Step up your appetizer game with these gorgeous crispy cheese-crusted crostini, piled with creamy Greek yogurt and jammy roasted tomatoes. They’re SUPER easy and guaranteed to be a hit with your guests at any party (and are especially lovely over the holiday season).
This crostini topping is probably my number one go-to when I’m entertaining. It’s just always such a crowd-pleaser. Warm, oozy, jammy, almost broken down sweet cherry tomatoes piled onto creamy, cold labneh (or Greek yogurt), with the crispy cheese and bread, plus some lovely fresh herbs. It’s a winner of a combination (also heavily inspired by one of my all-time favourite Ottolenghi recipes).
The original version of these gorgeously cheesy crostini used a parmesan crisp as a little garnish on top of the crostini, but then I saw Ambitious Kitchen‘s genius idea of baking the crostini THEMSELVES on top of grated cheese, basically killing two birds with one stone. So, I decided to use that fab idea and make these lovely crostini even easier.
They also look gorgeously festive (those colours!) and would make a fabulous addition to your Christmas appetizer spread.
Ingredients
- Bread. A baguette makes things easier because you can perfectly cut little slices, but you could use any bread you like here and slice it into small pieces (it’s great with focaccia squares, this rosemary parmesan bread or Vogel’s style seed bread too).
- Cherry tomatoes. Go for ones on the vine if you can as they tend to be sweeter and more flavourful, but any will do. You can also use whole tomatoes and slice them into chunky pieces.
- Cheddar cheese. You could use parmesan or manchego if you like. Make sure you grate the cheese on the fine side of your box grater or use a microplane for the best lacy crispy texture.
- Labneh. This super thick, strained yogurt is so luxurious without being too rich because it still has that lovely tang. You can find labneh in larger grocery stores or delis, or, you can easily make it yourself using regular plain yogurt. Or, what I often do is pick up a proper thick, Greek yogurt and use that – I find it tends to be thick enough for this purpose (you just don’t want it too runny and dripping off the bread).
How to make them
Toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, crushed garlic, paprika and salt, then roast until charred and jammy.
Scatter the grated cheese onto a lined oven tray. Slice your baguette, then arrange the slices on top of the grated cheese on the tray. Drizzle the baguette slices with olive oil, then transfer to the oven until the cheese is golden and crispy.
Flip the cheesy crostini over, so that the crispy cheese is on top. Dollop on a little labneh, then top with a roasted tomato, making sure to spoon over the gorgeous cooking juices. Scatter with basil and thyme, and serve.
Got a question?
You can roast the tomatoes up to 5 days ahead of time, and make the crostini up to 24 hours ahead of time. It’s best to bring the tomatoes to room temperature before serving for the best flavour.
I’ve used a nice strong cheddar here, but you could use parmesan, Grada padano or manchego.
I often use a good, thick Greek yogurt in place of labneh if I can’t find it or don’t have time to make it – you want to make sure it’s very thick so it won’t run off the crostini. ‘Greek-style’ yogurt tends to be too runny. You could also use ricotta, cream cheese or whipped feta.
If you’re not worried about keeping these vegetarian, a slither of prosciutto would be lovely here, as would crispy chorizo. Or, chop some marinated olives and scatter them on top too. A little drizzle of hot honey sauce or sweet chilli jam would be lovely as well.
Watch how to make them
Like this recipe? Here are more easy appetizer ideas for you
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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Cheesy Crusted Roasted Tomato Crostini
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 20 crostini 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ingredients
- 350g/12oz cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 baguette
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup labneh or thick Greek yogurt
- A handful of basil leaves, chopped
- A handful of thyme leaves
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes. Heat your oven to 220C/430F and line an oven tray with baking paper (or use an oven dish). Add the cherry tomatoes to the tray, along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, crushed garlic and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine, then transfer to the oven for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are lovely and charred and starting to break down.
- Make the cheesy crostini. Slice your baguette into thin slices. Line another oven tray with baking paper (you may need two), then scatter the grated cheese in little piles on the tray, slightly larger than the baguette slices. Place the baguette slices right on top of the grated cheese, pressing down to set them in place. Drizzle the baguette slices with more olive oil, then transfer to the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese is super crispy and the bread is golden. PRO TIP: You can do this at the same time as cooking the tomatoes.
- Assemble the crostini. Leave the cheesy crostini to cool slightly as they come out of the oven – this will give the cheese a chance to properly crisp up and remain in place. Carefully turn the crostini over, so the cheesy side is on top. Spoon a dollop of creamy labneh on top of the crostini, then place a roasted tomato on top, making sure to drizzle on some of the lovely tomato cooking juices. Scatter over the chopped basil leaves and the thyme to finish, then serve.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: You can roast the tomatoes up to 5 days ahead of time, and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them. Ideally, bring them to room temperature before you do, for the best flavour. The crostini can be made up to 24 hours in advance too.
INGREDIENT NOTES: You could use parmesan, Grada padano or manchego instead of cheddar if you like. A baguette is easy as it slices nicely into little pieces, but you could use any other bread and cut it into bite-sized pieces (I often use focaccia squares, or you could use rosemary parmesan bread or Vogel’s style seed bread). Use larger tomatoes if you like, and chop them into wedges.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: party food
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 crostini
- Calories: 53
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 172mg
- Fat: 3.5g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 2.7g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 2.9g
- Cholesterol: 6mg
Keywords: tomato crostini, tomato bruschetta
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