Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes And Mozzarella

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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.

A single crostini with tomato, pesto and cheese held in hand

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.

Ingredients needed to make tomato and mozzarella crostini

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.

arranged bread slices in a tray and baked until golden brown

Now top the toasted bread slices with sliced cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil pesto (or fresh basil, if using).

bread slices topped with tomato , cheese and basil pesto

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.

Homemade crostini with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil pesto on a black plate

Frequently asked questions

What kind of bread to use for making crostini?

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.

What kind of cheese to use to make this crostini?

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.

How to serve the crostini?

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.

How to store the crostini?

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.

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If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter

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