A simple and savory pesto garlic bread topped with shredded mozzarella cheese and baked until golden brown. Serve on its own or with a main entree.
Pesto sauce is one of our all-time favorite sauces. Kim and I use it on pastas, as a dipping sauce, and as a base for our caprese flatbread.
On our sister site, Berly’s Kitchen, we have a creamy pesto sauce recipe that would be perfect for today’s dish.
Speaking of which, today we’re sharing our cheesy pesto garlic bread. Chewy bread topped with pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese!
Sounds good right? No worries, if you don’t have a lot of fresh basil around, you can use a store-bought version.
Take a look at the tips section below for more helpful information about this recipe. In the meantime, let’s get cooking!
How to make cheesy pesto garlic bread?
First, you need to slice a large loaf of Italian bread or French bread in half, lengthwise.
Next, preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. and place the sliced loaf onto a large sheet pan.
Go head and toast the bread for about 10-minutes, then remove the pan from the oven.
Afterward, increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Now, cut the garlic clove in half and rub the toasted bread with garlic. You’re spreading the garlic oil onto the bread.
After that, use a wooden spoon to evenly spread the pesto sauce onto both halves of the loaf.
Then, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce and place the pesto bread into the oven to bake.
Last, once the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, remove the garlic bread from the oven, slice, and serve.
That’s it, your cheesy pesto garlic bread is done! Kim and I hope you enjoy the appetizer 🙂
Looking for something to pair with this bread? Then check out our lobster mashed potatoes!
Recipe Tips:
- Something to keep in mind is the sodium content. Certain jarred pesto sauces have a lot of added salt, which can overpower the subtle flavor of mozzarella cheese. I recommend buying a low sodium pesto sauce or make your own.
- Mozzarella pearls or slices will also work with this recipe. Just keep in mind your version may not look the same.
- If you’re going to serve wine with this appetizer, I prefer a Sauvignon Blanc or another dry, sweet variety.
Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 ounces Italian bread or French bread cut in half lengthwise (store bought or homemade)
- 1 garlic clove left whole
- 8 ounces pesto sauce homemade or jarred
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded off the block
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250° F. and place both halves of bread on a large baking sheet. Bake the bread for 10 minutes so both are lightly toasted and feel dry to the touch. Remove from the oven and increase the heat to 350°.14 ounces Italian bread
- Cut the garlic clove in half, and gently rub one half of the clove on each piece of bread. Next, divide the pesto sauce evenly between the bread slices. Use a spoon or spatula to spread the pesto sauce in an even layer over the bread all the way to the edges. Finally, sprinkle half the cheese on one slice of bread and half on the other slice.1 garlic clove8 ounces pesto sauce8 ounces mozzarella cheese
- Bake the bread for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to get the cheese brown and bubbly if desired.
- Slice and serve warm.