10-Minute Parmesan Cheese Toasts (For Soups, A Side Dish Or Appetizer And More!)

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You wouldn’t know these tasty parmesan cheese toasts are so easy to make! With the bubbly and sharp tasting parmesan cheese, the crunchy artisan toast and delicious hint of garlic and good quality olive oil, these make a surprisingly classy side dish or appetizer.

Alternatively, float them on top of your favorite soup!

Closeup of a piece of grilled parmesan toast with fresh parsley on top and on top of a pile of more toasts, all on a lined grill pan.

Why you’ll love them

When I’m cooking dinner for guests, I’ve got to be honest – I don’t want to spend a lot of time making appetizers and side dishes. Over the years I’ve honed my choices down to a few well tested and well received options (looking at you halloumi fries, 2-minute olive oil toasts or Greek bread with 5-minute spicy feta dip).

This almost embarrassingly easy non-recipe fits firmly into this category, which is why I’m excited to share it with you today! It’s more of an idea than a recipe, but I figured it was still worth sharing here since there are a few tips that I think you should know to make it a surprisingly tasty and impressive bite.

Here’s a quick summary of what I love, and think you will too:

  • Super quick and easy: We’re talking 5 minutes’ prep and another 5 to 10 minutes’ under the broiler/grill. No grating or chopping necessary!
  • Surprisingly versatile: You can float these cheese toasts on top of your favorite soup like a giant crouton (they’re amazing with a tomato-y soup such as this instant pot classic tomato soup or roasted butternut squash tomato soup). Alternatively, serve as an easy appetizer, or as a side dish instead of your classic garlic bread.
  • Broil/Grill, bake or air fry: I usually throw these under the broiler (grill), but if you already have your oven on, you can easily bake or air fry them instead.

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

Overhead view of all the ingredients needed to make parmesan cheese toasts, labelled, including a fresh loaf of bread, grated parmesan, fresh parsley, olive oil and a garlic clove.

Bread: There’s plenty of flexibility here. I tend to go for a rustic style loaf with small slices such as a baguette style sourdough. These are perfect for topping soup with. Alternatively, use bigger slices and cut them in half or even quarters.

Examples of bread that I would use include Italian ciabatta or focaccia bread (I’d probably cut the slices in half or more). Honestly though use any rustic style fresh bread!

Garlic: Don’t skip this! All you’ll need is one large clove of garlic. Try to go with a nice fresh one. Peel and cut in half. You’ll use the cut sides to rub all over the bread to give a subtle but definitely there hint of garlic-y flavor.

Psst, if you like this idea, you’ll also love this equally as easy and tasty Spanish bruschetta (or pan con tomate).

Olive oil: You’ll drizzle this over the bread before adding the parmesan. It has two purposes – to add a little extra Mediterranean flavor, and to help give the the cheesy bread a tasty fried bread style quality. It’s worth using a nice good quality extra virgin olive oil if you can.

Parmesan cheese: I tend to use a ready grated parmesan simply to keep the recipe super quick and easy. You don’t have to, however. Grate your own for better flavor and cheese that melts better, or use shaved parmesan. You can also use thin slices from a block. The only kind I do not recommend is the shelf stable powdery stuff found in a container in the pasta aisle. Avoid!

Fresh parsley: I love sprinkling this generously over the top of the toasts for both color and extra flavor!

Helen’s top tips

  • Feel free to broil (grill), oven bake or air fry your delicious cheesy toasts. They’ll take around the same time at 200C in the oven, or around 3 to 5 minutes at 180C in the air fryer.
  • Keep a close eye on the toasts while they’re cooking. They can go from bubbling and golden to burnt in just a few seconds!
  • If serving as an appetizer, try adding some of this tomato salsa on top! Alternatively, just finely chop up some ripe tomatoes and onion, stir through fresh basil, and pop that on top instead.
  • Once you’ve mastered the basic ‘recipe’, you could vary it slightly by trying different cheeses and/or herbs. I like crumbled feta cheese (but of course!), gruyère or another Swiss style cheese, romano, asiago, or a 3 or 4-cheese mix. Top with any fresh herbs you have or like e.g. thyme, basil, oregano, chives.

How to make parmesan cheese toasts

This is as easy as slicing the bread into slices of medium thickness (let’s say around an inch), rubbing garlic all over them, drizzling olive oil over the top, piling on the parmesan, and then broiling (grilling)!

Like this:

After cutting the slices, rub all over with the cut side of the garlic.

