How to Make Garlic Bread Croutons (Salad’s Secret Weapon)
Inside: Want to make salads more tempting for your family (and use up stale bread)? Bake a batch of these crunchy Garlic Bread Croutons.
Recipe At A Glance
- Ingredients: Bread, olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic salt
- Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
- Makes: 4 cups croutons
Why You’ll Love These Croutons
If you’re still trying to get your family sold on salads, these can help! They’re like tiny, crunchy pieces of garlic bread that make green salads extra-appealing.
Consider croutons as training wheels for learning to eat green salads. Things like yummy croutons or a favorite, familiar flavor (like Ranch dressing) can encourage kids to try and to eat more.
What if your kid wants to pile a slew of these croutons onto his leafy greens and drown everything in ranch dressing? Smile, look away if you must, and let him explore.
A month’s worth of dinners, figured out for you.
Grab my 4-week meal plans with recipes, shopping lists, and picky eater tips for every meal.
Feel guilty about ranch dressing? Don’t be! Read: In Defense of Ranch Dressing
Want to know how I got my kids eating big green salads (and ordering them in restaurants even when I’m not there)? Read: How to Teach Your Kids To Love Salad
Ingredients You Need
- Bread: Ends of bread, stale bread, a failed loaf of sourdough (been there)–use what you have! This is a great way to avoid food waste. Cut bread into cubes (I make mine about 1/2 to 1 inch-ish).
- Olive oil
- Parmesan cheese: Use grated. The kind in the green can is a-okay.
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic salt
- Our House Vinaigrette Dressing (aka The Best White Balsamic Vinaigrette)
- A Fun Way to Serve Salad to Kids
- Is Lettuce Safe? 9 Things To Know.
How to Make Them
- Cut your bread into small pieces (I make mine around 1/2-1 inch)
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt in small bowl.
- Toss cubed bread in olive oil. Then sprinkle on seasoning mix and toss again until well coated.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake 15-17 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown.
- Cool croutons (they’ll get crunchier as they cool) and store them in an airtight container. They will soften as they sit in the container FYI. My family doesn’t mind!
Garlic Bread Croutons
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed bread (preferably slightly stale)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small dish, combine Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt.
- Toss cubed bread in olive oil, then sprinkle seasonings onto bread and toss until fully coated.
- Dump coated bread cubes onto baking sheet and baked 15-18 minutes, stirring haflway through, until croutons are golden brown.
- After croutons cool, store in an airtight container and use within five days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1/4 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
