Caprese Garlic Bread

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A simple recipe for Caprese Garlic Bread, the best garlic bread you will ever eat! 

Caprese Garlic Bread is garlic bread with fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic glaze. It is the best garlic bread recipe!

Garlic bread has always been a staple in our home. Growing up, my dad would make garlic bread to go with every Italian meal. My dad’s lasagna, spaghetti, and ravioli always had garlic bread on the side. Carb overload? Maybe, but I never complained. Now, every time I am make an Italian meal, I ask Josh if he wants garlic bread to go with. He says yes 100% of the time. I am glad he enjoys garlic bread as much as I do. And since we both eat it, it doesn’t matter if we have garlic breath:)

Caprese Garlic Bread This easy garlic bread recipe is the BEST!

I love plain old garlic bread, but we recently gave the traditional garlic bread a makeover. We made Caprese Garlic Bread and let me tell you, this is the BEST garlic bread I have ever eaten. I am putting it in the top 10 recipes we have ever made…ok, maybe 20. I love a lot of our recipes:) This Caprese Garlic Bread is a winner. It deserves a gold medal for sure!

Caprese Garlic Bread Recipe on twopeasandtheirpod.com The BEST garlic bread recipe!

Caprese Garlic Bread Recipe is easy to make and perfect for summer!

This garlic bread recipe has all of my favorite ingredients-bread, cheese, tomatoes, basil, and of course garlic and butter! We used Land O Lakes Butter in Half Sticks for this recipe. It is perfect because the recipe calls for four tablespoons, which is exactly one half stick! Perfect! No need to cut a stick of butter in half and have the other half get lost in the fridge.

Caprese Garlic Bread-www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

We mixed together softened butter and minced garlic. Oh, what a glorious combination!

Caprese-Garlic-Bread-3

We spread the bread-hey, that rhymes, with the garlic butter.

Caprese-Garlic-Bread-4

We added slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and popped the bread into the oven. We baked the bread for about 15 minutes, until the cheese was melted and starting to brown on the edges.

Caprese Garlic Bread Recipe The perfect garlic bread for summer!

We topped the bread with tomato slices, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and sprinkled fresh basil over the tomatoes.

Easy Caprese Garlic Bread is the best garlic bread and the perfect recipe for summer barbecues, potlucks, and parties.

Next, we added a drizzle of balsamic. We reduced the balsamic vinegar to give it a thicker texture and sweeter flavor.

Caprese Garlic Bread Recipe made with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic glaze. Everyone loves this easy garlic bread!

And voila-Caprese Garlic Bread! The best garlic bread ever!!

Caprese Garlic Bread is a family favorite recipe and perfect for summertime.

We cut the bread into thick slices and devoured the loaf. It’s crusty, cheesy, garlicky, buttery, tomatoey, basily, and a tad bit vinegary. I think I just made up a bunch of words, but you’re with me, right? It’s super duper delicious!

If you are looking for an updated version of the classic garlic bread, make this Caprese Garlic Bread. It will change your life for the better. And it is perfect for summer! So fresh and tasty! We are going to be making this garlic bread all summer long. And don’t be worried about garlic breath, just make sure the person you are smoochin’ eats some too. I am sure you won’t have to twist their arm:)

If you like caprese salad, you will LOVE this easy Caprese Garlic Bread.


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Caprese Garlic Bread

Garlic bread with fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic! The best garlic bread you will ever eat!
4.79 from 38 votes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 loaf ciabatta bread horizontally cut in half
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 12 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 medium tomatoes sliced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place both sides of the baguette on a large baking sheet with the cut side up.
  • In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic and spread evenly on bread halves. Place the mozzarella cheese slices on top of the bread, making sure the cheese covers the bread completely. Bake the bread for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  • While the bread is in the oven, make the balsamic reduction. Place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring the vinegar to a boil, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about half. This should only take about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
  • Remove the bread from oven. Top the bread with tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the fresh basil and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Cut into slices and serve.

Have you tried this recipe?

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Disclosure: this post is in partnership with Land O’ Lakes. 

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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  1. This bread is unbelievable. I know that anything that looks this good has to be better. All of the greatest tastes on earth come together on a great big garlic bread. This is going on my top 10 recipes, and thank YOU again for sharing such a great recipe.

  2. I love anything slathered in garlic. This looks like the perfect way to use the plum tomatoes out of my garden.

  3. I have been thinking about this ever since last week! Gonna make it this weekend 🙂

  4. This looks amazing, Maria! I know my family would completely devour it! It was so good to finally meet you in Austin, I had such a fun evening at our dinner with Land O’Lakes!

