Ciabatta garlic bread is one of those all time delicious treats that is so good on its own and even better dipped into your favorite Italian sauce. This easy homemade garlic ciabatta requires just a few ingredients and only minutes in the oven. Serve this up as a side dish or with your favorite Italian pasta.
Nothing says classic Italian American dinner more than a delicious cheesy garlic bread. I love garlic, bread and cheese so it only makes sense to make this delicious bread. This ciabatta garlic bread recipe is all of my favorite things and it is so easy to make.
Ciabatta garlic bread or any garlic bread is not traditionally Italian and something that evolved in the U.S. and other countries over the years. That is ok though, because it is delicious and one of those adapted Italian recipes (like our baked polenta with meat sauce) that we love to write about.
We love serving this garlic ciabatta with our whipped lemon ricotta dip, lemon and garlic shrimp, angel hair and tomatoes, Pasta con Salsiccia , pasta al tonno and with our Italian meat sauce. If it tastes amazing, we say, keep making it no matter where it originated!
Why ciabatta makes the best garlic bread
Ciabatta is the perfect bread to make garlic bread because it has a sturdy outside and soft inside that really helps hold in all of the flavors you add to it. When cooked, it crisps up nicely and yet still stays soft on the inside. The holes in the ciabatta bread make the best little crevices for all the ingredients to sink into.
This classic style of Italian bread is very light and rustic and great for dipping into sauces, my passata tomato soup (so good!) or served on its own. In other words, perfect for garlic bread.
Ingredients needed
The ingredients to make this garlicky ciabatta bread are so simple. Here is what you need:
- Ciabatta bread. We try to find the best quality ciabatta bread for this garlic ciabatta. A good ciabatta bread will be very light when you lift it up and you should be able to tap the outside and hear that it is crisp.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Fresh garlic. You want to work with fresh garlic for this garlic ciabatta bread recipe. Granulated garlic will just taste bitter.
- Italian parsley.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This is for a cheesy garlic ciabatta bread. You can leave this out but we highly recommend it!
- Kosher salt.
That is it! The key to the best ciabatta garlic bread is to make sure you are working with all quality ingredients since there are not many and every ingredient's flavor will really come through.
How to make ciabatta garlic bread
To make this ciabatta garlic bread you only need to do a couple of things before it goes into the oven. Here is what it looks like:
- The first thing you want to do is mince the garlic and parsley for the garlic bread and add it to a bowl.
- Now add the salt and olive oil and mix well.
- Slice the ciabatta bread in half lengthwise with a serrated knife and brush the mixture over each half.
Now you could stop here before placing this garlic ciabatta in the oven but we really love a cheesy garlic ciabatta bread so that is the next step:)
- The last step to make this garlic ciabatta bread is to sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan over the top. This makes the garlic bread so delicious!
This garlic bread is best made right before you want to serve it. You can easily prepare the ingredients for the garlic bread ahead of time and store it until you are ready to assemble it.
My Top Tip!
This ciabatta garlic bread freezes really well. All you need to do is assemble it without cooking and freeze it in a freezer bag. It stores for up to 2 months.
To reheat this garlic bread, just wrap it in some aluminum foil and place it in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until heated all the way through.
What to serve with this
We love serving this with our pizza gnocchi and classic minestrone soup. If you are looking for more ideas of what to serve with this garlic ciabatta bread recipe, here are some more of our favorites:
Faqs
Ciabatta bread is great used as garlic bread (like in this recipe), as sandwich bread or toasted up and served as a side.
Ciabatta bread is perfect served as a side to pasta, or for dipping into pasta sauce. It is also delicious served with olive oil alongside Italian grilled meats and vegetables.
The Best Ciabatta Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf ciabatta bread
- ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup Flat leaf Italian parsley minced
- 3 Cloves of garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice ciabatta in half lengthwise.1 Loaf ciabatta bread
- Add topping ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.½ cup Extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup Flat leaf Italian parsley, 3 Cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Now brush ½ of the olive oil topping on each side of the ciabatta bread.
- Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan.½ cup Parmesan cheese
- Place ciabatta bread on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden and the edges of the ciabatta are brown.
- Remove from the oven and slice the ciabatta into 2 inch thick strips.
- Serve immediately.
Marian
We made this last night and it was excellent! Love that it is all made with olive oil and not butter.
Great recipe
kisitalian
So glad you enjoyed it!
Liz
This was so delicious and devoured by the family:)
kisitalian
So glad everyone enjoyed it 🙂