Let’s face it. One of the best things about going to an Italian restaurant is the olive oil bread dip that appears immediately upon being seated. Who even orders appetizers when you can have this amazing, delicious, dip of the gods for free?
Well, actually, I do that very frequently, but not without getting second (or third?) helpings of the olive oil dip as well. Have I mentioned I love to eat?
This is potentially my favorite snack.
After coming home from work, Zach and I are ravenous and ready to eat anything within sight, so it can be difficult to wait to eat until dinner is ready. In this case, we often take a note from our favorite Italian restaurants and bring the restaurant to us in the form of this super easy and simple olive oil dip!
All this is is a mixture of mostly olive oil, a pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper, a teeny bit of crushed red pepper, and a swirl of balsamic vinegar.
I don’t measure the amounts- I just make it look pretty. You really can’t go wrong.
Lately, I’ve been making sure to buy fresh baked bread, taking it home, slicing it, and freezing it until I need it. I’ll use it for sandwiches, grilled cheese, toast, and of course, as a conduit to the olive oil dip.
It’s a good alternative to pre-sliced bread from the bread aisle, which is, more often than not, less tasty and often has preservatives.
Fresh baked bread from the bakery is the way to go, or this homemade whole wheat no knead focaccia with rosemary and sea salt!
When we make this dip, I just take a couple (or 17) slices out of the freezer, pop them in the toaster, and viola. Italian restaurant right in our very own kitchen!
Olive Oil Bread Dip
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
- tiny bit of crushed red pepper depending on how spicy you like things
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil onto a small plate or shallow bowl
- Add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper
- Add approximately 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar by swirling into the mixture
- Serve with warm toasted bread
Notes
- It's fun to play around with this! Add some chopped fresh herbs, freshly grated parmesan cheese, or other spices.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Har
Actually, no problem. just went downstairs and found some balsamic vinegar! thanks for this recipe! im excited to try it!
Hugh Powell
If you cut the waffle this would reduce the stupid adds and get to the point
Elizabeth Lindemann
Frustration at long food blog posts is a common occurrence… so common, in fact, that I wrote a whole page explaining why long content is important for running a blog as a business. Check out out here: https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/why-are-food-blog-posts-so-long/ As for your second comment (“I posted a comment . Surprise Surprise you did not post it ???”) written four minutes after this one, please note that I approve all my comments manually, and cannot be on comment approval duty at all hours of every day. Hope this helps address your concerns!
Har
Hi!
I really appreciate this simple recipe. I am actually a bit hungry right now, but realized I don’t have any Balsamic vinegar and it would take some time to acquire some (I’m a tad bit lazy). I do have apple and regular vinegar though. Just wanted to ask you if you would recommend any alternatives to that. And thanks again!
Abigail Bazeley
Hello!
I am hosting a dinner party on Friday and much like you, love a starter of warm toasted bread with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip!
What olive oil do you suggest using?
Thanks in advance,
Abigail
P.S I think you’re the only person on the web who has supplied the olive oil and balsamic vinegar recipe, simply and easy! Everyone else seems to be adding bits here, there and everywhere! So thank you.
Elizabeth
Hi! I’m so glad you found this recipe useful :-) I made it last night to dip pizza crust into! My go-to olive oil is California Olive Ranch Cold Press extra virgin olive oil. It’s affordable and delicious, and most grocery stores have it. If you can’t find that, just look at the selections at your store and try and find one that meets the following criteria: 1) extra virgin, 2) cold press, and 3) unfiltered. This is the healthiest, and tastiest, kind of olive oil there is. Hope that helps, and good luck with your dinner party!
Erika
California OliveRanch Cold Pressed EVOO has such a fruity taste…I used to pay so much for the Italian, then Greek,then Spanish EVOOs, but sadly the taste was lacking in them, which seemed to give credence to the news stories of EVOOs from there being adulterated by additions of nut/seed oils and chlorophyl. I decided that I would try domestic oils and given the tendency to over regulate things in America, I decided I would be more,likely to be getting 100% olive oil if it was from California Olive Ranch. The taste is superb on fresh hot bread
Atsrik
I just wanna say, thank you.
Thank you for the simple easy to follow recipe.
Thank you for taking the time to post this for everyone. & also i fully agree with the first comment left for you (the dinner party 1)
1 question: does any bread work? Or should i use a specific type to get right taste?
Elizabeth
I usually use ciabatta bread or a rustic, crusty loaf for this. But you can really use any kind of bread you want! Hope that helps :-)