Homemade croutons are quickly tossed in chipotle sauce then baked to crunchy perfection. Ready in minutes, you’ll never buy store bought croutons again!
We made it to day five, friends! These crunchy and addictive croutons are the final recipe of the Tabasco 10 Ingredient Challenge. Be sure to check out the first four recipes of the series: Honey Chipotle Grilled Chicken Breasts, Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad with Smoked Mozzarella, Spicy Chicken and Fennel Meatballs and Baked Chicken Wings with Honey Chipotle Glaze.
These croutons are inspired by a recent playdate at my dear friend Mimi’s house. She is a busy mom of three little ones under the age of 5 and she is a master in the kitchen. I can’t even remember what we enjoyed for lunch that day because I was too distracted and in awe of the fact that she made homemade croutons for our casual lunch with 7 kids under 5.
Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, they were absolute perfection. When I saw the list of ingredients for the Tabasco 10 Ingredient Challenge I knew right away I would need to make homemade croutons in honor of Mimi.
Smoky, salty, savory bites of goodness, these croutons are the perfect addition to any salad or even a cozy bowl of tomato bisque. Are they the healthiest snack on earth? No. But no matter what, whenever you cook at home you are able to control the quality of ingredients and the amount of salt and oil which is always going to end up more nutritious than anything out of a box or at a restaurant.
This one’s for you Mimi! No forks required.
How to Make Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread ideally slightly stale
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Tabasco chipotle sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice bread into bite-sized cubes and place into a large bowl.
- Drizzle bread cubes with olive oil, Tabasco chipotle sauce, salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat all bread cubes.
- Spread cubes in a single layer on baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Shawn @ I Wash You Dry
Homemade croutons are so much better than store-bought. I like to make mine with sourdough but ciabatta sounds delicious with a little spice!
eat good 4 life
I would totally eat homemade croutons. I hate store bought, thus I never eat them. A great simple recipe!
Liz DellaCroce
They were so good friend!!
Joanne
Way to make croutons THAT MUCH BETTER! I see way more exciting crouton-filled salads in my future.
Liz DellaCroce
I mean seriously – why don’t I make them ALL the time!?
mimi
sewing circle is the best–can’t wait for our back to school edition in sept! xoxo
Liz DellaCroce
Same here my friend!! xoxo
Kristen
These look amazing – what a great idea to toss them in Tabasco first! I make homemade croutons all the time but have never thought to make them spicy. Love it!
Liz DellaCroce
Why on earth haven’t I been making them at home? Actually considering how many I ate maybe it’s a good thing I don’t. ;)
Shawnna
Yum! These look really good!
Susan
I can’t remember the last time I had croutons at home. Although I do remember that at one time I kept boxes of them in my pantry, and couldn’t eat salad without them. Maybe it’s time to have croutons again? I really like the idea of these.
Liz DellaCroce
I think it’s definitely time to make homemade croutons!!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
I could live on croutons, no joke. I love that spice from the tabasco!
Liz DellaCroce
Dude. I couldn’t stop eating them – so freaking good!
amanda
I love that these croutons have a little bit of spicy kick!