Herbed Whole Wheat Croutons

I can hardly believe it's nearly the end of November and that Thanksgiving is the week. Where did the year go?

This week is a short week at work, I was off Friday and I'm off next Monday. So, I'm expecting it to be a busy week. Essentially, I'm cramming 7 days of work into 3. Sounds fun, right?

When I'm busy, I tend to eat a lot of canned soups, quick sandwiches and easy to assemble casseroles.

But, it doesn't mean I can't make ready made foods special. For example, this butternut squash soup shines with herbed whole wheat croutons.

Haven't made your own croutons? You should. These came together quickly while the soup warmed on the stove and it's a good use for stale bread.




Herbed Whole Wheat Croutons
Adapted from How to Cook Everything

1/4 cup or more olive oil or butter
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning or another combination of dried herbs
4 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
salt and pepper

Heat 1/4 cup butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat until warm. Add the minced garlic and dried herbs; cook until garlic is fragrant — about 30 seconds.

Add the bread cubes to the pan and a single layer. Add salt and pepper. Cook until the bread is lightly browned — about 3 to 5 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them. They go from zero to burnt pretty quickly!

Flip the cubes. If dry, add more butter/oil, then cook until the second side is browned. Mine browned up in about 2 minutes. But again, keep an eye on them!

Remove from pan and let cool slightly. Can be stored up to 1 day.