  5. This looks amazing! I think I’ll be making this tonight for me and my little man since my hubby will be gone fishing. He’s one of those strange non tomato eating people 🙂

  6. I want to make this for lunch today. This is so perfect for every party!! It’d be a sure hit 🙂

  7. I haven’t even had breakfast yet and I want some of this garlic bread! Looks delicious.

  8. This looks fabulous! Love how colorful and juicy the tomatoes look! Yum, I could eat this everyday!

  9. This looks so good will have to try it soon. I love taking ingredients from old standards and making something new

  10. Wow, this looks soooo good! Great idea and awesome flavors! I think two garlic breaths cancel each other out so no probs there 🙂

  11. Okay I have to figure how I am going to make this for breakfast because it sounds and looks so fabulous!!! Wow, making my stomach growl.

  12. Wow, what a scrumptious idea for garlic bread! It looks so delicious and easy!

  13. I’m dying over this bread!! I’m trying to detox after last weekend’s decadence, but this is claling my name!!

  14. You hooked me when you talked about the cheese getting all browned on the edges. Then, the part with the balsamic vinegar made me actually gasp! This recipe sounds heavenly!

  15. Okay, this takes my love of garlic bread up several notches! What could be better than combining caprese salad and bread? Yeah, no, I can’t think of anything either!

    Thanks for sharing this little treasure and I hope you will link up this wonderful recipe and others at my Foodie Friday Blog Hop at A Room for Two with a View. I know my readers would love it!

    Have a fantastic Foodie Friday and a wonderful weekend!

    Melissa

  16. I have nothing against garlic bread, but normally I just don’t want to waste the calories on it. THIS garlic bread is a completely different story. I love caprese anything, and I would seriously go crazy over this bread. It looks SO good.

  17. Love this, gorgeous and sounds so good! The balsamic is the perfect addition!

  18. I just LOVE this and since I’ve been eating low carb for two weeks, I think this is JUST what I NEED!!!!!

  19. This sounds delicious and I can hardly wait to try it! One question, though… If I wanted to put the tomatoes and basil on and then stick it back in the oven for a bit (because I love roasted tomatoes), about how long would I need to keep them in? Or would it be better to put them on top of the cheese and just let them roast while the cheese is melting? Thanks!

    1. I was going to do that too, I would do the cheese first then broil the tomatoes, you can watch them cook to the way you want them. I’m going to cook the garlic a little first too.

  20. I can always count on your blog to give me inspiration to take advantage of the season’s bounty! Thank you for that! Me (and my 14 yo daughter) will get started on this right away!!

  21. What a delicious looking garlic bread! I have only tried regular garlic bread, but this revamped version looks to DIE for!!

  22. So much here ~~ a simple but revolutionary idea; instructions for beginners like me on how to reduce balsamic; and holy cow, why did I never think of turning a ciabatta loaf into lovely pieces of bread like this? I kept thinking about this recipe last night, all sorts of things it could be served with. Brilliant, Maria!

  23. Just made this. Yours looks much better than mine did! I have to ask, do you make things several times then pick the prettiest one to take pictures of? Mine still tasted good, though. One suggestion would be to add Italian seasoning into the garlic butter. I didn’t do this, and I felt it was missing that little extra flavor.

  24. Oooh. I feel like every time I come here, you’ve reinvented some favorite of mine. I seriously cannot get enough caprese salad (or anything) so I will probably OD on this. Yum!

  25. Made this with fish for dinner tonight and it was perfect! Great flavor and taste. I used heirloom tomatoes from my local farmer’s market. This will definitely be kept in the rotation.

  26. My favorite is my own updated version of the rural classic Pinto Bean Soup. Instead of using the traditional ham hock for seasoning, I use lots of thinly sliced Andouille sausage. It really gives it a great, spicy flavor.

  27. This looks absolutely delicious—so fresh! My favorite updated classic may be Cauliflower “mashed potatoes.”

  28. The Mac & Cheese with Beef Short Ribs and Mushrooms sounds like a great meal for wintertime.

  29. Wow Maria! Thanks again for a really terrific recipe. My husband and I just had this for dinner and it was amazing. I however put the tomatoes on before baking. It was commented by both of us that it is a do-over! Thanks again

  30. Thanks for this recipe! It looks delicious. I’m wondering if you have a recipe for the ciabatta bread itself or if you just always buy it from the store premade. I love making bread and am always looking for great recipes. Thanks, and keep the great ideas coming!

