If you are a garlic bread lover, brace yourself for this cheesy pesto bread recipe!
I have been infatuated with a few cheesy garlic bread photos going around Pinterest lately. I love garlic bread on its own, and adding melty, stretchy cheese to the party sounds like bread heaven. One version that looks particularly fabulous is Hasselback Garlic Cheesy Bread at Lauren’s Latest. I would be delighted if someone served me this, but come on: I am far too weary to bake my own baguettes. Also, I didn’t have any fancy garlic butter lying around. What I did have was some leftover pesto from last week’s pesto chicken. So, I set out to make my own, easier version of this bread, and I think this cheesy pesto bread recipe is pretty darned easy and good.
You could definitely make this without the cheese and still have delicious pesto garlic bread. Truth be told, the cheese was awesome when it first came out of the oven, but much less awesome after it cooled down and lost its melted goodness. If you want to make this cheesy version, I recommend serving it to a crowd who will eat it fairly quickly while its warm.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 pound loaf of French bread
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 4-6 slices provolone cheese
Ingredients
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Rate this recipe!
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- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Slice bread into ¾" slices, leaving just the bottom of the crust uncut to hold the loaf together. Move sliced bread to a piece of aluminum foil slightly longer than the loaf. (Don't worry if you slice the bread all the way through; the foil will fix it.)
- Stir together the melted butter and pesto. With a basting brush, spread the butter mixture over the top and inside the slices of the loaf.
- Cut the cheese slices into pieces (fourths or smaller depending on the size of your cheese and bread), and slide a piece of cheese into each cut of the loaf.
- Crimp the foil to surround the bottom edge of the bread to hold it together and catch any delicious drips. Place directly on rack in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Serve warm.
Need a good silicone basting brush? I like this one from Amazon (affiliate link):
Set of 4 Silicone Pastry Basting Grill Barbecue Brush
What’s that? You want even more cheesy goodness? Try these recipes on for size!
I made this for a church potluck this past Sunday and it was a hit. Thanks for posting this awesome recipe.
I dont have a website.
Hi, Margaret! The website field in comments is optional. Thank you!
How do you make the pesto sauce for the cheese bread
looks very good
Thanks so much, June!
Can’t wait to try this looks delicious. Tried a lot of your recipes and love every one of them. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much, Deborah! This made my day!!
I loved the taste but had to double the butter/pesto for a regular loaf of French bread and double the cooking time. It took 25 min for the cheese to fully melt! But will for sure make again!!
Thanks for the feedback, Dina! I’ll make a note in the recipe that the amounts may vary depending on the size of your loaf, width of slices, etc. I used a dense type of bread, which was shorter than a lighter, longer loaf, so I probably had fewer slices to coat/stuff. Have a good week!
Where did you get your bread from?
Hi, Kay! I took these pics a while ago, but I’m sure it was just a loaf from our grocery store bakery.
This looks AMAZING. I love the cheese and I would totally pair this with tomatoes!
Thank you, Krystal! Adding tomatoes is a great idea!