Real Food, Day 5: Homemade Croutons

Why have I never made these before? SO MUCH tastier than the boxed variety, and only 4 ingredients (vs. this list from a box of Pepperidge Farms croutons...yikes).

These are easy enough to make everyday--even if you forgot and already have dinner cooking, they are quick enough to throw together in 10-15 minutes.

I plan to eat a lot more salads now, just so I can have an excuse to make these.

Parmesan Croutons

created by Kelly

Ingredients:

2 slices whole wheat bread

1/4 cups grated parmesan cheese

2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

Directions:

1. Cut the bread into cubes--I get about 16 per slice, but make them as big or small as you like.

2. In a bowl, mix the cheese, olive oil, and salt together (just salt to taste...)

3. Toss in the bread cubes and stir to coat. You can add more olive oil or cheese if you feel like they cubes aren't getting coated enough.

4. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the cubes out evenly on the sheet.* Bake at 300 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Bake less for chewier croutons, and longer for really crunchy croutons.

*I make these in my toaster over, so 2 slices of bread makes the perfect amount for my tiny baking sheet. If you make theses in a full size oven, consider making a larger batch so that the baking sheet is evenly covered and everything cooks evenly....

Mmmm!