  31. Looks like a meal unto itself. I make something like this, but with aged Gouda, I bake the tomatoes on top of the Gouda and sprinkle it with basil and Parmesan cheese. Sometimes I add a few slices of Black Forest ham under the cheese and skip the basil. I often skip the butter just to reduce the fat, but it is definitely more filling and tastier with butter. Mmmmm

  32. OMG! I’ve made this several times already and my caprese-loving son can’t get enough of this! It ranks right up there with his caprese paninis! It went perfectly with my antipasto pasta salad. The few pieces that were left over (I made a double batch) were great the next day reheated in the toaster oven! Yum! =) I just used a big loaf of French bread from my bakery rather than ciabatta bread. I usually make garlic cheese bread by melting butter in a small sauce pan on the stove and adding a lot of chopped garlic to it. I spread the melted garlic butter on the bread and cover the top with shredded mozzarella and bake until cheese is melted and browned slightly. I did try the melted garlic butter version the second time I made this and did the fresh moz and basil and tomato…. delish! Either way, it works. I kinda like the melted version better because you get a stronger garlic flavor infused in the butter and you just spread it on the bread with little pieces of garlic popping up everywhere! =) Thanks for a great addition to my Italian nights! =)

  33. Beautifully decorated with tomatoes. Looks healthy and tasty. i wish to try a piece right now. haha.

  34. Making this tonight! It looks beautiful! I wish my tomatoes were ready. I have balsamico creme. Can’t wait.

  35. This is fabulous! It would make a wonderful meatless meal with the addition of a salad. Thanks for sharing!

  36. Garlic bread HAS to be made here when we have any type of pasta! My husband loves it. Will have to try this way!

  37. Gilroy garlic spread is amazing! It’s made of raw garlic, lemon juice, olive oil & salt. I use it as a substitute for any recipe calling for garlic. It’s great spread on toast or pita chips too. Gilroygarlicspread.com

  38. Delicious! My daughter and I love caprese. This was a natural, fresh basil from the garden and heirloom tomatoes. I loved the reduced balsamic, which she also used on our salad, with thinly sliced flank steak added to it. So good. Thank you!

  39. Fell in love with this receipt after the first time I made it. New variations I’ve added is avocado slices and crumbled bacon after removing from oven. Excellent as is!!

  40. I made this tonight and it was so delicious. I’m a HUGE caprese salad fan. I used heirloom tomatoes and artesian bread (only thing I could find in my stores bread aisle for some odd reason) Thanks for sharing!

  41. I made this for an appetizer party last weekend. It was perfect. By far the favorite appetizer of the night. I’ve shared this on my site as well. Thank you for the recipe.

  42. A short time ago I made this for my family and its been requested several times since then. I changed it up a bit the second time. I put a thin layer of pesto on top of the garlic butter then added some sundried tomatoes before putting the mozzarella on. I did this because the grocery store was out of basil, and during the winter months the fresh tomatoes do not have all that great of flavor. I found it really helps to use a hearty loaf of bread as the lighter ones just do not hold up as well. Great recipe.

  43. Looks delish!
    Question 1: What is oven temperature?
    Question 2: Would this be good as a party appetizer after it has cooled and not hot out of the oven?

  44. I decided to try this for our annual Super Bowl Party. I always make Caprese on bread for all the summer parties so this seemed liked a natural progression. I read LOTS of posts and re-posts and reviews and some had the bread w/ the tomato in for the cooking process. Being it is February, there is no such thing as a decent tomato. So cooking it seemed like a good idea to amp up the the flavor. Having never made this, and especially for a very large crowd, I was nervous. Well..It went over GREAT! So much so I was asked to make a second batch, which also went fast. Along w/ MANY recipe requests! Thank you for this recipe.

  45. Hello my foodie friends!! I’m a new member of Pinterest and I am totally crushing this fabulous recipe!! I made this bread yesterday (twice) lol– it has earned a spot on the very top of my favorite list!!! I roasted whole garlic bulbs (olive oil,sea salt,cracked black pepper) and combined with butter!! I then followed recipe and placed finished bread under broiler to infuse all ingredients!! Perfect dish to take to parties, family get-togethers, or to serve for dinner, lunch, breakfast, late night snack, sad time snack, happy snack!!!

    P.S. If Land-O-Lakes stops making butter I will just have to stop eating!! Your butter rocks!!

  46. I just want to say that his is a favorite of mine any time of the year. You can grill it in the summer (or when your oven breaks and you have to have it!) I have made it with ricotta when I did not have any mozzarella in the house and I have made it with roasted peppers when I did not have any fresh tomatoes or not in season and it is fabulous every time. I have made it to use up left over broccoli rabe and I can honestly say that each individual taste has been a party on my taste buds. Easy, versatile and delicious anytime as an appy, dinner or snack….I am hooked.

