauce of green olives and capers.
Fried, garlicky breadcrumbs are phenomenal on top of clam pastas, and traditional seafood dishes like clams casino and oysters Rockefeller aren't complete without a crunchy breadcrumb topping. Instead of coating fish in a heavy, fried breading, try pan-roasting fillets and finishing with a sprinkle of toasted breadcrumbs seasoned with fresh herbs.
Breadcrumbs can add bodyto any hearty soup. They dissolve almost instantly, so stir them in little by little until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
Use breadcrumbs to add a crispy layer to fish,chicken, or evenpork cutlets. Season the crumbs with Parmesan, garlic, or herbs before coating to add an extra layer of flavor.
The role breadcrumbs play in meatballs may not be the ingredient's sexiest application, but it's one of its most important. Without breadcrumbs, meatballs would just be...meat.
As in meatballs, breadcrumbs act as a binder for rich, lumpy crab meat. Too often, this delicious shellfish dish has more “cake” than “crab,” so use a light hand when adding crumbs to the filling. (P.S. Breadcrumbs are just as good insalmon cakes).
To come up with our recipe for theultimate mac and cheese, we tried lots of different cheeses, add-ins, and sauces. But there was never a question about the topping: breadcrumbs won by a landslide. For a more complex flavor, cook the crumbs in garlic and butter and combine with Parmesan cheese before spooning on top of the pasta.
Take some cues from your Neopolitannonnaand add breadcrumbs to pizza topping, as in the breadcrumb, ricotta, and cauliflower mixture that covers a corner ofthis Grandma pie.
Turn even the most ho-hum vegetable casserole into a holiday table–worthy side dish by adding a layer of breadcrumbs. To play up the fall flavors, try rye breadcrumbs or freshbreadcrumbs combined with savory herbs.
A sprinkling of breadcrumbs adds much needed texture to puréed butternut squash, cauliflower, or pumpkin soup.
Roasted vegetables are like watercooler conversations: they need to exist in your life, but they’re often a bit mundane. But with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs, roasted vegetables are enlivened with a contrasting, toasty crunch. Note: we do not endorse sprinkling breadcrumbs on co-workers.
The deeply flavored, cold-weather French classic is made with long-simmering beans, sausage, and chicken confit. But why stop there? Sprinkle a thick layer of chicken fat–enriched breadcrumbs on the casserole during the last 20-25 minutes of baking for a dramatic presentation.
To make baked beans like you've never had them before, turn to breadcrumbs. For the best texture, keep the crumbs coarse and mix with olive oil and garlic to bring out the toasty elements.
An easy way to make roasted chicken even more flavorful? Before roasting, spread an aromatic mixture of fresh herbs, butter, and breadcrumbs under the skin. (Some extra butter on the outside of the skin never hurt either.)
This layered pastry isfun to foldand even better to eat. For an easy version of the classic Austrian pastry, sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs onto layers of buttered phyllo dough before spooning on a sweet fruit filling of apples or whatever's in season.
