I have never been a big fan of croutons. They're always too crunchy and way too salty for my tastes, so I usually end up giving them to my husband while he gives he his tomatoes and cucumbers. Overall, it's a good swap! However, a few weeks ago I was making an Italian meal for dinner with a side salad. I realized I was out of the regular salad toppings such as onions, tomatoes and sunflower seeds (personal preference), so I had to come up with something that made for an actual salad rather than a bowl of lettuce. This is what I came up with. And, believe it or not, I loved them and I will I never go back to the store-bought kind. The beautiful thing about croutons is that you can put whatever seasonings you want on them and they always turn out great. I used whole grain wheat bread that I usually use for sandwiches, and it gave them a wonderful flavor and texture. However, any kind of bread will work great. (Picture courtesy of Serious Eats)Ingredients:
- 3-4 slices bread (any variety will work great)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- Seasonings (suggestions: garlic salt, pepper, sage, parsley, italian seasoning, thyme and rosemary)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dice bread up into 1-inch cubes. Drizzle the cubes with olive oil and toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle seasonings on to your taste and toss to coat. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet so all the cubes are laying flat. Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until cubes are crunchy and a light brown. Cool and serve. Store leftover croutons in an airtight container to maintain crunch and freshness.
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