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Cheesy Bread

Cheesy Bread

My friend Michelle loves to throw big parties, with plenty of food and plenty of friends. I think it must be the large Italian family thing, one is never at a loss for food or great company at her house. One of my favorite dishes that usually makes an appearance at Michelle's is this "cheesy bread", a sort of cross between garlic bread and pizza. It's a great way to help feed a lot of hungry people, and easy to pull together, even at the last minute. Big thanks to Michelle, who tracked the recipe down from her friend Mark, who is happy to share it with us.

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Cheesy Bread Recipe

Ingredients

  • 8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 1 lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 to 1 cup chopped green onion (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp sour cream (optional)
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup, 4 ounces), softened to the point of being slightly melted
  • 1 to 2 loaves of French or Italian bread (I used Ciabatta), depending on the size of the loaves

Method

1 In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses and the green onion. Stir in the mayonnaise and sour cream. In a separate small bowl blend the butter and garlic until smooth. Add the butter mixture to the cheese mixture.

2 Preheat broiler. Slice loaf of bread in half horizontally, lay crust side down. Spread cheese mixture over the bread. Place under the broiler until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

3 Remove from broiler and let sit for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle. Slice the bread with a bread knife. Serve.

Makes 30 to 40 slices.

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58 Comments

That looks gorgeous.

Posted by: Michelle Dawn on January 18, 2008 6:32 PM

Looks wonderful. Can't wait to try it this weekend. Should go well with the crab salad I'm planning on serving. Thank you. :)

Posted by: Margaret on January 18, 2008 6:57 PM

It does look awfully good!

Posted by: Ashley on January 18, 2008 7:05 PM

Gosh this looks so delicious. If only I had some bread right now, this would be broiling in my oven. Guess I know what to add to my shopping list for tomorrow! Thank you for sharing! :-)

Posted by: popsicles & lollipops on January 18, 2008 7:10 PM

Sounds soooo good! I cannot wait to try it. Thanks for sharing :)

Posted by: Karly on January 18, 2008 7:30 PM

Wow, that bread looks wonderful! I'll bet it would also be good with some diced tomatoes on top. Of course, I like tomatoes on almost everything!

Posted by: Susan on January 18, 2008 8:49 PM

OHHH!!! Gotta try this! My diet loving friends will lovingly kill me for this, but must try! My mom used to make something similar, but on english muffins, and with chopped eggs and such. This looks like everything I loved, but cheesier, minus the stuff I didn't like!

Posted by: Karen on January 19, 2008 12:04 AM

Very similar to the recipe the Pioneer Woman has at her site for Olive Cheese Bread. Check it out at http://thepioneerwomancooks.com/2007/06/olive_cheese_br.html.
That one is very good too.

Hah! Great minds think alike. ;-) I didn't know that Ree had made a cheesy bread too. I like the idea of the olives. ~Elise

Posted by: Anonymous on January 19, 2008 1:55 AM

How delicious! A great go with for a big salad or black bean soup:) Amazing photos!

Posted by: JEP on January 19, 2008 4:20 AM

It's 6:30 AM here...I wonder if I should have cheesey bread for breakfast?? hmmmmm

Posted by: Trish on January 19, 2008 4:25 AM

Looks great and not trying to be picky, but the measurements for the cheeses seem kinds off; usually 8 oz shredded is 2 cups, same would apply for the cheddar.

Good point. It's probably better to steer off of weights, anyway. I've adjusted the recipe. Thank you. ~Elise

Posted by: Laura on January 19, 2008 4:44 AM

My mom used to do something similar using equal parts of mayo, parmesian & chopped onions. Can't wait to try this version!

Posted by: Debbi on January 19, 2008 5:30 AM

Perfect timing. Thanks so much. I had six friends all meeting here for drinks before we went out to a concert together. We weren't going to be eating until afterwards so guess what I served? We have a great little french bakery at the end of our street so I ran down there to get a couple of baguettes, picked up some Mozzarella and had it all mixed and ready to go when they got here. So good, and it's freezing here right now, so some toasty warm snacks in our tummies really helped. By the way, 8 people, two baguettes,devoured the lot. narry a crumb left. Just the yummy memory.

Posted by: Sally K on January 19, 2008 6:49 AM

Looks nice, but I think I still prefer Brazilian cheese-bread. It's very good for breakfast and healthier too.

