CHEESY PESTO BRUSHCETTA
Ciabatta bread thickly spread with homemade or store-bought pesto, sprinkled with mozzarella and baked until the bread is crunchy and the cheese is gooey. Then the warm bread is topped with a spicy tomato, basil and balsamic mixture, sprinkled with parmesan and cut into triangles. The result is the most delicious appetizer to share, lunch or a light dinner. Use any tomatoes you want; I used the cherry vine-ripened tomatoes because they’re so good to eat. Just make sure you’re using really nice tomatoes for this recipe as the tomatoes and pesto are the start ingredients.
Servings: 6
Calories: 228kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon sambal olek chili paste – or, in a pinch sweet chili sauce, omitting the pinch of sugar later – could also add 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 fat garlic clove, minced
- generous pinch of salt, pepper and sugar
- 24 oz vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves, plus a few extra leaves for garnish
- 10 oz ciabatta bread, halved horizontally or use a baguette
- 2/3 – 1 cup basil pesto here for pesto recipe
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese not the pre-grated stuff
- 1/4 cup finely grated fresh parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Have a large baking sheet ready.
- Combine the vinegar, oil, sambal, garlic, salt, pepper and sugar together in a medium sized bowl. Add the tomato and stir until well combined; set aside.
- Place both halves of the bread, cut side up, on the baking sheet. Spread with pesto and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread is browned and crisp.
- Place the bread on a cutting board. Top with the tomato mixture and sprinkle with the parmesan. Top with extra basil leaves. Cut into serving size pieces. I cut each half into triangles but they can also just be cut straight across.
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1107IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 1mg