Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread

Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread is the twist on garlic bread you never knew you needed. With an easy homemade pesto, this is THE ultimate finger food.

Pesto Bread

There’s something quite magical about the combination of bread and pesto. I could eat a whole loaf just dipped into fresh basil pesto. So I thought, why not combine the two. This, plus my love for garlic bread, and here we are.

Homemade Basil Pesto

When it comes to what pesto to use, here I use basil pesto. You could also use chive and parsley pesto or sun dried tomato pesto! Secondly, I always use homemade pesto. If you’ve only got store bought this recipe will still work, however fresh is always best. I go into how to make the best pesto into a little more detail. But just as a quick recap:

How to make Pesto in the food processor

1. Add fresh basil, parmesan, garlic, pine nuts and seasoning to a food processor and turn on motor.
2. Slowly pour in extra virgin olive oil until evenly combined. Test for seasoning and adjust accordingly

Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread

Alrighty, we’ve got our garlicky basil pesto, let’s talk bread.

Unlike my roasted garlic bread, I actually don’t use a baguette here. I opt for a regular loaf, slice it in half and spread on the pesto that way. This is mainly for convenience reasons, but also because it allows the cheese to go nice and golden/gooey. I also bake the bread twice. The first round is to ensure the garlic cooks properly and doesn’t end up too pungent. The second round is a short stint with the cheese, just so it goes nice and gooey.

How to make Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread (quick summary)

1. Grab your loaf and gently press down if it’s too circular.
2. Evenly slice in half.
3. Spread across pesto.
4. Wrap in foil and bake.
5. Unwrap, sprinkle with cheese and bake until golden and gooey.

What cheese to use for Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread?

Mozzarella. Always mozzarella. It’s mellow flavour allows the pesto to shine through, it’s fairly low in fat (so less grease) and it’s awesome for cheese pull. I don’t recommend using any other cheese.

Can I make Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread in advance?

Cheesy pesto garlic bread is best made fresh, but you could bake the whole thing, wrap and store in the fridge until ready to serve (just keep wrapped and heat it through at 180C/350F hot and bubbly again).

When to serve Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread?

This is the perfect finger food or side dish to recipes such as Lasagne, Spaghetti Bolognese and Homemade Meatballs. It’s also great as alfresco dining, perfect to snack on in the sun!

Hey, whilst you’re here, why not check out my other recipes?

Easy Garlic Bread Recipes

• Roasted Garlic Bread
• Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Cheesy Caprese Pull Apart Bread

Fun Pesto Recipes

• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Chicken Pesto Grilled Cheese
• Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
• Broccoli Pesto Pasta
• Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe shall we!?

How to make Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread (Full Recipe & Video)

Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread

Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread is the twist on garlic bread you never knew you needed. With an easy homemade pesto, this is THE ultimate finger food! Makes 12 pieces.

5 from 4 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 6

Course: Appetizer / Side Dish

Cuisine: finger food

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 470kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £1.50 / $2

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Equipment:

• Food Processor (for pesto)
• Plastic Spatula (for spreading)
• Foil (for baking)
• Oven Tray

Ingredients (check list):

Homemade Garlicky Pesto

• ▢ 2 small bunches of Fresh Basil (60g/2oz total)
• ▢ 4 tbsp Pine Nuts, optionally toasted
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 40g Freshly Grated Parmesan
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ▢ 3 cloves of Garlic (see notes)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste

Cheesy Bread

• ▢ 1x 14oz/400g loaf of Bread (see notes)
• ▢ 2.5 cups / 250g shredded Mozzarella

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
• Pop all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined. You may need to stop and scrape the sides once or twice.
• Slice the loaf of bread in half and spread the pesto over, ensuring you spread right to the edges. Individually wrap the bread in foil like a tent, making sure the foil isn’t touching the pesto. Bake in the oven for 10mins.
• Take the bread out, unwrap the foil and sprinkle with mozzarella. Place back in the oven until the cheese goes golden and gooey (another 10mins or so).

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Bread - Here I use a White Bloomer. In general, I recommend using a flatfish loaf, no longer than around 12” and 14oz/400g in weight. Try and use a soft loaf or it’ll go too crunchy in the oven. French or Italian bread works great.

b) Garlic - For pesto GARLIC bread use the 3 cloves of garlic. For just a regular pesto I only use 1 clove.

c) Pesto - Check out my post on making basil pesto for extra tips and tricks on getting the perfect pesto. This recipe could also use chive and parsley pesto and sun-dried tomato pesto!

d) Calories - Shared between 6.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread

Amount Per Serving

Calories 470 Calories from Fat 239

% Daily Value*

Fat 26.56g41%

Saturated Fat 4.617g23%

Trans Fat 0.082g

Polyunsaturated Fat 4.89g

Monounsaturated Fat 15.327g

Cholesterol 14mg5%

Sodium 1033mg43%

Potassium 193mg6%

Carbohydrates 37.32g12%

Fiber 2.9g12%

Sugar 1.36g2%

Protein 21.3g43%

Vitamin A 1450IU29%

Vitamin C 2.5mg3%

Calcium 500mg50%

Iron 2.9mg16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'