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Easy, cheesy, and absolutely delicious recipe for Caprese Toast. Slices of toasted Italian bread topped with a flavorful basil ricotta spread, creamy mozzarella, tomatoes and a lovely balsamic vinaigrette.
Caprese Toast makes the perfect appetizer or light meal. These small bites are topped with a flavorful ricotta spread, juicy roasted tomatoes, and finished with a light drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.
A feast not only for the eyes, but for the taste buds as well.
Why This Recipe Works
- This recipe is best in the summer when tomatoes are ripe and abundant. You can use any variety of the best tomatoes available to you.
- It’s made with very few ingredients and takes minutes to make.
- Enjoy as a light meal, a snack, or as an appetizer.
Ingredient Notes
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Bread: Most types of rustic loaves of bread make a perfect Caprese toast. I think the best bread is a crusty French baguette, but thin slices of sourdough, ciabatta, or Italian bread work great too.
- Basil: Use fresh basil leaves.
- Cheese: Ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese.
- Salt and pepper: For flavor.
- Tomatoes: Be sure to use quality, ripe tomatoes. I use bright cherry tomatoes, feel free to use the best kind that is available to you.
- Garlic: Use 1 fresh garlic clove. I do not recommend using garlic powder.
- Olive oil: I always use extra virgin olive oil in my easy Caprese toast recipe. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains a more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It’s my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use light olive oil instead.
- Balsamic vinegar: Add a delicious zesty flavor.
How To Make Caprese Toast
For this caprese toast recipe, I’ve combined all the wonderful ingredients found in a classic caprese salad and incorporated them into little hand-held caprese toast which can be made in either a toaster oven or a conventional oven.
- Toast the tops of sliced bread in a preheated 425 degree F oven.
- Mix together chopped basil, ricotta, Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
- Spread ricotta mixture on each bread slice. Top with slice of mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon tomato mixture over the mozzarella.
- Bake toasts 8-10 minutes or until heated through and mozzarella is melted.
Expert Tips
- For best results, use the freshest ingredients possible.
- Don’t forget to top with balsamic vinegar. It adds a delicious zesty flavor to the Caprese toast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Caprese Toast Be Made In Advance?
You can, but I don’t recommend it. The moisture from the mozzarella can make the tomatoes soggy.
How Do I Thinly Slice Basil?
To thinly slice basil leaves, stack the leaves on top of each other, roll them into a cigar-like shape, and then use a sharp knife to slice them into thin ribbons.
Pro Tip: Basil bruises easily so be sure to use a sharp knife. If your knife is dull, the basil leaves can bruise and the edges will be crushed instead of sliced. Also, it’s harder to slice basil with a dull knife.
As you can see, Caprese toast is super easy to make.
They are made with healthy ingredients and make a great little meal for yourself or to share.
Enjoy!
How to Make Caprese Toast in Toaster Oven
Ingredients
- 4-6 slices of French or Italian Bread
- 5 fresh basil leaves ,chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese , sliced
Instructions
- Heat toaster oven to 425 degrees F. Toast one side of the bread until golden.
- In a small bowl, mix together the chopped basil, ricotta, Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
- Spread one-fourth of the ricotta mixture on each bread slice. Top with a slice of mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon the tomato mixture over the mozzarella.
- In a single layer, working in batches if necessary, bake toasts 8 to 10 minutes or until heated through and mozzarella is melted.
- Garnish with reserved basil.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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bagels & cinnamon rolls
I’d actually make your Caprese toast recipe!
I would cook grilled cheese.
I would toast sandwiches
I have a special garlic cheesy bread recipe that everyone just dies over, this would be just perfect to cook them in and not burn some in the broiler!
I’d use it to cook my tilapia and bake some cookies.
I would make me some kolaches. There would be several different flavors.
I would cook grill cheese.
I would cook homemade pizza in it