One of my best summer finds this year has been heirloom tomatoes! You know – the vibrant red, yellow, green colored ones that you see everywhere these days? They are so luscious and juicy and are just so representative of summer – I just HAD to create a fun recipe with these!
I am a long time fan of the simple yet super flavorful Italian Caprese salad and thought of adding these heirloom tomatoes to it – best decision ever coz they are bomb on here! Also, in the spirit of summer, I added an incredibly fresh basil-mint pesto to go with the Caprese and all of this gets loaded on to toasted slices of fresh sourdough bread with some amazing condiments to finish!
These are incredibly flavorful and SO filling! I make them for brunch all the time and they also serve as a great side to soups. If you can’t find heirloom tomatoes near you, regular tomatoes work just fine too! SO excited to be sharing this one with y’all and hope you make it real soon. Don’t forget to send me a picture, tag @thedancingcookbook and #thedancingcookbook when you do!
Bon Appetit 🙂
Heirloom Caprese Pesto Toast
Juicy heirloom tomatos and mozarella meet a fresh, summery basil-mint pesto in this flavorful explosion of a toast. Balsamic glaze adds a touch of sweetness and these are best enjoyed as a side with some soup or as brunch or a snack! So quick and supremely delicious!
Ingredients
Basil-Mint Pesto
- 1/2 cup Basil leaves, tightly packed
- 1/4 cup Mint leaves, tightly packed
- 3-4 cloves of Garlic
- 10-12 Almonds
- 1-2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
- 1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt, to taste
- Lemon zest, optional
- Sourdough Bread, 4 slices
- 2 Heirloom Tomatoes
- 8 oz. ball of Mozzarella
- Balsamic Glaze
- Fresh ground Black Pepper
- Basil leaves, to garnish
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the pesto to a food processor. Pulse until well combined and creamy. If still chunky, add a little water and pulse to combine.
- Taste the pesto and adjust salt level. Parmesan cheese is quite salty, so add salt with caution.
- Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella.
- Toast up the sourdough bread on a skillet over medium heat until browned. You can add some olive oil to the bread.
- On every sourdough slice, slather on the basil-mint pesto generously. Top with sliced tomato and mozzarella.
- Place on serving plates. Add pepper, everything bagel seasoning and drizzle on some balsamic glaze for a touch of sweetness. Enjoy warm as a side with some soup or as is!
Notes
- If you don't have access to heirloom tomatoes, you can totally make these with regular ones!
- The pesto can be made ahead of time and lasts for upto 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- These toasts make for an amazing brunch (2 toasts per person - so filling!).
- The toasts also pair really well on the side with soup, so these would be great in the Fall too!