Garlic Cheesy Bread

This homemade garlic cheesy bread comes together in just 30 minutes and is the perfect accompaniment to a delicious Italian meal... or really any meal at all!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Family, Italian, Sunday Sauce

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 20 10

Servings servings

Calories 491kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

Ingredients

1 loaf Italian bread
6 Tablespoons salted butter softened
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or crushed red pepper if you're feeling spicy!
2 cups shredded cheese my local store sells this as an Italian cheese mix or a pizza cheese mix.
¼ cup Romano cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a pan with foil for easy clean up.
Cut your bread through the middle, length-wise so that there are two even pieces (a top and a bottom) and lay them onto the pan so that the cut sides are facing up. Make slices every couple of inches going most of the way through but still leaving the bottom in tact so that it's easier to pull individual pieces once it's baked.
Mix the butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and black pepper until well combined. Spread this onto both pieces of bread.
Bake uncovered for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven. Switch your oven from bake to broil.
Sprinkle the bread with the cheeses and place them back into the oven uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese and melted and bubbly. Keep an eye on the bread so that it doesn't burn! Serve right away.

Notes

Let the bread cool for a minute or two after broiling before slicing further, since the cheese will be extremely hot.
Use freshly shredded cheese rather than pre-shredded if possible, since it tends to melt more smoothly and ends up stretchier. But either option will work.
If you like a stronger garlic flavor, let the butter mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes before spreading, so the garlic flavor has time to bloom.
Don't slice all the way through the bottom of the bread, so it holds together while still pulling apart easily once baked.
Watch closely while broiling, since the cheese can go from melted to burnt quickly.
Scale the recipe up or down easily based on how many people you're feeding.
Ingredients to prep ahead- Mix the butter and seasoning blend up to a day in advance and store in the fridge.
Leftovers and storage- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition