It’s taken me 46 years to make homemade croutons. I put croutons in the same category as homemade pie crusts. For years I’ve heard they are both easy to make. However, I always thought to myself why make them when I can buy a fairly good package of croutons and pie crusts at the grocery store. Things have changed now that I’ve actually tasted homemade croutons which weren’t from a restaurant. I was at a bunko birthday party for a friend and Carrie Beth made a caesar salad with homemade croutons and shaved parmesan cheese on top. I also used to buy shredded (not Kraft in a jar) parmesan cheese in a package. Now I buy the block of cheese and grate it myself. I fancy the big shavings. After I ate Carrie Beth’s salad I literally craved those darn croutons. I couldn’t stop talking about them. I did a little searching on the internet and found a few different recipes for homemade croutons. I used a combo of recipes. There really isn’t much tweaking to be done when it comes to making croutons. There’s only so much you can do. It’s really very simple and a great way to use up any leftover Italian or French bread you may have. Trust me, after you’ve made homemade croutons I don’t think you’ll go back to the prepackaged ones. I put them in a salad and they would also be good on top of tomato or french onion soup.
| Homemade Croutons | Print |
- Italian seasoning to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup or more finely shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ loaf of Italian or French bread, a day old or more
- Cut bread into small cubes and put in a mixing bowl.
- Toss bread with olive oil, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 25 min.
In keeping with the bread theme I thought I’d share another easy recipe that goes well with bread. As I get older I’ve been told I shouldn’t eat as many carbohydrates, but I still love them. I try to cut back here and there, but I still occasionally enjoy a fresh loaf of Italian or French bread. I love the focaccia bread and dipping oil at Bravo restaurant that is served before your meal. My friend Cathy came up with this copycat recipe which tastes very close to their oil.
Dipping Oil
1 cup olive oil
2 tsp sun-dried tomato paste
2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning (or any combo of basil, thyme, rosemary…)
1 tsp finely minced garlic (or more! To taste)
salt & pepper to taste
To mix throw everything in a food processor or blender. Serve with the bread of your choice.
Looks delicious! I just made garlic croutons for a salad recipe. I had no idea that they were so easy! These look good too!
Yummy! I am the same way- have not made homemade croutons. i will try this for sure.
Yep – love homemade croutons! GF ones are not quite the same, but still better than nothing! To other Gluten Free-ers – Glutino’s G
arlic and Parm Bagel chips work too!