Italian crostini or any of its relatives (garlic bread, focaccia, baguette) is one of the best things invented in the culinary world! This garlic crostini recipe can take the place of pasta and rice and tastes great all on its own! If you've got five minutes to spare then you can make this simple and delicious oregano and garlic crostini.
About this Italian Garlic Crostini:
This oregano and garlic crostini is my go to crostini recipe and one that goes so well with so many dishes. There really isn't much that I can think of that doesn't taste better with this tasty, crunchy and delicious garlic rubbed crostini.
It is so simple to make and the rewards with its taste will be evident at the first bite.
This recipe includes oregano on top of the crostini but you can omit that if you prefer just a garlic crostini. This crostini is meant to be served as a side with soups, pasta or anything that needs bread to dip into it.
What is Crostini:
Crostini is a an Italian way of preparing bread (although other culture have their own version too) which involves slicing bread in strips, adding olive oil to the bread then toasting it up either under the broiler or on a pan.
The end result is a perfectly crunchy bread, top and bottom that makes a great sturdy dipping implement or a base for more toppings. I love using this crostini recipe as a dipper and as a base for other toppings.
At the bottom of the page, there are some great crostini recipes that will show you all the things you can do with this delicious crusty bread.
I like to serve this with herb baked eggs , with a hearty soup like this farro minestrone, or just on it's own as a side for a BBQ. It's delish!
Ingredients you will need:
You only need a couple of ingredients to make this simple garlic crostini.
- Baguette bread. You can also use ciabatta bread or rustic Italian bread. Try to find good quality bread.
- Olive oil
- Fresh garlic
- Dried oregano or your favorite herbs. (optional)
- Kosher salt
About the ingredients:
Because there are so few ingredients in this garlic crostini recipe, try to find really good quality ingredients. It will make all the difference in the world.
If you do not love oregano, you can make this simple garlic crostini by omitting the oregano. You can also use another herb that you love.
Just make sure that you use fresh garlic.
How to make crostini
Making the garlic crostini takes just minutes to do and has only a couple of steps. Here is what it looks like:
- Slice the bread into ¼ inch slices and place on a sheet pan. Depending on what I am serving the crostini with is how I decide what shape to slice the bread. If I am dipping the garlic crostini in soup, I slice it at a little bit of an angle so I can hold the tips while I dunk the crostini. If I am serving the crostini as a side dish, I cut the slices of bread a bit more even in shape.
- Brush the tops off the bread with the olive oil.
- Place under the broiler for about 2-4 minutes until it starts to get a golden color.
- Remove from the oven and flip the bread over and cook the other side until golden.
- Once the crostini are nice and crisp, remove them from the oven and flip back over so the side brushed with olive oil is facing up.
- Take a clove of garlic and rub the garlic over the top of the bread. The garlic when scraped over the crisp crostini sticks to the bread.
The process of rubbing the garlic over the hot bread is what makes this crostini so amazing. This is why it is important to use only fresh garlic when making garlic crostini.
My favorite recipes to serve this crostini
- Easy Marinara sauce. I love just dipping bread in sauce!
- Pasta with Pork Bolognese
- Authentic Bolognese
- Vegetable Soup with Cabbage
- Italian Minestrone
- Ricotta Meatballs with Spinach
- Pasta Fagiole
- Carrot and Squash Soup
FAQS
Crostini should be very crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. To make the best crostini, you want to start with fresh bread which will ensure your crostini are not too hard.
Crostini are best served right away after making them. They are usually served hot or warm. The longer crostini sit out the quicker they will toughen up and not be as good.
More Crostini Recipes
- Tomato Crostini (Catalan Bread)
- Goat Cheese Crostini with Peppers and Capers
- Balsamic Strawberries and Goat Cheese Crostini
- Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheesy Crostini
Simple Garlic Crostini
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
- 1 large baguette bread
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano optional
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your broiler.
- Slice up your baguette either straight across or at a slight angle making pieces of bread that are about ¼ inch thick.1 large baguette bread
- Place your bread on a large baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of your bread with the olive oil (or drizzle the oil if you have a narrow spout on your olive oil).¼ cup of olive oil
- Place under the broiler until it is nicely browned but not burned, about 1-2 minutes.
- Take out of the broiler and carefully flip the bread over and place back under the broiler to brown the other side (another 1-2 minutes).
- Once both sides have been browned, take out of the broiler and rub the oiled tops of the bread with the garlic.1 garlic clove
- Once you have done this to all the bread, sprinkle the salt over your bread.1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Keep doing this until all of the bread has been lightly salted.1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Now sprinkle your oregano if using over the top of all of your bread.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Jill says
Really delicious and very easy!
Melissa says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Shawna says
We really enjoyed this. I made this with soup and it was perfect for dipping