Things You Can Put on Frozen Garlic Bread to Make it Better

Use garlic bread to accompany your meal.

Crusty, crunchy and full of garlic and butter, a hot slice or two of garlic bread completes an Italian pasta dish. Other than using it as a side to mop up a plate of leftover tomato sauce, garlic bread can work as a base to add a variety of ingredients. With the simple addition of a couple of herbs to a more complete meal of meats and cheeses you can add many things to your garlic bread to make it extraordinary.

Herbs

Forget the sprinkles of dried parsley or ground pepper and opt for some fresh herbs to pack a punch for your garlic bread. Chop up a few leaves of fresh basil or oregano for an aromatic flavor. Mince some tarragon or sage leaves finely and sprinkle over top sliced French bread with melted butter and diced garlic. Add a dash of a sweet or spicy smoked Spanish paprika before you roast your garlic bread for a mildly earthy taste.

Cheeses

You could sprinkle some shreds of mozzarella on top of a hot piece of garlic bread, but for some distinctive flavors, go for an uncommon cheese for a subtle difference. The nut-like flavor of a Swiss Gruyere, the sharp flavor of a sheep's milk cheese such as a Manchego, or the citrus-like flavor of a white Stilton make delicious additions to garlic bread. Grate or crumble a couple tbsp. of one of these cheeses or combine a couple of them to blend their flavors together.

Meats

A little meat and cheese can turn a piece of garlic bread into a complete meal. Ignore plain ground beef and, instead, saute a small amount of a spicy chorizo or Italian sausage for a hearty addition to garlic bread. Lay thinly sliced pieces of pancetta, an Italian version of cured pork belly, on top of warm bread. Some diced chunks of cooked lamb sprinkled with a few chopped scallions can also make a nourishing supplement to otherwise plain bread.

Spreads

A thick olive tapenade made from crushed olives, lemon juice and olive oil makes a quick and elegant addition to garlic bread. Add an herbal saturated pesto made with pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil or a pate made from pureed liver and herbs for other sophisticated spread ideas. The beauty of garlic bread is its versatility, so if you are in the mood for a spicy pepper chutney or a foie gras mousse, garlic bread can provide the medium on which to enjoy your condiment or spread with.

References

• "The Joy of Cooking"; Irma S. Rombauer, et al.; 2006