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Home » Recipes » Italian Food

The Best Ciabatta Garlic Bread

by kisitalian, Mar 31, 2023 updated Aug 9, 2023

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Ciabatta garlic bread is one of those 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.

ciabatta garlic bread

Nothing says classic Italian American dinner more than delicious cheesy garlic bread. I love garlic, bread, and cheese so it only makes sense that I love this delicious bread.

Ciabatta garlic bread or any garlic bread is not traditionally Italian and is 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 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 the garlic and olive oil 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

ciabatta garlic bread ingredients

The ingredients to make this garlicky 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.

The key to making this amazing is to make sure you are working with all quality ingredients, especially olive oil, and parmesan, since there are not many and every ingredient's flavor will really come through.

slices of garlic ciabatta

How to make ciabatta garlic bread

To make this you only need to do a couple of things before it goes into the oven. Here is what it looks like:

olive oil for garlic bread
1. Mix the topping ingredients together.
garlic ciabatta with olive oil brushed over the top
2. Brush over the top of the ciabatta bread.
  • 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 cheesy garlic ciabatta bread so that is the next step:)

garlic ciabatta with cheese
  • The last step in making 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.

ciabatta garlic bread

Freezing And Storing

Once you make the garlic bread, it will store for about 24 hours wrapped in some aluminum foil on the counter. It will not stay crisp this way so reheating it in a preheated 350-degree oven (wrapped in the foil) for about 10 minutes will revive it and crisp it back up.

This Italian 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.

Faqs

What is ciabatta bread good for?

In addition to garlic bread, ciabatta bread makes a great sandwich bread or is great toasted up on its own and served as a side dish to Italian meals.

What do you eat with ciabatta?

Ciabatta bread is perfect served as a side to pasta, or for dipping into pasta sauce. It is also delicious with olive oil alongside Italian grilled meats and vegetables.

Variations

This recipe is great on its own but we sometimes like to switch things up a bit as well. Here are some ideas:

  • Skip the cheese: This garlic bread is just as delicious without the cheese.
  • Add fresh herbs: A sprinkling of chives, dried oregano, Italian parsley, or fresh basil that is finely minced is great to sprinkle on after baking.
  • Add a little butter: Sometimes we like melting a little butter and adding that to the olive oil to make a richer topping for the garlic bread.

I always say Italian cooking is all about using what you have on hand. Do not feel compelled to stick to the exact recipe. Use what you have and what is fresh and you will have a delicious dish.

What to serve with this

We love serving this with our crispy chicken Parmesan, 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:

  • rigatoni amatriciana in pan
    Rigatoni all'Amatriciana (2 Ways!)
  • tuscan baked beans
    Fagioli all'Uccelletto (Stewed Beans with Tomatoes)
  • Baked Italian Sausage
    Baked Italian Sausage
  • pot of zucchini soup
    Authentic Italian Zucchini Soup With Orecchiette
ciabatta garlic bread

The Best Ciabatta Garlic Bread

Melissa
This simple and delicious garlic bread made with ciabatta makes the perfect side to so many meals.
5 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 minutes mins
Total Time 13 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 1 loaf
Calories 2200 kcal

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.

Notes

To store leftover ciabatta garlic bread:
Place garlic bread in a sealed container and store for up to 24 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 2200kcalCarbohydrates: 217gProtein: 57gFat: 124gSaturated Fat: 25gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 83gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 4181mgPotassium: 167mgFiber: 6gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1655IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 631mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Comments

    5 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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  1. Marian says

    April 04, 2023 at 9:28 pm

    5 stars
    We made this last night and it was excellent! Love that it is all made with olive oil and not butter.
    Great recipe

    Reply
    • kisitalian says

      April 05, 2023 at 10:49 am

      So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Liz says

    July 19, 2023 at 10:20 pm

    5 stars
    This was so delicious and devoured by the family:)

    Reply
    • kisitalian says

      July 20, 2023 at 11:46 am

      So glad everyone enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
Making tagliatelle for ragu alla Bolognese.

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