Description
This Greek Garlic Cheese Bread is a flavorful, creamy, and cheesy appetizer or snack featuring a blend of rich cheeses, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and fresh spinach all baked inside a crusty Italian loaf and finished with a golden bubbly top.
Ingredients
Bread:
- 16 ounce loaf Italian bread (or French loaf)
Creamy Cheese Mixture:
- 8 ounces full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (reserve a bit for topping)
- 2 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Add-ins:
- 12 ounces marinated or canned artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (preferably oil-packed, drained and chopped; reserve some for topping)
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach
- 3/4 cup pitted, sliced olives (reserve some for topping)
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Garnish:
- Fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the bread.
- Make the Creamy Base: In a large bowl, combine the sour cream, cream cheese, feta cheese (reserve a bit for topping), Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and a few generous pinches of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use an electric mixer to blend everything until smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a mixer, mix thoroughly by hand.
- Fold in Extras: Gently fold in the chopped artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes (saving some for topping), chopped spinach, sliced olives (save some for topping), and one-third of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Prep Bread: Slice the Italian bread in half lengthwise and place the halves cut-side up on a large baking sheet. Using a spoon, scoop out some of the soft bread from the inner portions creating a cavity to hold the creamy filling.
- Add Creamy Filling: Spread the cheese and vegetable mixture evenly over the cut sides of the bread, filling the cavity created earlier.
- Top With Cheese and Extras: Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top, then add the reserved feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives evenly over the filling.
- Bake It Up: Place the assembled bread in the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the edges of the bread turn golden brown. For a bubbly, browned top, switch your oven to broil and broil for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning.
- Rest, Garnish and Serve: Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, slice into portions, and serve warm. Enjoy the flavorful cheesy bread!
- Share the Love: If you loved this recipe, consider leaving a 5-star rating and review to share your experience.
Notes
- Using a food processor to shred the mozzarella or grate the Parmesan helps with easier prep and results in a better melt.
- Scooping out some of the bread creates space to hold the creamy filling, preventing it from spilling out during baking.
- Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes provide more flavor and moisture than dry, bagged versions.
- Don’t skip the broiling step at the end; it creates a deliciously crispy and bubbly cheesy crust.
- Let the bread rest a few minutes after baking so the filling can set for clean and easy slicing.
