Lightened-Up Garlic Bread

Full of flavor, there are only 3 tablespoons of butter in this entire recipe!

After months of testing, I finally have what I believe is the best Lightened-Up Garlic Bread! 

I have a recipe for Cheesy Garlic Bread that we love. It's delicious and very cheesy. I wanted a recipe that used at least half of the butter but still had a bold cheesy and garlicky flavor. This bread only uses 3 tablespoons of butter but still has a buttery flavor and crispy texture when baked. The greek yogurt is a wonderful substitute for butter, such as in my Lightened-Up Party Sliders. 

Lightened-Up Garlic Bread

• 1 loaf italian or french bread
• 5 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I used 2%)
• 5 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 1 heaping teaspoon dried italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 F 

Mix greek yogurt, butter, parmesan, garlic, and lemon zest, if using, in a bowl. Season with italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. 

Cut the loaf of bread in half and spread half of the mixture over each half of bread. Place bread on a cookie sheet and bake until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Allow to sit 2 minutes before slicing and serving.