2-minute toasted bread with olive oil and salt (the easiest side dish)

A platter of toasted bread with olive oil and salt being held

5 from 6 votes

2-minute toasted bread with olive oil and salt (the easiest side dish)

This toasted bread with olive oil and salt is our go-to easy side dish recipe, and I hope it becomes yours too! Just toast slices of your favourite bread, then drizzle with olive oil and scatter with salt. Serve with soups, stews, bolognese, salads, and everything in between.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

Total Time2

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings:

Author: Helen Schofield

Equipment

Ingredients

8 slices bread [small slices of fresh bakery or Italian style bread (wholemeal, rye, sourdough, Turkish, Ciabatta, pitta... ) If you only have ordinary large slices of bread, use 4 and cut in two]
2 tablespoons olive oil (roughly- I don't usually measure the amount)
salt to taste (freshly ground e.g. sea salt)

cups/ounces - grams/ml

Instructions

Toast the bread in a toaster or under the grill/broiler.
Put the toast on a serving platter, then drizzle all over with the olive oil. Sprinkle over salt to taste.
Scatter over a small handful of fresh herbs e.g. oregano, thyme, basil, parsley (optional). Serve while still warm.

Video

Notes

What type of bread to use

I usually toast frozen sliced bread straight from the freezer. I've used all kinds of different breads including Italian style, sourdough, Turkish bread, Greek style pitta bread or even just plain supermarket bread from a packet.

If the slices are small I keep them whole. If the slices are large I slice them in half after toasting.

Adaptations

You can easily make this into the simplest garlic bread of your life! Just rub the cut side of a clove of garlic all over the bread before toasting, then drizzle with oil and scatter with salt as usual.

You can also scatter over a pinch of paprika, some chili flakes, or even squeeze over a bit of lemon juice.

Add a small handful of fresh herbs too if you have them.

What to serve your toasts with

Soups, casseroles, salads, bolognese and everything in between!

Use Greek style pitta bread sliced into 4 like a pizza instead of ordinary bread.

Do leftovers keep?

If we have any toast left over, we sometimes wrap it and store it in the fridge until the next day. I usually re-toast it on a low setting. This turns out surprisingly OK!

Nutrition