Skillet Croutons for Soup & Salad

The holidays were two wonderful weeks of an international family reunion with lots festivities, and lots of food. We were so excited to get to see our two small nephews from Germany and spend time with them. Now everyone has gone home, and our freezer is full of leftovers. In particular, there was an abundance of leftover bread and rolls. Every year I try to buy less rolls because people are watching their carbs, and every year I still buy too many. However, the extra bread goes into the freezer which has now been pulled out to make skillet croutons for soup & salad.

My now grown son has always liked croutons and snacking on them, so I frequently keep them in the pantry. Store croutons are good and only require opening a package; however, homemade skillet croutons for soup & salad are so much better. And they aren’t hard to make either. Maybe you have already made your own croutons before by baking them. This is something I have often done myself, but in my humble opinion cooking them in a skillet gives them a lot of extra flavor. The outside is toasty and flavorful while the inside has a bit of softness. They are perfect for a special homemade salad or bowl of soup not to mention an awesome way to use up bread! So, don’t discard your leftover bread. Instead, put it in the freezer to make these yummy skillet croutons. You may find yourself snacking on them a lot 🙂

Today I have 2 versions of skillet croutons for you: ranch and Caesar flavored. They are both simple and made with pantry-staple ingredients. Both are delicious and snack worthy. If you can’t decide which to make, then make both!

Before you start:

-As tempting as it may be, don’t crank up the heat. Keep the heat on low or you will burn your croutons.

-Seasoning amounts are suggestions; feel free to experiment or reduce or add more- there’s no wrong way here.

-Different oils will result in different cook times. Olive oil cooks faster, so the croutons will have a softer middle. Vegetable oil allows for a longer cook time if you want more crunch in your croutons.

-The larger the bread cube the softer your middle will be. This is delicious, but again, if you want a crunchier crouton then use smaller bread cubes.

-This recipe has only been tested in a cast iron pan. While I am sure it will work just fine in a non-stick pan the cooking time may vary. I still recommend keeping it on low heat.

-Depending on the bread you use you may want to use more or less seasoning. Some breads are stronger in taste than others and may drown out the seasoning of your crouton.

-You can use less oil, but your cook time will be shorter and the seasoning doesn’t stick as well to croutons. It’s up to you.

Skillet Croutons for Soup & Salad (Ranch or caesar)

2 heaping cups of bread cubes

3 tbsps. of vegetable oil

1 recipe of Ranch or Caesar seasoning (see below)

Drizzle vegetable oil over bread cubes and toss well to coat. Sprinkle seasoning over oiled bread cubes while tossing to coat evenly. Make sure to press as much of seasoning as possible onto bread. Put the bread cubes into a cast iron skillet over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until toasted. Mine takes about 20 minutes.

Ranch seasoning:

1/4 tsp. of dried dill

1/2 tsp. of sea salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. of onion powder

Combine all ingredients and use as directed above.

Caesar seasoning:

1/4 tsp. of dried, ground mustard

1/2 tsp. of sea salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese.

Combine all ingredients and use as directed above.

Enjoy your skillet croutons!