Bruschetta with Pesto and Tomatoes
A healthy bruschetta recipe that will tempt everyone at the table.
Bruschetta recipes don't get more tantalizing than this one. Crusty Tuscan bread is topped with spinach pesto, tomatoes and cheese.
Traditional bruschetta (pronounced bru-ske-tah) is just a crusty bread (usually Tuscan) rubbed with a clove of garlic and drizzled with olive oil, and then toasted. This brushetta recipe offers a deeper flavor profile (as the professional foodies might say), as it is topped with spinach pesto, fresh ripe tomatoes and fontina cheese. And there's no need to rub with garlic, as there is enough garlic already in the pesto.
Tuscan bread is simply a crusty white bread. Feel free to substitute with any store-bought or homemade Italian bread or crusty french bread for this bruschetta recipe.
If you're short on time, just use your favorite jarred pesto. This bruschetta will still taste great.
It's the combination of the savory pesto and juicy sweet tomatoes that makes this bruschetta recipe special, so be sure to look for the ripest, juiciest tomatoes you can find. And if tomatoes aren't in season or you can't find any that look good, it's okay to use canned diced tomatoes. Just make sure to drain them well and blot with paper towels, so they don't make the bread soggy.
Bruschetta with Pesto and Tomatoes
- 1 loaf Tuscan bread or crusty Italian bread (either homemade or store-bought; just make sure it's fresh)
- 1/2 to 2 cups spinach pesto (recipe follows)
- 3 plum or Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 4 ounces thinly-sliced fontina cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice bread. Spread the bread slices out on a sheet pan in a single layer. Toast in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, just until bread is crispy and light brown. Remove bread from oven and turn oven temperature up to broil.
Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of spinach pesto on top of each bread slice. Sprinkle with chopped tomato. Top with a slice of fontina cheese, if desired. Place bread in the oven under broiler just until cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve warm.
Spinach Pesto
- 12 oz. fresh baby spinach, washed and dried well
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Combine the first four ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 6 to 8 times. Process while drizzling in olive oil until mixture becomes the consistency of a thick spread.
For more great appetizer recipes, see also:
- Goat Cheese Tarts
- Mini Tomato Tarts
- Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade
- Cheese Dip with Garlic (adapted from Alton Brown's recipe)
- Deviled Eggs
- Zesty Guacamole Salsa