Posted by: JrezIN on January 19, 2008 6:58 AM

Is it me, or is the calorie count for this conspicuously absent? ;-)

Nevertheless, uber-yum.

(Did I spell 'conspicuously' correctly?)

Posted by: jonathan on January 19, 2008 7:00 AM

That just looks obscenely good. Note to self: do not read blogs when hungry.... Thanks for sharing the method!

Posted by: lydia on January 19, 2008 7:50 AM

That sounds a lot like a cheesy bread recipe a friend always makes for gatherings. She adds sliced olives to her cheese mixture and scatters some sliced pickled jalapenos on top before broiling. It's so unbelievably tasty that I demanded the recipe upon eating a piece.

Posted by: verily on January 19, 2008 7:58 AM

Delish! I just love the fact that it's so quick to put together - one less thing to worry when you're entertaining. Brilliant!

One question: do you think the mayo can be replaced with sour cream? I'm not a fan of using mayo (even homemade), but I think the mayo is essential in this recipe, to add a nice mouth-feel and texture. I suspect replacing it with sour cream won't achieve the same thing, though...any suggestions?

Don't know. You could try it, on a much smaller scale first, like with just a slice of bread, to see if it suits you. ~Elise

Posted by: Angela on January 19, 2008 8:18 AM

Posted by: JrezIN on January 19, 2008 9:31 AM

This is similar to an appetizer I make. I use shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, mayo and crescent rolls. I unroll the crescent rolls and cut each triangle in half lengthwise then I put a little bit of the cheese mixture in the center and roll up and bake until golden brown. A wonderful person, who's no longer with us, gave this recipe.

Posted by: Kathy on January 19, 2008 9:31 AM

I have a similiar receipt but use Ranch Dressing instead of mayo...it is excellent. A little more kick to it with some more flavor.

Posted by: Jenny on January 19, 2008 9:35 AM

That looks delicious and addictive. I'll have to wait for a larger gathering to try it out. Yum!

Posted by: Lady Amalthea on January 19, 2008 9:37 AM

Oooh, yummy! We love cheese, bread, sour cream, butter! This will be great to serve next weekend when my sister-in-law and her family come to visit! Thanks for the wonderful idea!

Posted by: Renee on January 19, 2008 10:02 AM

This sounds a lot like my tomato bread. I add minced fresh garlic to butter, slather it on a horizonatally cut italian bread, top it with sliced tomatoes and shredded mozzarella and bake until the cheese is melty and good. It is an unbeatable appetizer that goes quickly.

Posted by: dancing kitchen on January 19, 2008 11:24 AM

In a big bowl, I mixed shredded cheddar and parmesean cheese, diced onions and tomatoes and minced garlic. I buttered both sides of a couple pieces of loaf bread and spooned the mixture on top. Broil for 7 minutes to perfection.

Thanks for the awesome recipe!

Posted by: Red Icculus on January 19, 2008 12:31 PM

This was soooooo good! The best part is that my boyfriend (the non-cook =) made it, was able to improvise the ingredient amounts (a big deal b/c he's never strayed from a recipe before), and absolutely loved it!!

Posted by: Kim on January 19, 2008 10:16 PM

I'll have to try this one at my next gathering (or for a change from a pizza dinner). One thing I usually do when I make breads like this is broil them a few minutes before putting the toppings on - it makes the bread a little crunchier by drying it out a little.

Great idea, thanks Donna! ~Elise

Posted by: Donna J M on January 20, 2008 5:58 PM

I have to second JrezIN's comment from above. Granted Pao de Queijo is a bit different than this sort of cheesy bread but if you like this kind you will also like the Brazilian rolls. Oddly enough I learned about them in Japan, have made it a couple of times with grated Edam cheese and they're addictive. The dough is super easy to make but it is sticky and messy to form the balls. I urge you all to try these-- they really are addictive.

Posted by: Whitney on January 21, 2008 6:54 AM

That looks and sounds delicious. I bet it would be good with roasted garlic too.

Posted by: Sherri on January 21, 2008 9:06 AM

This bread looks amazing! I can almost taste it! Guess what's being served at my house on Super Bowl Sunday? ;)

Posted by: Lisa on January 21, 2008 10:26 AM

I have a similar recipe with just minced shrimp, mayo, green onions mixture. It's yummy.

