Stuffed Garlic Bread is like cheesy garlic bread, oozing with mozzarella cheese, whole pieces of garlic cloves, herb butter, that’s all toasted and crusty on an entire loaf of bread.
Jump to RecipeIf you’re looking for easy recipes for a side dish, this cheesy garlic bread recipe is a great option. This delicious bread goes so well with so many things.
You can have it on the side, on its own, or as the base of something else. It's buttery, overly garlicky, with melty cheese sort of holding it all together and fresh parsley contrasting it all. If you’ve ever had pull-apart bread or cheesy bread, this will feel slightly similar.
I grew up making garlic bread so frequently and spontaneously. You can easily pull it together with some melted butter, garlic powder, and dried or fresh parsley on top of Italian bread or really any bread you have on hand. Crusty stale bread works the best though, so it doesn’t get soggy.
The best way to make it is to use whole fresh ingredients, like garlic cloves and fresh parsley. That’s what I think takes it over the top and so freaking addicting.
It makes a fantastic side dish, but also a delicious appetizer that you can dip in some marinara sauce.
Also, as a tip, you should definitely remember that garlic bread makes a great base for making heroes (or subs, hoagies, grinders – depending on where you’re from) like meatball, chicken parm, or sausage & peppers.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
Italian bread – This type of bread will work the best because its hearty and hard, but ciabatta, focaccia, or a French bread like a baguette will work well too
Garlic cloves – when you’re in a hurry, garlic powder will suffice, but when I make the real deal, I use real whole pieces of garlic – there’s no substitute like it.
Whipped butter – I use whipped butter here because it's lighter and I get more out of it, but you can use non-whipped butter too. this will get melted to make an herb & garlic butter to spread all over the bread. Either way, use salted butter so that you don’t need to add salt to the seasonings.
Fresh parsley – again, in a pinch, you may use dried parsley, but when you have it, fresh really is better
Mozzarella – skim or whole milk shredded mozzarella, whichever you prefer,
Parmesan – this is for topping the outside of the bread which makes for such a flavorful crust
Aluminum foil – garlic bread usually just broils open-face for a couple of minutes, but because the two halves are stacked together, and stuffed with cheese, it takes longer to melt and get all toasty. so instead, it gets wrapped up in aluminum foil so that the bread doesn’t burn at all
HOW TO COOK
Okay, let’s make this stuffed garlic bread! Refer below for detailed instructions.
Start by slicing your bread in half lengthwise using a sharp serrated knife.
In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add in the sliced garlic cloves, the fresh parsley, and the garlic powder all into your mixing bowl.
Place your bottom loaf of bread in the center of aluminum foil. With a pastry brush, spread the melted butter mixture all over the two halves of bread. Using a pastry brush or a sauce brush is the easiest way to do this, but if you don’t have either, just use a spoon.
On top of the butter, you’ll spread out the shredded mozzarella on one of the bread slices creating a nice layer of cheese. Top the other half over the mozzarella half.
On the top of the bread, brush a little olive oil all over top, then season with garlic powder and parmesan.
Wrap up the loaf of bread in the aluminum foil and place it on a baking sheet. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
If you want the top to get golden brown, open up the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Place the bread on a cutting board and slice into equal portions using a sharp knife. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping or on the side of an entrée.
Variations
Other versions of this delicious garlic cheese bread to make:
- Add red chili flakes – it’s a subtle move with a big impact!
- Stuff your bread with different cheeses. It can be all Italian cheeses (provolone, parmesan) or you can do something entirely different!
- Use Swiss cheese instead and stuff also with roast beef for an easy French dip sandwich
- Use pizza dough instead of Italian bread. This alters the recipe quite a bit, but you can easily manipulate it to work!
ENTREES THAT GO WELL WITH GARLIC BREAD
Just like cheesy bread, garlic bread can also be awesome on its own like an appetizer. But as a side dish, it can go with so many Italian dishes:
- Crispy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
- Lighter Chicken Parmigiana
- Ravioli or other baked pasta
- Baked Pasta & Sausage
- Baked Italian Meatballs
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp over Creamy Polenta
- Lighter Fettuccine Alfredo
- Base for meatball hero, chicken, eggplant, or veal parm hero, sausage & peppers
LEFTOVER GARLIC BREAD
If you made a whole loaf of bread, it's likely you’ll have leftovers, unless you’re feeding a big crowd. Any leftovers you have, simply wrap up the bread in foil and store in the fridge. Next time you want to eat it, just pop that wrapped loaf of bread in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. It's that easy! It will keep like this for about a week.
CAN I FREEZE GARLIC BREAD
You sure can! Keep the garlic bread wrapped tightly and I would also place it in a zip lock bag to further prevent any freezer burn. Thaw it in the fridge for a day before baking.
Nutrition
It depends what bread you use in this, but for a regular loaf of Italian bread, each slice contains 259 calories, 13 grams fat, 25 grams carbs, and 10 grams protein.
AS ALWAYS, IF YOU MAKE THIS – PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!
Stuffed Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- Loaf of Italian bread ciabatta, focaccia, or baguette work too
- 8 tbsp whipped butter
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley minced
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan
- Marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 450
-
Slice Italian (or other) bread in half lengthwise using a sharp serrated knife.
-
In a small mixing bowl, melt the whipped butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Mix in the sliced garlic cloves, the fresh parsley, and the tbsp of garlic powder.
-
Place your bottom loaf of bread in the center of aluminum foil. With a pastry brush, spread the melted garlic butter all over the two halves of bread.
-
On top of the butter, spread out the 2 cups of shredded mozzarella on one of the bread slices. Top the other half over the mozzarella half.
-
On the top of the stuffed bread, brush the olive oil all over top, then season with the tsp of garlic powder and parmesan.
-
Wrap up the loaf of bread in the aluminum foil. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
-
Slice into pieces with a serrated knife and serve with marinara sauce for dipping or on the side of an entrée.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you make this recipe or any others on Bite your Cravings, please leave a rating below! You can also tag me in your recipes on social media @biteyourcravings so I can see!
Leave a Reply