Closeup of someone's hands rubbing the cut side of a clove of garlic over small slices of fresh bread.

Place on a lined baking pan (for easier cleanup). Then drizzle with a little olive oil.

Someone drizzling olive oil over slices of fresh bread on a white rectangular plate.

Pile on the parmesan (around a couple of teaspoons for each small slice).

An overhead view of uncooked small slices of bread topped with parmesan cheese on a lined baking pan.

Then broil (put under the grill – or alternatively bake or air fry) for a few minutes or until bubbling and browned around the edges.

An overhead view of small parmesan cheese toasts on a lined grill pan.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs if you have some.

Parmesan toasts with parsley on top on a lined grill pan with a tea towel in the foreground and a small dish of parsley and garlic in the background.

They are delicious floated on top of soup such as this tasty roasted butternut squash and tomato soup, but also enjoyed in many other (some surprising) ways (see below!).

Closeup of a white dish of butternut squash and tomato soup with little cheese toasts on top on a bright blue background with a decorative spoon in front.

A few more serving ideas

As well as serving on top of soups, and as a simple appetizer (as already mentioned!), I think these are perfect as a no-fuss side dish.

Here are some ideas of dinners you can make (expressly to try serving with parmesan toasts!). You’ll notice they are all tomato based. Mmm!

Recipe FAQs

Can I make parmesan cheese toasts ahead of time?

It’s best to make them immediately before broiling while the bread is at its freshest. However, if serving for a dinner party, it is possible to assemble them fully up to a few hours before cooking and serving. Simply assemble, cover well with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge.

What other sorts of dishes pair well with these?

As well as the tomato based dinners suggested above, I would suggest serving parmesan cheese toasts with almost any soup, pasta, salad, or casserole. Think about what you would usually serve garlic bread with, and these will probably go with that too!

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Closeup of a piece of grilled parmesan toast with fresh parsley on top and on top of a pile of more toasts, all on a lined grill pan.
5 from 1 vote

10-Minute Parmesan Cheese Toasts (For Soups, A Side Dish Or Appetizer And More!)

These crispy, tasty parmesan cheese toasts take just minutes to prep and cook, but make a surprisingly classy soup topper, appetizer or side dish. Pair them with all your favorite tomato based dinners or dips and you won't hear any complaints. No grating or chopping necessary – just slice the bread, drizzle, rub and pile everything on, then either broil, bake or air fry.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 (based on 2 small toasts per person)

Ingredients 
 

  • ½ loaf bread, (cut into 8 1-inch or so thick slices) fresh artisan bread with small slices is great e.g. baguette, sourdough baguette, ciabatta, focaccia
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, roughly
  • cup grated parmesan cheese, (about 1.5 ounces)
  • ½ bunch fresh parsley, washed and chopped

Instructions 

  • Begin by rubbing the cut side of the garlic cloves all over the top of each slice of bread.
    ½ loaf bread, 1 clove garlic
  • Place the slices on a lined baking sheet. Then drizzle a little of the olive oil over each slice.
    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Pile the parmesan on top of the bread slices (around 2 teaspoons of grated or shaved parmesan on each).
    ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Broil (UK/Australia grill) the slices for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the edges of the bread are crisp and browned (watch them carefully so they don't burn). See below in the notes section alternative cooking methods (baking, air frying).
  • Scatter with the fresh parsley and serve on top of soup, as an appetizer, or as a side dish instead of garlic bread.
    ½ bunch fresh parsley

Notes

Variations: Try different cheeses such as crumbled feta cheese (but of course!), gruyère or another Swiss style cheese, romano, asiago, or a 3 or 4-cheese mix. You can also sprinkle over different herbs such as basil, oregano or chives. 
Alternatives to broiling: You can also bake the toasts (if you already have the oven on, for example) at 390F/200C. You can air fry them at 355F/180C for 3 to 5 minutes.
Note about nutrition info: Note that the amount of calories in each slice will vary quite a lot depending on the type and size of the bread slices. The info below is for standard sized slices of bread and very approximate.

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 7mg, Sodium: 552mg, Potassium: 178mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 674IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 191mg, Iron: 4mg
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About Helen Schofield

Don't expect to find anything fussy or complicated here. Just QUICK, EASY & (mostly!) HEALTHY recipes from the Mediterranean and beyond. ENJOY!

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I toasted the underneath too Helen. Yummy! Thank you for sharing such easy to follow recipes 😊x

    1. Ah perfect, Glynis! Thanks for letting me know how you got on, and I bet the underside toasting made them even more crunchy and delicious 🙂