Garbage bread looks like an ordinary loaf when hot from the oven—until you slice it open and see the tantalizing spirals of melted cheese, beef, pickles and bacon hidden inside. That’s the magic of garbage bread recipes! My family and I have added this recipe to the list of our favorite dinner recipes, but thick slices of cheeseburger bread are also great for snacks and Super Bowl parties—especially when they’re served with a tangy dipping sauce.

What is garbage bread?

SARAH TRAMONTE FOR TASTE OF HOME

The exact origins of garbage bread are a little hazy, but the idea must have certainly come from a frugal home cook who realized that it was a tasty way to repurpose leftovers. The stuffed bread is similar to stromboli, since its fillings are rolled up in bread dough and then baked. It picked up the “garbage” label because the recipe is a convenient way to clean out your fridge and use up leftover cooked meats, cheese and veggies. (It’s sometimes confused with the regional New York dish called garbage plate, which is a whole different beast.)

Garbage bread recipes have taken off on social media, with creators incorporating all kinds of flavors and ingredients into the swirly slices. This take on the dish is a cheeseburger garbage bread, which includes everything from the mustard to the pickles.

Garbage Bread Ingredients

• Refrigerated pizza dough: Most stores stock bags of pizza dough in the deli area or refrigerated case. Another option is to use easy homemade pizza dough.
• Ground beef: Add garbage bread to the list of recipes that use a pound of ground beef.
• Bacon: While many types of bacon would work well in this savory bread recipe, I prefer the flavor of applewood- or hickory-smoked bacon in this cheesy bread.
• Cheese: I use two types of cheese in this recipe. The cheddar cheese is added for the flavor, while Jack is one of the best melting cheeses. Freshly shred or grate your own cheese, since it will melt better than store-bought bags of cheese that contain cellulose (to prevent clumping).
• Onion: Cook the meat with diced onion for the most flavorful beef mixture. Diced frozen onions can help you cut down on chopping time.
• Ketchup: It can get confusing with so many ketchup brands out there. You likely have a bottle already, but if you don’t, we like Heinz, French’s and Hunt’s.
• Mustard: Turn to regular yellow mustard to pack that classic cheeseburger flavor into the garbage bread.
• Pickles: Slice up dill pickle spears to layer inside the filled bread. Using dill pickle relish is another way to incorporate the flavor.
• Banana peppers: Pickled yellow banana pepper rings are available in mild or spicy varieties. Choose your favorite.
• Spices: To flavor the garbage bread recipe filling, use a simple blend of salt, pepper and garlic powder.
• Egg: Brushing the rolled dough with beaten egg will cause it to emerge from the oven with a beautiful golden brown color. The wash also holds optional sprinkles of sesame seeds or coarse salt.

Taste of Home