Pangrattato is a classic Italian recipe for breadcrumbs, and this 3 ingredient recipe is an easy and delicious recipe for leftover bread. Fried in oil until golden and crispy, these Italian breadcrumbs can be used on pasta or soups, stews, salads and more!
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This pangrattato recipe for crunchy golden homemade breadcrumbs sautéed in olive oil until golden are something I make all the time. Not only do they add to a dish, but they are pretty tasty by the spoonful! If you are like us, you may need to make double the quantity for them to reach your end dish! Like my bread crust croutons, this quick and easy recipe is a wonderful way of using up leftover bread but this recipe also helps transform the simplest of dishes, and for not much extra effort or cost!
What is pangrattato?
‘Pangrattato’ is the Italian for breadcrumbs. Pangrattato are sometimes referred to as poor man’s parmesan, as they can be used to add flavour and texture to dishes in place of more expensive parmesan.
This quick, easy and budget friendly recipe can be used to add texture and flavour to many dishes, from sprinkling on top of pasta, soups and risottos, to boiled or steamed vegetables and salads.
Why we love this recipe
- It is an easy and so delicious leftover bread recipe – this recipe is best made with day old or stale bread. It can also be made with leftover crusts from making sandwiches school lunch boxes.
- Kids love these crunchy breadcrumbs!
- This recipe can be made with 1 slice of bread, or multiplied up to use up many slices of bread.
- You can leave these simple homemade breadcrumbs in their basic form with just olive oil and salt, or make many variations by adding a couple of extra ingredients (see below for some ideas.)
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.
- Bread – any stale bread, from white to whole meal, home made bread or shop bought, sourdough, even bread crusts.
- Olive oil – I prefer to use olive oil when making my pangrattato. For a different flavour you can use butter instead or use half oil and half butter.
- Salt – salt elevates this dish.
- Basic flavourings:
- Lemon and parsley – zest lemon, 2 cloves garlic, parsley. Add garlic and lemon zest after step 3. Add parsley just before serving.
- Chilli – if you want a spicy pangrattato add ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes, added when the breadcrumbs are light golden.
- Herbs – woody herbs such as rosemary – cook along with the breadcrumbs. Add softer herbs towards the end of cooking.
How to make pangrattato
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.
- Chop your stale bread into breadcrumbs using a mini food processor.
- Tip the breadcrumbs into a non stick frying pan and drizzle over the oil, sprinkle with the salt, and stir to combine.
- Fry gently over a low-medium heat, stirring often, until the breadcrumbs are golden. TIP: Don’t be tempted to cook them over a high heat to speed things up, as they can easily burn.
- Once the pangrattato is a light to mid golden brown colour, tip them out to a dish to stop them from cooking.
FAQ
Yes you can. They will freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost in the fridge overnight before using.
I have made pangratatto with many types of leftover bread and haven’t found one I didn’t like, so yes, you can make them with any bread!
Yes you can. Bake at 160˚C / 320˚F for 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly. You can also place them in the oven when it has been on to cook something else – turn the oven off and cook the pangrattato in the residual heat, this can take up to 20 minutes.
If the bread is very hard and stale you can place it in a sealable bag and hit it with a rolling pin to create breadcrumbs, otherwise a use a box grater and grate the bread, or pulse the bread in a blender.
No! The beauty of this recipe is that you leave the crusts on the bread and don’t waste them!
My recipe tips
- When making the breadcrumbs, try to keep them roughly the same size. If you have much larger pieces of bread and fine crumbs, the finer crumbs will burn and the larger pieces of bread will be undercooked and won’t be crisp.
- Keep an eye on the breadcrumbs when cooking as you don’t want them to catch and burn as this causes them to taste bitter and the burnt flavour would overpower your finished dish.
- Once the pangrattato is a light to mid golden, tip them out onto a plate to stop them from cooking.
- Don’t be tempted to cook on a higher heat. Longer is best to make sure the breadcrumbs are crispy all the way through and not crispy edges and chewy centres.
- You can make fine breadcrumbs by chopping the bread in a food processor, or if you prefer something more chunky, roughly chop the bread with a breadknife (remembering they will take longer to cook).
Serving Ideas
These breadcrumbs are so versatile! Here are some of my favourite ways to use them:
- Over classic pasta dishes like this penne pomodoro (tomato pasta) or zucchini / courgette pasta (a great option to make it into a vegan dish, especially if you have used oil to fry your breadcrumbs in rather than butter)
- Top a pasta bake or add on top of baked mac and cheese for a delicious crunchy topping.
- Sprinkle over soups instead of croutons – like this mushroom walnut soup or carrot and lentil soup. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the soup immediately before serving to ensure your topping stays crunchy.
- Salads – add to simple salads like rocket salad or spinach caprese for crunch.
- Vegetables – sprinkle over steamed or boiled vegetables, from spinach to cauliflower, Asian greens to carrots.
- Stews – Basque chicken or Gambian peanut stew.
- Dumplings – I love to make pangratatto with sesame seeds added towards the end and sprinkle over veggie gyoza. So good!
Make ahead/storage
Make sure your pangrattato are completely cool before placing them in an airtight container otherwise the steam from warm breadcrumbs will make them go soggy.
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container in a dark place at room temperature for up to 1-2 weeks. You may be able to store them for longer depending on the type of container, but I find after 2 weeks they aren’t quite as crisp and tasty.
- Freeze: Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Variations
- Cheese – add 25g finely grated parmesan to the cooked breadcrumbs, or for budget friendly option add grated mature cheddar.
- Nuts and Seeds – add some finely chopped walnuts, hazelnut or almonds and toast with the breadcrumbs. You can also add some pumpkin seeds or even sesame seeds (like in the photo with Pak Choy above)
- Herbs – finely chopped rosemary, thyme, dried oregano.
- Spicy – add a pinch of dried chilli flakes.
- Gluten free – use gluten free bread.
Why not try…
You may also like these other easy Italian recipes:
Pangrattato
Author: Robyn
Equipment
- Mini food processor
- non stick frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 slice of bread (approx 30-40g)
- ¾ tablespoon olive oil
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Tear the bread into pieces. Using a mini food processor blitz the bread in to coarse crumbs.
- Tip the breadcrumbs into a non stick frying pan and drizzle over the oil, sprinkle with the salt and stir with a spatula to combine.
- Fry gently over a low-medium heat, stirring often, until the breadcrumbs are golden.
- (If you want to add crushed garlic, add it once the breadcrumbs are starting to turn a very light golden brown.)
- Once the pangrattato is a light to mid golden brown, tip them onto a plate to stop them from cooking.
- You can use the pangrattato straight away or leave them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. You can also freeze the cold pangrattato.
- For flavour suggestions, see below.
Notes
-
- Lemon and parsley – zest lemon, 2 cloves garlic, parsley. Add garlic and lemon zest after step 3. Add parsley just before serving.
- Chilli – if you want a spicy pangrattato add ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes, added when the breadcrumbs are light golden.
- Herbs – thyme, rosemary – cook with the breadcrumbs. Add softer herbs like thyme towards the end of cooking.
- Cheese – add 25g finely grated parmesan to the cooked breadcrumbs, or for budget friendly option add grated mature cheddar.
- Nuts and Seeds – add some finely chopped walnuts, hazelnut or almonds and toast with the breadcrumbs. You can also add some pumpkin seeds or even sesame seeds.
Nutrition
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