What a great idea. Love it! ~Elise

Posted by: knocknockk on January 21, 2008 7:03 PM

This sounds like something that my mom used to make and now my guests love me to make. This one is also super easy. Slice French bread (or Ciabatta), spread sour cream on the slices, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and stick it under the broiler until bubbly and a little browned. Serve warm! :)

Posted by: Liz on January 22, 2008 9:36 AM

Sounds yummy! I make a very similar version only using jalapenos instead of green onions. Yum.

Posted by: Suzanne on January 22, 2008 11:10 AM

Is it rude to drool?

Posted by: Crys on January 22, 2008 11:48 AM

I make a similar version of these Cheesy Breads as an appetizer for parties. I don't use the sour cream or butter but add a small can of sliced black olives and a couple tablespoons of dry Ranch dressing mix. I spread the mixture on slices of French bread bagettes and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes. Everyone loves these Cheesy Breads, I can't go to a party without promising to bring along a big batch. I will try this version and see how it goes over. I will probably omit the sour cream and the butter just to keep the fat content down a little bit, looks like there is plenty of fat with just the mayo in the mix.

Posted by: Barbi on January 23, 2008 9:00 AM

I love all the cheesy things... and cheesy bread is my favourite!!! Oh! I want to eat it NOW!

Posted by: miss Bonelli on January 23, 2008 1:19 PM

Wow, that bread looks tasty! I am the official garlic bread maker in my house, but I'm hanging on to this recipe for our next occasion to serve bread because it looks delicious. Thanks for sharing!

Posted by: Frugal Dad on January 24, 2008 6:35 PM

Your cheesy bread recipe looks delicious. I did something similar at http://red-icculus.com/?p=50 , but without the mayo.

Posted by: Red Icculus on January 27, 2008 12:04 PM

Elise,
I made this Saturday night with dinner, and I must say it was a HUGE hit with everyone. I was so excited. It is reminiscent of the cheesy garlic frozen toasts at the grocery store, only 50X better! :) I will definately be making this very very often.

I also found that toasting/broiling both sides of the loaf worked quite well before putting the spread on. I liked the extra crunch factor instead of softer bread, but that is just personal preferance.

Also, because we were housesitting that day and I didn't have access to the garlic I normally keep in my house, I "had" to use some sort of jarred "Italian (and something else I don't remember) Garlic" mix instead of regular garlic. This was some type of fancy minced garlic in, I'm assuming, some type of oil...and it had some type of little bits of red spicy pepper, I think...anyway. It was WONDERFUL! It smelled exactly like Papa Johns garlic butter dip for pizza. I digress. But my point is, if anyone has access to anything like this, it makes a quite lovely substitution for "plain" garlic!

I had more than enough spread for one huge loaf of bread. It would definately be enough for one and a half (three sides) loaves if not two full (four sides)...just my notes! But now I have some spread already made and saved for later!

Thanks!

Posted by: Dena on January 28, 2008 6:53 AM

Holy yum, Batwoman! I've made Ree's cheesy-olive bread, and that stuff is TDF. This looks equally decadent and delicious, and perfect for non-olive-lovers. I'm also thinking I'd like to try artichoke-spinach bread; just like the famous cheesy hot artichoke-spinach dip that we all know and love, only with the bread already attached. Doesn't that sound divine too?

Posted by: Nick on January 28, 2008 6:16 PM

Thank you for posting this recipe. I can't wait to try it. A few weeks ago, we had something that seems similiar at Alchemy Market and Cafe in Murphys, California. They serve a cheesy bread just like this rather than regular bread. It was amazing and I am sure your recipe is also!

Posted by: Jennifer Lo Prete on January 28, 2008 10:43 PM

I made the addition of a half a cup of sweet yellow onion, roughly chopped, to balance out all the cheese. I also used twice as much garlic and a couple of tsps of dried chives. It was unbelieveable, my fiance and I have been eating it all day. I'll have to eat nothing but dry lettuce the rest of the week to balance out the calories!

Posted by: Amanda on February 2, 2008 1:33 PM

The cheesy bread was a major hit at my superbowl party, it was gone before most other thing, I used ciabatta, and followed the recipe exactly. It was perfect.

