Growing up, we always had a salad with dinner, no exceptions. The meal could have been anything from pizza to spaghetti to tacos and like clockwork, there would be salad on the table and because of that, I’ve really tried to continue with this ideology since I’ve moved out of my parents’ house–easier said than done some weeks! But, despite the fact that I sometimes struggle with getting one on the table every night, salads will always be one of my favorite parts of dinner.
When I’m feeling like I have a little more time to spend on dinner, or on the weekend when I have time to get more prepared for the week in advance, I try to make a little something special to add to the salad: homemade croutons. You all know how I love my carbs!
Plus, homemade croutons are ridiculously easy to make and are a great way to use the last of a stale loaf of bread, so it doesn’t go to waste. My homemade croutons are usually on the bigger side, mainly because I’m too lazy to cut them into smaller pieces. I also love to use a loaf of garlic bread to up the flavor quality.
Then, I place the bread chunks in a bowl and coat with a generous amount of olive oil.
Sometimes, I simply add salt and bake, but if I’m looking to make a little something special, I play with the seasonings a bit. My sister and her fiance had gotten us some wonderful looking spices from a local cooking store in Fort Collins, CO that I’d been dying to try out, so I decided to go with the obvious tasty crouton looking spice: parmesan garlic.
So, after coating the bread with olive oil, I added a tablespoon or two of the parmesan garlic salt along with some actual parmesan cheese, just to be sure that the cheesy parmesan flavor would stand out.
Finally, I just baked the bread chunks for about 10 to 15 minutes until they turned into crispy croutons!
The croutons also store well in the fridge, so they’re great to make on the weekend and use all week!
Parmesan Garlic Croutons
Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients:
1 loaf garlic bread, chopped
1/8 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons parmesan garlic salt
1/8 cup parmesan cheese
Steps:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix bread chunks, olive oil, parmesan garlic salt, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl until completely combined.
Spread croutons on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve immediately or store in airtight container, and enjoy!
Time: 25 minutes
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I love these! I bet these would be great in homemade tomato soup…
Ooh yum, that sounds great!
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