One of my favorite snacks to make when we have guests are hanging out at the pool. Simple, fresh, and easy to make. Crostini is such a great way to be creative and experiment. Let this recipe inspire you.
When I made this batch of goat cheese crostini, I used the baguette slices and fresh tomatoes I had on hand, but if you don't have those exact things, you can still make this recipe. Cherry tomatoes work great in this tomato salad, just cut them in half before adding them to the salad. Can't find Ciabatta, use any type of baguette you can find at your local grocery store for this easy appetizer. French bread can work, but won't be as sturdy as a french baguette would be, which works better when you heavier toppings.
Crostini is such a great way to serve a salad, seriously! I love using this simple tomato salad as a perfect topping to goat cheese covered toast. I also believe crostini is a great way to get creative and experiment with different combos.
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Ingredients
Salad
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Champagne vinegar
- Honey
- Sea salt sub kosher salt flakes
- Black pepper
- Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
- Chopped parsley
- Chopped basil
- Green onion, thinly sliced
Crostini
- Ciabatta baguette, ½ inch slices
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Goat cheese
- Balsamic Vinegar or Balsamic glaze drizzle
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Start by making the tomato salad. This will allow the tomatoes to marinate while you make the toasted bread in a frying pan. No reason to turn on the hot oven in the summertime.
- To a small bowl, add the vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk in olive oil until dressing is well combined. In a medium bowl add the remaining salad ingredients, pour dressing over the tomato mixture, toss and cover. Place in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes while you slice and toast you bread in a frying pan.
- Add a little olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat. Place bread in a single layer and fry the bread until it becomes golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and turn over to lightly toast the other side. Set aside.
- Add the creamy goat cheese to toasts, top with tomato salad and balsamic vinegar.
Substitutions
If you know how to make the recipe fit a certain diet, let the reader know here. Don't fake it - only provide guidance on topics you have actual experience with.
- Champagne Vinegar - here you can use white wine or red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- Goat Cheese - burrata, cream cheese or whipped feta works well.
- Vegan - make this vegan with a simple sub for the goat cheese to Treeline Dairy Free Goat Cheese
Variations
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to the salad dressing or top with Lil' Mamas chopped peppers
- Deluxe - good quality ingredients will upgrade any recipe but if you want to go deluxe on these crostini, top with lemon zest, micro greens, a crumble of goat cheese and toasted pine nuts. Using colorful heirloom tomatoes would also upgrade this dish to add a little extra pop of color.
- Toasts - we pan fry the crostini in this recipe because we don't use our oven in the Las Vegas summer heat. But if you are wanting to toasts these in the oven. Places toasts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Rub olive oil on both sides of your bread slices and season with a little salt and pepper. Add to a preheated oven to 375˚ and bake for 15-20 minutes, until toasted and golden brown.
Equipment
- Large platter
- Small bowl
- Medium bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Frying pan
- Large spoon
- Sharp knife or serrated knife
Storage
This delicious appetizer should be eaten immediately. Though you can make the tomato salad and toasts up to 24 hours ahead of time storing them in an airtight container and placing the salad in the refrigerator. Then put the crostini together right before to serving.
Top tip
When it's hot out and you don't want to turn on your oven, try making your toast by frying the bread in a small amount of olive oil until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and turn over to fry other side. I work in batches when pan frying my bread.
FAQ
Cream cheese is the most mild substitute, but you could also try whipped feta, labneh, burrata or ricotta.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Tomato Salad Goat Cheese Crostini
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 small bowl
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 large platter
- 1 tongs or spatula
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 Roma tomatoes thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- 1 ciabatta baguette ½ inch slices
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 4 oz goat cheese
- Balsamic Vinegar or Balsamic glaze drizzle
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil until dressing is combined.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and toss. Set aside the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to plate your crostini.
Fry bread in batches.
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add the bread slices and pan fry for about 2-3 minutes until toasted golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and turn over to lightly toast the other side. Set aside.
- Add goat cheese to toasts, topped with tomato salad and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!!
Video
Food safety
Because this dish has dairy, be sure to keep in a cool place and leave it out for only two hours. Do not place in sun or heat, unless crostini will be eaten immediately.
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