Make your own seasoned croutons.
Jazz up soups and salads with your own homemade garlic-cheese croutons. This recipe is easy to make but tastes best if the croutons are frozen overnight before being served, so plan ahead. These seasoned croutons are also great on their own as a snack. Store tightly covered until you are ready to use them. For a slightly healthier version, cut the amount of butter in half and add an equal amount of olive oil to the melted butter.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Tear or cut the bread into small pieces. Children can help with this, if desired.
2. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. To avoid burning the butter, microwave it in 15-second increments, stirring in between.
3. Add the garlic powder, garlic salt and chopped garlic to the melted butter. Stir well and set aside.
4. Coat the chunks of bread with the butter mixture. You can pour the bread right into the bowl with the butter or you can dump it all in a zip-close bag and shake to coat.
5. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. For best results, don't let the pieces touch.
6. Sprinkle the croutons with a light layer of Parmesan, Romano or mozzarella cheese, or a combination of all three.
7. Bake 10 to 20 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and cool at least 10 minutes. Store tightly covered.
Tags: melted butter, seasoned croutons, Store tightly, Store tightly covered, tightly covered