There’s nothing better than a side of cornbread or homemade garlic bread when you have soup for dinner. This garlic bread recipe takes a shortcut and can be whipped up in no time.

There’s just something about the smell of garlic that draws me in. I love using fresh garlic in just about everything savory. I learned early on in my cooking education that adding onion and garlic to dishes is an inexpensive way to give a flavor boost without adding a ton of salt or sauces. One of our absolute favorite sides to have with soup is homemade garlic bread.

If you use the right bread and toast it at the right temperature it gets all crusty on the outside and is still soft and melt in your mouth on the inside. Usually we use rolls or Italian bread as sandwich bread just doesn’t do the trick.

You can mince fresh garlic and mix it into your butter, but it is always better if you make it ahead of time and let the flavors meld together. That’s why I like to take a shortcut sometimes and these Gourmet Garden stir-in pastes are just the thing with a smooth garlic paste and a chunky garlic paste. You just add about 1 tablespoon of the garlic paste into 1/4 cup softened butter and you have garlic butter in no time.

No matter what bread you are using, just slice it in half lengthwise, slather on some garlic butter, and pop it in the oven. In just minutes you will have garlic toast that tastes almost exactly like the stuff that comes frozen in a box, but even better.