  47. Looks great but I’m thinking I might throw back in the oven on broil just a bit once everythings on…always looking for new party appetizers, I think I have a winner!

  48. I made this for my family and they loved it! It was delicious! The only problem was the tomatoes kept sliding off when you bit into the bread.

  49. I love anything slathered in garlic. This looks like the perfect way to use the plum tomatoes out of my garden.

  50. I have made this recipe for years. The only thing I have done different was after putting the tomato and basil on the bread is to put it back in the oven again for just a few minute’s. Great recipe!

  51. i think it would be really good with the tomatoes baked along with everything else – like those tomato-topped pizzas. makes them really sweet and softer – yumm

  52. Do you think you can put the tomatoes on the bread half way through baking so they are warm and a bit softened? Or do you think it will make the bread soggy?

  53. I skipped the balsamic only because I ran out of time, dinner was ready and I was still assembling this, but I grilled it and even without the drizzle, it was amazing! Thank you!!!

  54. This is great! I made it last night for our game night and it was a huge hit! I linked you on my blog, thesoundofrockyhorror.com Thanks!!

  55. I made this last night and it is absolutely wonderful; especially with a nice glass of red wine…
    Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  56. I just made this for myself and family, one person said they would just try a bite, 5 minutes later the whole piece was gone!
    For those of you who are not sure if you want to make it, perhaps you feel satiated just from the pictures, think again! Just as Maria stated above, it will become a family favorite.

    Thank you not only for this amazing recipe, but for all of them and your clever ideas!!

  57. I don this and put an thinly pounded out flat piece of chicken grilled and put on it to make a sandwiches .  also putting spinach and arctichokes on for a different meal so many things to do with this we love it plain or doctored up with other things.

  58. Just the added zing of freshness that I wanted to add to my garlic bread!  Everyone raved, after devouring it in less than ten minutes!

  59. This is such a delightful combination! I can totally see myself devouring this garlic bread!

  60. Served at a party and everyone raved about it. Will be making again and again. Mine looked like the picture and tasted as good as it looked. Another great recipe from two peas and their pod!

  61. I made this yesterday. Quick, fresh, DELICIOUS, and husband-approved! I will definitely make it again. And again. And again.

  62. Wow!!! Maria thank you so much for posting this amazing recipe…I found it through Pinterest. I have been making it daily…think I am a little addicted…I even eat it cold for breakfast…YUMMY…kiddoes too!!! Kids are asking for it with dinner every night of grilling!!!

  63. Can I ask where you bought your Ciabatta? I live close to you, I grew up just a few blocks away from your new home, I am much older than you youngsters and still live just a couple of miles away, close to Cactus & Tropicals. Really cool porch swing, does it swing?! Love old ski lift swings!

    I am going to make this since I have heirlooms and tons of basil, I would give you some if you want, I bake bread but lately way too hot to run my oven at 500, plus too many hours at work and watching the Olympics!!

    Thanks! Heidi

    1. Hi neighbor..ha! We buy our bread at Smith’s. They have a great selection in the bakery there. Enjoy the bread!!

  64. TODO ES EXCELENTE, SIEMPRE ME GUIÓ PARA ELABORAR PLATOS EXQUISITOS, POSTRES ,SALSA, SOPAS, PANADERÍA, MODELOS DE TRAJES BLUSAS PANTALONES MILES DE COSAS MÁS ES BUENÍSIMO, Y SE APRENDE MUCHO

  65. This was a major hit Christmas Eve. We decided to go Italian this year. I needed a WOW as we potluck among the family. I made this as the appetizer and got the WOW. I will be making it again New Year’s Day as an appetizer. Can’t wait to see the smiles.

  66. Esta sabrosa mezcla de pan e ingredientes caseros esta fenomenal, fresca y muy fácil de hacer, gracias, solo faltaría una copa de vino blanco fría, saludos

  67. Wow!!!  This looks so delicious!!!!  Im gonna try it.  Will let you know!!  Thanks !!  I lived in Italy for a while ans remembered eating pasta EVER DAY!!!!  Didnt gain any weight.  And all was soooo delicious!!!!  Yum yummy!!

  68. This reminds me of the movie Julie and Julia, i think that was the name.  But i love it!!!  It makes life so much better and enjoyable!!! 

  69. Could you please send me a copy of your recipe for caprese garlic bread. I can’t copy or print it. Thanks Diane

  70. 5 stars
    Very good! I did mine on the grill and will try grilling/toasting the bread next time, but really liked it. We did it on French bread since we had leftover. I imagine it’s even better on chibata bread!

