The Most Amazing Homemade Croutons Recipe

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Here it is, January and we all have our New Year’s Resolutions. The most common ones? Lose Weight. Save Money. Get Organized. Those are three things that I talk about across my different websites and If you’re like me, you feel pulled in all those directions. I can’t really help you lose weight, but I share tons of recipes that help with meal planning and tweaking your budget. Thinking about those new resolutions, people usually lean towards the salad – and, if you are like me, the homemade croutons are the BEST part of a salad!

This is an easy recipe for delicious homemade microwave croutons – I have been making these for years and it’s a great way to use up left over bread or even sandwich trimmings. It is also healthier for you as you are not buying the box ‘o preservatives from the store.

The Most Amazing Homemade Croutons Recipe

Keep a large zippy bag in your freezer to simply add left over bread or crust trimmings to until you have roughly 5 cups of bread cubes ready to rock out this recipe. In our house? I usually end up using the heels of the bread as no one seems to want them for toast or sandwiches. It is usually a mix of white bread, spilt top wheat, or my favorite multi-grain. I personally think the variety is what makes these little buggers so tasty!

How does this save you money? You are repurposing leftover or unused bread instead of paying three to four bucks for a back of chemicals and stale bread. That makes these a little healthier for you too, as you know and can pronounce exactly what goes in this recipe.

Not just for salads!

Even that can of condensed tomato soup is tastier with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a few of these homemade croutons tossed on top. Did you make some cream of potato soup? Add grated cheddar cheese, chives, diced crisp bacon, and a few of these croutons for a bite of heaven in a spoon. They really add a layer of flavor and texture to any soup or stew. My kiddo even likes to eat them as just a snack.

Need bread crumbs? Toss them in your food processor for a minute or two and you are now ready to bread that pork chop or boneless skinless chicken breast.

How long will croutons keep?

This depends on if you keep them in an air tight container or zippy bag. Room temperature or in the fridge. General rule of thumb is about two weeks, in a zippy bag, at room temperature with as much of the air removed from the bag as you can. I don’t suggest the fridge as the air and humidity can ruin the crispness for you. They will freeze well – just make sure to remove them early enough to be thawed and crispy for your intended use.

Why make them in the microwave?

It is fast. It shuts itself off. It uses less energy than an electric stove or oven. It makes darned tasty homemade croutons if you follow my recipe.

Microwave Homemade Croutons

Crouton Seasoning:

This makes a one cup batch that will let you make several batches of these homemade croutons.
You will need:

• 3 tbs. garlic salt
• 7 tsp. garlic powder
• 7 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. basil
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. marjoram
• 1 tsp. white pepper

Combine all of the spices together in a bowl. I like to use my fingers to make sure there are no lumps and everything is mixed well. Take your spice mix and pop into an air tight container. You now have enough seasoning for 10 batches of croutons

Let’s make those croutons…

You will need:

• 5 cups bread cubes
• ½ stick butter
• 1 tbs. crouton seasoning**
• 3 tbs. Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place bread cubes in a large flat microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese. Melt butter in a small (1 cup or so) pitcher on medium for about 1 minute.

Stir in the 1 tbs of seasoning. Stir the butter mix into bread crumb mix and microwave on high for 3-4 min, stirring once. They should be crisp and almost dry (the bread cubes will crisp as they cool). Store in a Zippy bag, at room temperature for up to two weeks. I tell you now – they won’t last that long!

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• Cooking Class 101: Parmesan Garlic Risotto Recipe – 5 Weight Watcher Smart Points
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• Cooking Class 101: How To Make A Basic Muffin Mix
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