Posted by: Anita R on February 3, 2008 8:39 PM

Simple, easy and a huge hit at any party! Thank you for the recipe, I make this for functions but never really had a recipe for it!

Posted by: Christine on March 9, 2008 7:36 AM

Made this for a small party at my house this weekend and it was a huge hit! Everyone wanted the recipe.

Posted by: Michelle on March 24, 2008 5:25 PM

OMG! TDF!!! This cheesy bread was the hit of my Memorial Day BBQ!!! OH SO CHEESY!!! Even our chef friend loved it! This will be a "signature" side of mine from now on.

Posted by: Denise on May 27, 2008 11:10 AM

In England we call that welsh rarebit or, more simply, cheese on toast- it works best with cheddar cheese and a bit of worcestershire- pronounced wooster- sauce

Posted by: peter on June 3, 2008 4:49 AM

This sounds delicious.

However, as far as your "Method" is concerned, why would you opt to mix the butter and garlic in a small bowl and then add to the cheese mixture, instead of mixing the butter and garlic, then mayo and sour cream, adding the cheeses and green onions, all in the same bigger bowl?

I'm a bachelor living in Japan with ZERO counter space, and I only have 1 bowl. LoL so that's why I'd do it this way. But I also really despise doing dishes, as many do, and that's why I see the sense in using only the one bowl.

Sweet blog. I love the straight up "simply recipes" theme, and the fine balance of refined cuisine and delicious American fare such as bacon wrapped hot dogs and potato skins. I enjoy your blog, whittling away free time in the office reading about bombastic and amazing cuisine from the US and all over the world. Peace.

Posted by: KB Fresh on June 16, 2008 1:23 AM

Great recipe. We added jalepenos for an extra kick!

Posted by: angie on July 1, 2008 3:28 PM

I've admired this recipe for awhile and finally tried it tonight.

Heavens, it's tasty. Well beyond expectations here and incredibly easy. It's a keeper ---- thanks!

Posted by: Stacy on July 5, 2008 9:01 PM

Can I mix all the ingredients together and keep it in the fridge for few days? Will the taste change?

Or can I apply it on the loaves and then freeze it? I am planning to make it for a Friday evening potluck, and won't have time to do everything after I come back from the office.

You can mix the spread ingredients together and refrigerate them, should taste fine. ~Elise

Posted by: Cao on August 29, 2008 12:22 PM

I made this up and put the mix in the fridge to use for several events and everyone loved it!

Jalepenos are a great idea too, I'll try that.

Thanks!

Posted by: Brenda on October 16, 2008 4:28 PM

This bread was absolutely amazing. I served it as a side dish to some pasta with pesto sauce (which I also got from this website). It was a very delicious dinner.

Posted by: John on December 7, 2008 8:44 PM

I just made this cheese bread today. I didn't have green onions so I used sun dried tomatoes instead. I didn't have a loaf of bread but had two cans of refrigerated Pillsbury plain breadsticks and used that instead. It came out great.

I didn't separate the breadsticks, I laid them all flat to cover the cookie sheet and then I baked them. When they were ready, I spread the mixture on top and popped it back in the oven.

It was absolutely delicious and we didn't need a knife, because the breadsticks would just come apart where the original indentations where. Everyone loved it and I had to go back for seconds for a midnight snack :-)

Posted by: Mar on December 25, 2008 2:32 AM

These look delicious and I'm having a get together this weekend and was thinking of making these except that My broiler for my oven doesn't work. Can I just put it in the oven at like 450 degrees? Will that work? Thanks!

You can try it. Let us know how it turns out if you do. ~Elise

Posted by: Cynthia on March 19, 2009 2:24 PM

I found the cheese proportion too much for 1 loaf so I just halved everything and also added some shredded Monterrey Jack. It was great! And the left-over heated up nicely in the toaster over for a snack later on that night. Thanks! It was a great, easy recipe!

Posted by: Soyonb on April 23, 2009 12:33 PM

I made this last weekend, and everyone seemed to really like. The only thing that I would change would be the amount of cheese, it was a lot- or you could always use another loaf of bread. I used 1 French loaf, and probably could have used 2. Overall, though, it was really good!

Posted by: Sophie on September 4, 2009 5:07 PM

Loved this recipe! was a huge hit at an appetizer party I went to. Thank you so much for sharing!

Posted by: ashley on October 6, 2009 5:55 PM

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