Parmesan-Herb Breadsticks

We had leftover Roasted Veggie Penne tonight, but I baked up some breadsticks to go with it.  The first time I made these, I was probably in my early 20's.  Loooong time ago.  And I haven't made them in forever, so I figured it was time.

This is so easy and you can use whatever you want or whatever you're craving.  Tube breadsticks are the base, so these come together in about 15 minutes, baking time included.  I accidentally bought garlic instead of plain, but it turned out to be a good thing for the fillings I used.

Tonight I used olive oil, sea salt, fresh chopped basil and thyme, and grated Parmesan.  There are a thousand different combos to play around with.  You can use a spread as 'glue' for your toppings as well.

Here are a few ideas from the original recipe:

Parmesan-Prosciutto - Spread dough with Dijon-style mustard.  Layer with thinly sliced, chopped prosciutto and grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese.

Pile-On-Pesto - Slather dough with a generous amount of prepared pesto sauce.  Add a few whole pine nuts.

Herbal Blend - Brush dough with olive oil.  Heap on a handful each of coursely chopped thyme and parsley.  Drizzle top with additional olive oil.  Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Trail Mix - Coat dough with honey; sprinkle with cinnamon.  Press raisin-nut trail mix lightly into dough.  (Some mix will fall out when you twist dough.)  Brush top with melted butter.

Cheese-Stuffed - Brush dough with your favorite Italian salad dressing.  Add fresh Parmesan or spread with Boursin cheese.  Spoon additional dressing on top.

Olive-Rosemary - Press pitted, chopped kalamata olives into dough.  Twist to enclose olives.  (Expect some olives to spill out.)  Scatter top with snipped fresh rosemary.

Preheat oven according to package directions.  Mine said 350.  

Separate dough into strips. 

(They come perforated.  I also cut them in half to make them shorter and more manageable.)  

Fill each one up as you please.

Twist the dough around the fillings.  

Don't worry if they aren't perfect. 

Place breadsticks on a baking sheet.  

Brush with olive oil or melted butter, if desired.  

Bake as package directs.  Mine were done in 12 minutes.

So which combo has you salivating?