Sometimes keeping it simple is where it’s at – in the kitchen and in life.
I do enjoy getting fancy in the kitchen using lots of different ingredients, but I also enjoy easy creations and recipes that are delicious simplicity at its finest.
Take today’s recipe: easy homemade Italian croutons. It’s a 5-ingredient recipe that comes together in 15 minutes flat, and it brings great flavor and crunchiness to salads.
I’ve made these croutons a bunch this year, including as part of a brunch that I put together when we had family visiting. I also made these croutons as part of an Italian salad that I brought to Easter festivities, and it was a hit.
My older brother, who became a vegan last year, ate this salad and declared that if it was the only thing he could eat out of all of the food, he’d be happy. I took that as a vote of approval!
But I mean…. bread, olive oil, and spices tossed together and baked until golden brown… What’s not to love about croutons?
The next time your salad needs some pizazz, try whipping up these croutons! In these salad photos, I add them to a simple salad of romaine, artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes. Later on I added in roasted chickpeas and called it dinner.
Easy Homemade Italian Croutons {vegan}
Ingredients
- 4 cups of heaping day-old bread I like Italian bread or a multigrain baguette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 TSP Italian seasoning
- 1/4 TSP garlic powder
- 1/4 TSP fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cube the bread into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle in the olive oil, and sprinkle in the Italian seasoning, garlic powder and sea salt. Toss well to combine evenly.
- Transfer the bread to a large baking sheet, spreading it out in a single layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the croutons have become lightly browned and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and throw the croutons into your salad when you're ready to enjoy your meal. Store leftover croutons in an airtight container. They keep well for weeks!
Tell me… Do you eat salads on a regular basis? What’s your favorite simple recipe lately?
I totally agree with you about keeping it simple! Sometimes the best recipes are the easy ones. I absolutely love homemade bread, and therefore homemade croutons are right up there on my list, too. And they sound so fancy when you say you made homemade croutons, right??
I feel like you’re the bread making king! I adore homemade bread too and feel like I don’t make it enough.
These croutons could take any salad from meh to wow! They look incredible. And the mix with romaine tomatoes and roasted chickpeas sounds like the perfect dinner to me. YUM.
You and me both my friend. All I need is a flavorful but easy salad and I’m a happy camper!
These sure look amazing! Great pictures Nicole
Thanks a lot, Patrick!
I usually add crunchy chickpeas to my salads for the crunch factor but I SO should try homemade croutons instead! These sound fantastic and I love how easy they are!
Crunchy chickpeas are one of my favorite ways to use legumes… so good! Hey, I say you can’t go wrong including both these croutons and the chickpeas!
Wow this recipient came ou delicious,
I always have issues finding vegan croutons in market, had no idea it’s this easy to make and your recipient tastes better than store bough, thank you!,, I’m so going to make this every week now
Thanks for your comment – I’m glad to hear that you like the recipe! 🙂 Homemade croutons are indeed a lot easier than you’d think they’d be.