You Should Waffle Two Pieces of Pizza Together

I rarely reheat leftover pizza, simply because I love cold pizza so much. But this morning I woke up vaguely hungover, and that pair of cold, two-day-old Domino’s slices just didn’t seem that appealing. They were dry and kind of hard (I had not wrapped them up that well), and it was clear they needed a little heat (and olive oil) to render them satisfying.

Waffle Some Chicken Nuggets for the Children Read More

Truth be told, I have been thinking about waffling pizza for some time now, but pizza is hard to keep around, and usually by the time I remember my pizza experiment plans, one or more members of this household has/have eaten all the pizza.

But everything aligned perfectly this morning, and I’m happy to report that waffled pizza rules. The key is to waffle two slices at the same time, laying them on top of each other with their toppings facing inward. The crust crisps up against the hot grates, while the cheese—which is pressed up against more cheese—warms and re-melts. Once the pizza is re-heated to your liking, you can pull the pieces apart and eat them like pizza. It’s easy. It’s delicious.

You May Also Like

Credit: Claire Lower

You could stop there and be perfectly happy with your waffled pizza, but you know that is not what I did. (Restraint? Don’t know her!) The real move is to think of the leftover pizza as slices of bread, and to think of your waffle maker as a panini press. Put stuff in-between the two slices, press down so the fillings melt and meld into one glorious mess, then eat it like a sandwich. I made a pizza grilled cheese with shredded mozzarella and it was very good. (Do I wish I had had some prosciutto? Of course, but plain cheese was pretty outstanding!)

To make a waffled pizza panino, just take two slices of cold pizza, brush the crust sides with a little olive oil, and place one piece (cheese side up) on top of your (preheated to medium) waffle iron. Place more cheese, slices of charcuterie and any vegetables you desire on top of the pizza slice, then place the other slice of pizza on top (cheese side towards the sandwich fillings). Close the waffle maker and gently press down every 30 seconds or so until your crust is crispy and your fillings are hot and melty. Enjoy immediately.