  71. Such a great garlic bread. Will using garlic which have been stored with vinegar or roasted one make any change in flavor of the dish?

  72. 4 stars
    This recipe is spot on perfect!  I made this a while back, loved it, raved to friends about it, but I didn’t leave a review.  Walking through the farmer’s market today and seeing beautiful heirloom tomatoes and vibrant basil, I was immediately inspired to find this recipe again AND to thank you for creating such a yummy treat and sharing it with all of us.  Off to slice open the crusty ciabatta and get this deliciousness going!  

  73. I made this last night with our dinner and it was SOOOO AMAZING!! I will be keeping this recipe on repeat! Thank you so much!

  74. 5 stars
    I made this to go along with The Barefoot Contessa’s Weeknight Bolognese and the two together were fabulous!  LOVE all the flavors in this bread…especially the garlic and balsamic!  I think next time I will try brushing the tomatoes with a little olive oil before placing them on the cooked bread then putting it under the broiler for just a but to warm up the tomatoes. We’ll see how that goes!

  75. 5 stars
    I made this one night and my boyfriend LOVED it. Also tried sautéed mushrooms instead of tomatoes ….delicious!!!!

  76. Your instructions don’t explain how to reduce the balsamic to make it thicker. Can you please explain this? It looks fabulous and I would like to give it a try.

  77. Story: Several years ago, someone I loved very much (now deceased from cancer) and I were stuck in a freeway traffic jam on our way from Seattle to Bellingham, WA. So we pulled off the freeway, and went into the first restaurant we could find. Don’t remember the town. They had a bread appetizer that looked good, so we ordered it. I think it was very much like this recipe. It was one of the most delicious foods I have ever tasted, and I have always wanted to find it again — because of the heavenly flavor and the wonderful memory of discovering it and enjoying it with this person I very much miss. THANK YOU for giving me a chance to rediscover this culinary delight and joyous memory!

    I think it would be delicious for lunch with a bowl of minestrone soup. Can’t wait to make it!

  78. I just made this tonight and still have half a slice on my plate. It is SO yummy! It’s definitely a new household favorite. I did double the garlic and butter, because YUM.

  79. This looks amazing! Do you think we can do this on the barbecue or stovetop grill pan? So hot here in Los Angeles-I don’t want to light the oven! Thank you

  80. OMG….SO DELICIOUS!!!! 🙂 I used shredded mozzarella and dried basil leaves because that’s what I had on hand and it worked great. Thanks for this recipe!!

  81. 5 stars
    I’ve been doing this for the last thirteen years or so, before I even knew there was such a thing as “caprice salad”. My three favorite foods in life are homegrown heirloom tomatoes (I grow “Purple Cherokees” & “Black Krims”), homegrown garlic and fresh baked bread. I make my own sourdough French, battard, then I slice & toast two slices. Then I basically do just what you do!!! I do confess, I use a *lot* more basil, however, I have tons growing! Summers are Heavenly!!! I’m in my mid to latish 70’s now, & my neighbors & I are slowing down, so I worry that this summer we’re gonna gain too much weight! Blessings!!!

  82. How do you get the balsamic vinegar to thicken? I’ve made this twice so far and it’s always thin and runny. This probably sounds crazy……but should I add cornstarch to thicken it. Your’s looks like chocolate syrup consistency. Other than the drizzle being to runny, we love this recipe.( P.S. I did bring it to a boil and reduced it by half) Thanks.

  83. Regarding the “how to make the vinegar thicken? You can also go the easy route and buy a balsamic glaze at the store. 🙂

  84. 5 stars
    Bought your cookbook and the first thing I made was this bread!! It is amazing right out of the oven of course but I am still snacking on it straight cold from the fridge! 20/10, thank you Maria!!

  85. 5 stars
    Made this this weekend.I have a friend who is on a low sodium diet so I used low sodium ezekiel bread hoping that it would work. It was fabulous! I am sure the taste was different but what a delight! A definite redo! Thanks so much for once again giving us a true gem!

  86. Delicious! I prepared this as an appetizer to serve my friends with cocktails one evening. I received so many compliments and it was devoured down to the last crumb!

  87. 5 stars
    OMG!! This bread is AMAZING! My mom was making fish for dinner tonight, and I don’t like fish. So I searched for something quick and easy a hungry teenager could whip up for herself. Then I found THIS. It was so simple, and we had all the ingredients at our house! And. It. Was. Delicious. Everyone in my family tried it- and we all loved it!! Thank you for saving me from fish nights!