Who needs plain ol’ croutons when you can top your favorite soups and salads with crisp, bite-sized versions of a melty childhood favorite? These clever Grilled Cheese Croutons are the ultimate feel good salad and soup topper!
Soup and sandwich, salad and sandwich. They go together like hand and glove. So why not take it one step further? Grilled cheese sandwiches, toasted up nice and crisp with a hint of garlic and herbs, then cubed and sprinkled over your favorite comfort soups or lunch salads is just what you’ve been missing!
These grilled cheese bites are guaranteed to be that simple touch of special that easily creates all-time favorites and treasured memories. Use your favorite breads, like sour dough or lightly sweet Hawaiian. Pair them up with cheddar cheeses, Pepper Jack, Swiss or smoked Gouda.
Having a soup party? Thread them up on skewers to be served with every bowl. Who knew your favorite childhood sandwich could become infinitely better as your new grown up favorite?
Ingredients for Grilled Cheese Croutons
- stales slices of your favorite bread
- cheddar or pepper jack cheese slices
- olive oil
- garlic powder & dried parsley
There are 3 keys to making really good grilled cheese croutons. (1) Use the bread and cheeses you like best. (2) Leave your bread out for 1 day before making the grilled cheeses to make the bread stale. (3) Toast both sides of the bread, not just both sides of the sandwich. This gives your mini sandwiches a good crunch and the ability to stand up to any soup it might get dunked in!
How to Make Grilled Cheese Croutons
Toast the insides. Brush one side of the bread slices with olive oil and toast in a 400 degree oven. Add cheese to the half of the toasted slices, then top with the remaining toasted slices, making the sure the toasted side is placed FACE DOWN on the cheese leaving the non toasted sides facing outward.
Toast the outsides. Now it’s time to brush the tops of the sandwich with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and parsley flakes and toast again. When the tops are brown, flip the sandwiches over, brush with more oil, sprinkle with more garlic and parsley and toast again.
Cube. By this time, your cheese is sure to be good and melty! Pull the toasted sandwiches from the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut each sandwich into bite-sized cubes.
How to Store Grilled Cheese Croutons
Whether we’re serving these with soup or salad, we rarely have any of these clever little grilled cheese croutons leftover. Instead, I usually have to stop everyone from passing by just to pop one or two in their mouths while I am still cutting them up!
But if you do have some leftover, just store them in the fridge in a zip top plastic bag until you need them again. They are usually good for at least 3-4 days. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven until they are warmed through and crisp again. An air fryer also reheats them nicely too!
Soups & Salads To Serve with Croutons
- Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
- Southern Sweet Potato Soup
- Shortcut Parmesan Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms
- Texas Red Chili
- Green Salad with Creamy Mayo Vinaigrette
- Hot Bacon Dressing & Spinach Salad
- Green Salad with Figs, Pears & Molasses Vinaigrette
If You Make This Recipe, I Can’t Wait To Hear About It!
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Clever Grilled Cheese Croutons
Ingredients
- 6 slices stale bread, (We use sour dough or Hawaiian.)
- 6 slices cheddar or pepper jack cheese
- â…“ cup olive oil
- garlic powder & dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Lightly brush one side of each slice of bread with olive oil, place on a baking sheet and "toast" in preheated oven.
- Place 2 cheese slices on 3 of the toasted breads. Top with the remaining slices of bread, placing the TOASTED SIDE DOWN on the cheese. You should have 3 sandwiches, each with toasted sides on the INSIDES of the sandwiches and the non-toasted sides facing outward.
- Brush the tops of the sandwiches with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder and dried parsley. Place back in the oven to brown the tops.
- When tops are browned, remove from oven. Flip over. Brush bottoms with olive oil and sprinkle with more garlic powder and parsley. Return to oven to brown.
- When browned, remove from oven. Use a sharp bread knife to cut each sandwich into cubes. Serve over soups and salads!
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