fitnessblog

Welcome to the first official AK Appetizer Week! That’s right, all week long, I’ll be sharing a mix of brand new and reader-favorite appetizer recipes that are perfect for the holiday season. Bring these to the next game day watch party or holiday event and get ready for everyone to beg you for the recipe and DEVOUR. It’s going to be a fun, delicious week!

We’re kicking off the week with my brother-in-law, Matt’s, famous olive cheese bread that he’s been sharing with us over the holidays. The first time I had it, I was hooked. It’s based on the Pioneer Woman’s Olive Cheese bread, except this one doesn’t require as much mayo or butter and kicks it up a notch with calabrian chile paste and fun cheese. Picture your favorite garlic bread (it’s my recipe, right?) but leveled up with a kick of heat, briny olives, and melty cheese. One bite of this bread and you’ll fall in love. It’s so easy to make and truly feels like an app you’d order at an Italian restaurant.

Bake it up in under 30 minutes and watch it disappear this holiday season!

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Everything you’ll need to make this olive cheese bread

This is one of those recipes that feels a little fancy and elevated, but requires super simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Bread: I recommend using a nice big piece of ciabatta bread so that you get 6-8 slices out of each half. You could also use an Italian loaf.
• For the base: you’ll mix together softened butter, mayonnaise, calabrian chili paste (for a lovely kick of heat), freshly minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and spread it onto the bread for lots of flavor and moisture.
• Cheese: get an epic cheese pull by topping the bread with mozzarella cheese before baking, then grating on some parmesan cheese for that salty sharp flavor.
• Olives: we’re using a mix of castelvetrano olives and kalamata olives for savory, briny kick. Feel free to mix it up with any olives you like, or use more of one than the other!
• Garnish: after baking, I like to sprinkle the bread with chopped parsley to add a fresh element.

Can I make it gluten-free or dairy-free?

• To make gluten-free: use your favorite loaf of gluten-free bread.
• To make dairy-free: use vegan butter, vegan mayo, and your favorite dairy-free/vegan cheese shreds for topping.

Is this bread spicy?

The calabrian chili paste is spicy, but it’s more of a warm heat with a slightly fruity flavor (rather than a burn-your-tongue chili pepper spice). If you or your guests are sensitive to spice, you can absolutely reduce the paste or omit it completely.

Delicious olive cheese bread in 3 steps

1. Mix the base. Add your softened butter, mayo, chili paste, herbs, and seasonings to a small bowl and mix until well combined.
2. Top the bread. Spread the butter mixture on both halves of your ciabatta with a spatula, then evenly top with the mozzarella and olives. Grate some parmesan cheese on top.
3. Bake, garnish & serve. Bake the bread until the cheese is melty and golden brown, slice each half into equal pieces, sprinkle with parsley, and devour!

Soft or extra crispy: you decide

If you like a softer bread, feel free to cover the bread halves in foil before baking and/or reduce the baking time by 1-2 minutes.

If you like crispier bread, leave it in the oven for 1-2 minutes extra! Just watch it carefully so that the cheese doesn’t burn.

Tools you’ll need

Get all of my kitchen essentials here!

Storing tips

This bread is best eaten the day of, but you can store any leftovers covered at room temp for about 1 day. After 1 day, store the bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat it in your oven by wrapping it in foil and warming it for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

More appetizers you’ll love

Get all of my appetizer recipes here!

I hope you love this olive cheese bread recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!

The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook

125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day

Matt’s Olive Cheese Bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

ServesServes 6 servings

Salty, savory, melty olive cheese bread with two types of olives and a kick of heat from calabrian chili paste. This fun twist on standard garlic bread is the perfect holiday appetizer that comes together in 30 minutes! Sprinkle fresh herbs, slice it up, and watch your loved ones devour.

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) ciabatta loaf, sliced in half lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 to 2 tablespoons calabrian chili paste, depending on your spice preference
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup pitted castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place ciabatta halves cut side-up.

• In a small mixing bowl, add the softened butter, mayonnaise, calabrian chili paste, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix until well combined.

