Crostini are small, bite-sized toasted pieces of bread that are crusty and can be topped with several different toppings. This Crostini with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella is our summertime favorite to make with fresh homegrown tomatoes.
I also love to top my crostini with dollops of homemade basil pesto . Overall, this crostini is something I love to make with my abundance of summer produce.
I first made this recipe when I was exploring the Campania region in Italy. Campania is a highly populated region in Southern Italy. Campania’s vast cuisine relies on sun-kissed vegetables and herbs, dried pasta, and fresh cheeses.
The famous cheese here is the water Buffalo’s Mozzarella. Campania is home to over 80 percent of Italy’s water buffaloes. Hence, this is one of the most widely used cheeses.
This week, I am going to be posting recipes that come under the category, anything you can snack on! I will be posting different snacks that I make for my family, and this is my first post under the theme.
Ingredients and Substitutes
This Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella is a very simple yet highly flavorful appetizer made with very few ingredients. The key to making the best-tasting crostini depends on using fresh cheese and tomatoes.
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.
Bread - I use a good loaf of French Bread to make my Crostini. I love using my fresh homemade French Baguette to make these delicious crostini.
Cheese - I use fresh mozzarella cheese to make the topping for my crostini. I thinly slice the fresh mozzarella ball and use it.
Tomatoes - I love using cherry tomatoes for my crostini topping as they look cute, and also, I grow these in abundance in summer. But you could use any kind of sliced tomato. One other option is to use this tomato relish recipe to top the baguette instead of fresh tomatoes.
Olive oil - Use very good quality for the best-tasting crostini. You need a good amount of olive oil to brush the bread slices.
Garlic - And I love garlic, loads of it. Brush as much or as little as you like, but definitely use it.
Basil - I have used fresh basil, dried basil, or basil pesto to make the crostini. Our favorite is the basil pesto, and this is what I used in the recipe today. I freeze a lot of basil pesto in summer, and this is a great recipe to make using the pesto.
Recently, I made a batch of this Homemade Pesto with purple basil and roasted bell peppers, and it was delicious to use on the crostini.
Step-by-step process
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Slice the cheese, tomatoes, and bread and keep them ready.
Finely mince the garlic cloves and add them to the olive oil.
Now, brush both sides of the bread with the garlic/olive oil mixture and arrange them on a baking sheet.
Bake the bread slices until light golden brown and appear toasted. This will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them as the bread could burn easily.
- Now top the toasted bread slices with sliced cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil pesto (or fresh basil, if using).
Bake for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and the bread is well-toasted.
Serve the Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella warm!
Expert tips
- Use good-quality bread to slice and make the crostini. This homemade French Baguette works great for the recipe if you want to bake your bread.
- Toast the bread just until light brown and then top it before toasting again. This way the bread won’t be too dark when toasting it for the second time.
- Use good-quality olive oil for the best-tasting crostini.
- You could also make the toasted crostini ahead of time and then top them and bake them when ready to serve.
A good quality French bread works great for the recipe. You could also use day-old stale bread to make the crostini. This is a great option to use day-old bread.
I have almost always used mozzarella cheese as we love the flavor and the texture. We can use feta or goat cheese as well, depending on what other topping we are using.
Crostini is usually served as a small bite appetizer or with drinks. I love to make this quick appetizer as an evening snack for the boys as well.
We can toast the bread slices with olive oil and garlic a day or so ahead and then top them with the rest of the topping and bake just before serving. If there are leftovers, we can refrigerate them for a day or two and then heat them in the oven again before serving.
More similar recipes
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Recipe
Equipment
- ▢ Oven
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 loaf Italian bread or French bread I sliced 16 slices from it and had a little bit more remaining
- ▢ 20-24 Cherry Tomatoes sliced twice or thrice
- ▢ 1 ball Fresh mozzarella sliced thinly
- ▢ ⅓ cup olive oil
- ▢ 5 cloves Garlic minced finely
- ▢ ¼ cup basil pesto
- ▢ a handful Fresh basil leaves chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Slice the cheese, tomatoes and bread and keep them ready.
- Finely mince the garlic cloves and add it to the olive oil.
- Now brush both the sides of the bread with the garlic / olive oil mixture and arrange them in a baking sheet.
- Bake the bread slices until light golden brown and appear toasted. This will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them as the bread could burn easily.
- Now top the toasted bread slices with sliced cheese, cherry tomatoes and basil pesto (or fresh basil, if using).
- Bake for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and the bread is well toasted.
- Serve the Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes And Mozzarella warm!
Notes
- Use a good quality bread to slice and make the crostini. This homemade French Baguette works great for the recipe if you want to bake your own bread.
- Toast the bread just until light brown and then top them before toasting again. This way the bread won’t be too dark when toasting it for the second time.
- Use good quality of olive oil for the best tasting crostini.
- You could also make the toasted crostini ahead of time and then top them and bake it when ready to serve.
Nutrition
More Appetizer Recipes
- Aama Vadai | Paruppu Vadai | Chana Dal Vada
- Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Spicy Southern Cheese Straws
- Samosa Pinwheels | Air fryer and Baked
Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes And Mozzarella
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Italian bread or French bread I sliced 16 slices from it and had a little bit more remaining
- 20-24 Cherry Tomatoes sliced twice or thrice
- 1 ball Fresh mozzarella sliced thinly
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 5 cloves Garlic minced finely
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- a handful Fresh basil leaves chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Slice the cheese, tomatoes and bread and keep them ready.
- Finely mince the garlic cloves and add it to the olive oil.
- Now brush both the sides of the bread with the garlic / olive oil mixture and arrange them in a baking sheet.
- Bake the bread slices until light golden brown and appear toasted. This will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them as the bread could burn easily.
- Now top the toasted bread slices with sliced cheese, cherry tomatoes and basil pesto (or fresh basil, if using).
- Bake for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and the bread is well toasted.
- Serve the Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes And Mozzarella warm!
Notes
- Use a good quality bread to slice and make the crostini. This homemade French Baguette works great for the recipe if you want to bake your own bread.
- Toast the bread just until light brown and then top them before toasting again. This way the bread won’t be too dark when toasting it for the second time.
- Use good quality of olive oil for the best tasting crostini.
- You could also make the toasted crostini ahead of time and then top them and bake it when ready to serve.
