Do you have “Italian night” at your house? We do. Every Thursday. Most of the time it’s pizza, but other times it’s pasta of some kind. Mostly spaghetti with tomato sauce. The usual sides for our Italian night are a simple tossed green salad and garlic bread. I mean, really, who doesn’t like buttery, yummy garlic bread? But every once in a while, I make the “good stuff.” This ooey-gooey cheesy onion-y herb-y bread. No, it’s not good for you, and you’re not supposed to eat it three times a week. But for an occasional indulgence, it is incredibly delicious! And I thoroughly believe that an occasional indulgence is good for the soul.

I’ve had this cheesy onion and herb bread recipe for a long time. It came from a 1980’s sorority cookbook which I cannot find now to save my life. I’d love to give the recipe creator credit, so if you have a Beta Sigma Phi cookbook from sometime in the 1980’s and you find this recipe, please let me know!

I used to make two or three loaves of this cheesy goodness and a huge pot of spaghetti with meat sauce when we’d have a bunch of people over for a casual dinner. The bread was always the hit of the party. Spaghetti-schmagetti…people just wanted this bread!

You can use any loaf of good French or Italian bread for this. My grocery store’s bakery makes a great multi-grain, whole wheat loaf and that’s what I use most of the time. Because, you know, whole wheat is healthy, right? Never mind what you’re going to top it with :-)

Before you get started, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning, green onions, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Just a word about the cheese – please don’t use the already grated stuff. Take a minute or two to grate it yourself. The results are so worth the extra time! I’m not sure, but I think that grated cheese has a coating of something, maybe cornstarch, to keep it from sticking together and that doesn’t work well in every recipe. It’s great for some things, especially casseroles, and I even use it on pizza. Just not here. Okay?

Split the loaf of bread lengthwise and place it on a baking sheet. Spread each side with half the butter.

Top each half of the bread with half of the cheese mixture.

Bake until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown very slightly around the edges – about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Other bread side dishes you might enjoy from around the internet:

• Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread from Brown-Eyed Baker
• Easy Artisan Bacon-Cheese Bread from Noble Pig
• Cheesy Garlic Bread with Basil from Inspired Taste
• Tracy’s Killer Garlic Bread from Shutterbean
• Cheesy Bread from Simply Recipes
• Olive Cheese Bread from The Pioneer Woman

What I was up to…

• One year ago: BeeBop’s Bacon Cheeseburger
• Two years ago: Warm Vegetable Salad
• Three years ago: Strawberry Jam
• Four years ago: Sesame Beef Stir-Fry and The Real Deal Banana Pudding