Let’s make pizza croutons and also reduce food waste!

Did you know you can make croutons out of leftover pizza? And put them on tomato soup? You can.

Leftovers can be sticky business. They're sometimes tolerated, potentially reheated, never really enjoyed and more often wasted. And that's a problem: Americans throw out approximately 35 million tons of food a year.

Spoon University's University of Illinois team joined up with Food & Wine magazine to increase awareness about the problem of food waste on our campus. With a micro-grant of just under $100, we created 10 original recipes to show you how you can transform leftover late-night eats into something amazing the next day.

We believe the US can do better than wasting $161 billion in uneaten food per year. And change can start with us, right now, on every college campus with small changes in our habits that will have a huge impact – like promising to use all of our takeout leftovers.

This roundup teaches you how to repurpose the top five most common leftovers, (according to our poll) into entirely new dishes. They'll not only revitalize your sad, goopy box of day-old orange chicken, but also aim to put a dent in reducing personal waste. Because giving leftover food an appetizing makeover is one hell of a way to make a difference.

Original post by Shalayne Pulia for Spoon University – UIUC.

Waffle-Battered Chicken Wings

Today, we’re makin’ waffles. Waffles MADE OUT OF CHICKEN WINGS. Eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Recipe here.

Divneet Dhillon / Via spoonuniversity.com

Carne Asada Burrito Fried Rice

You know what makes fried rice better? Cheese. Lots of cheese. And corn, and the rest of the contents of last night’s burrito binge. This recipe will give your lifeless burrito a facelift. So whip out that rice cooker (or pop instant rice in the microwave, like I did) and get cooking.

Julia Marks / Via spoouniversity.com

Leftover Beef Taco Brunch Chilaquiles

Heaven is a place where avocado and eggs mingle at brunch. Step past the golden gates, my friends, into the land of beefy brunch chilaquiles. It’s a simple recipe that looks like you’ve been cooking for hours and goes perfectly well with your morning mimosa… or just water, lots of water.

Shalayne Pulia / Via spoonuniversity.com

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