• Spread the butter mixture between each half of the bread and use a rubber spatula to spread it out evenly to the edges of the bread. Top with the mozzarella cheese, then a mix of the chopped castelvetrano and kalamata olives. Grate on the parmesan cheese.

• Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and beginning to turn golden brown. Place the bread on a cutting board and cut each half-loaf crosswise into 6 pieces so you have 12 pieces total. Top with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and serve immediately!

Recipe Notes

Recipe inspired by Pioneer Woman’s Olive Cheese Bread.
Not into spice? Feel free to reduce or omit the calabrian chili paste.
To make gluten-free: use your favorite loaf of gluten-free bread.
To make dairy-free: use vegan butter, vegan mayo, and your favorite dairy-free/vegan cheese shreds for topping.

Nutrition

Serving: 2slicesCalories: 304calCarbohydrates: 21.6gProtein: 9.7gFat: 19.8gSaturated Fat: 6.8gFiber: 1.9gSugar: 1.3g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

Whether you’re hosting brunch, meal-prepping for the week, or just want an easy breakfast that feeds a crowd, breakfast casseroles make mornings a whole lot easier.

Breakfast Casseroles

Breakfast casseroles make mornings easier—whether you’re hosting brunch, meal prepping for the week, or just want a healthy, comforting breakfast you can bake once and enjoy for days. They’re also one of my favorite things to serve for the holidays: Christmas morning, Easter brunch, Mother’s Day, or anytime you’re feeding a house full of family. This collection includes my best lighter casseroles with eggs, sweet French toast bakes, make-ahead meal prep favorites, and even sheet pan pancakes for a fun, hands-off twist. Perfect for weekends, holidays, or busy weekdays when you want something warm and satisfying without the fuss.

Why These Casseroles Are the Perfect Addition to Your Brunch Menu

Whether you’re hosting out-of-town guests or planning a big breakfast with your family on Christmas morning, ’tis the season for breakfast casseroles!

I always turn to breakfast casserole recipes when hosting brunches and breakfasts because making other breakfast recipes like pancakes and scrambled eggs just isn’t practical when you’re serving a crowd.

Here’s why you’re going to love these recipes:

• Great for holidays (Christmas morning, New Year’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day brunch)
• Mostly one-pan and easy cleanup
• Tried and true recipes. All of these breakfast casseroles have been rigorously tested so you can feel confident knowing they’ll work out as described.
• Make-ahead options. Each of these recipes can be assembled the night before so you can just pop them in the oven the morning of your get-together.
• Enough for a crowd (or meal prep). A big casserole makes enough servings for a big get-together! But I also make these for weekday mornings too—I divvy up the servings into individual containers and my family has heat-and-eat breakfasts all week long.

See my Holiday Recipes page for more recipe inspiration!

Breakfast Casseroles with Eggs

French Toast Casseroles

Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Casseroles

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups

Made with pumpkin puree, oats, pumpkin pie spice, and Greek yogurt, these Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups are an easy, creamy breakfast full of fall flavor. They’re perfect to make in advance for breakfast on-the-go!

Get the Recipe

Sheet Pan Pancakes

By utilizing a weekly meal plan, you can ensure you and your family are maintaining healthy eating habits, exploring new recipes, and ultimately — saving time (and money!) in the grocery store and kitchen each week.

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Weekly Meal Plan

Grocery Costs

• Crockpot Potato Soup: $15.70—$3.90 per serving
• Vegetarian Bibimbap: $18.60—$4.65 per serving
• Ground Beef Pasta: $16.65—$4.15 per serving
• Sausage and Potatoes: $14.90—$3.75 per serving
• Cajun Shrimp Pasta: $19.80—$3.30 per serving
• Pecan Pie Bars: $29.40—$.82 per serving

Please note the grocery costs are only an estimate based on the recipe’s serving size and on ingredient prices of a local grocery store. The generated shopping list above includes items like spices and other pantry staples you most likely have on hand, so we have left them out of the grocery estimate. To keep costs down and streamline groceries, refer to any Meal Plan Suggestions listed in blue above.

All Tutorials

How to Save Recipes | How to Create a Meal Plan | How to Use Shopping Lists | How to Customize Pre-Made Meal Plans