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 (especially lovely over the holiday season).
This crostini topping is probably my number one go-to when I’m entertaining. It’s just such a crowd-pleaser and a winner of a combination (heavily inspired by one of my all-time favourite Ottolenghi recipes):
- Warm, oozy, jammy, almost broken-down sweet cherry tomatoes.
- Cold, creamy, thick labneh (or Greek yogurt).
- Crispy, cheesy, crusted bread.
- Fresh, vibrant basil.
The original version of these gorgeously cheesy crostini used a crunchy baked parmesan crisp as a little garnish on top, but then I saw Ambitious Kitchen‘s genius idea of baking the crostini 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 colors!) and would make a fabulous addition to your Christmas appetizer spread. Want a different flavor twist? Try these cheese crusted crostini with creamy pesto ricotta next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bread. A baguette makes things easier because you can cut small slices, but use any bread you like here and slice it into small pieces (it’s great with no-knead chili cheese focaccia squares, this rosemary parmesan bread, or Vogel’s style seed bread).
- Cherry tomatoes. Go for ones on the vine if you can (they tend to be sweeter and more flavorful), but any will do. You can also use whole tomatoes and slice them into chunky pieces.
- Sharp cheddar cheese. You could use Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, 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.
- Creamy labneh. This super-thick, strained yogurt is 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).
Step-by-Step: How to Make Cheesy Crusted Crostini
- Toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, crushed garlic, paprika, and salt.
- Roast until charred, jammy, and nearly breaking down.
- Scatter the grated cheese onto a lined sheet pan. Slice your baguette, then arrange the slices on top of the grated cheese. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake the crostini until the cheese and crostini are golden and crispy.
- Flip the cheesy crostini over so that the crispy cheese is on top. Dollop a little labneh onto each crostini.
- Top each with a roasted tomato, making sure to spoon over the gorgeous cooking juices.
- Scatter with basil and thyme, and serve.
Cheesy Crusted Crostini FAQs
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 flavor.
I’ve used a nice strong, sharp cheddar here, but you could use Parmesan, Grada Padano, Gruyere, Pecorino Romano, Colby Jack, or Manchego. Anything semi-hard that you can grate will work.
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.
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, Boursin, cottage cheese, whipped creamy feta, spicy whipped feta dip, or even this two-ingredient whipped sundried tomato feta dip.
If you’re not worried about keeping these vegetarian, a sliver of prosciutto would be lovely here, as would crispy chorizo or bacon. 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 the Crostini
Like this recipe? Here are more easy appetizer ideas for you
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Cheesy Crusted Roasted Tomato Crostini
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 20 crostini 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
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 (especially lovely over the holiday season).
Ingredients
- 12oz (350g) cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 baguette
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup creamy labneh or thick Greek yogurt
- A handful of basil leaves, chopped
- A handful of thyme leaves
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes. Heat your oven to 430°F (220°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper (or use an oven dish). Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan, along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, the crushed garlic, and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Toss to combine, then transfer to the oven for 20 to 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 sheet pan with parchment paper (you may need two), then scatter the grated cheddar 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 over 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 flavor. The crostini can be made up to 24 hours in advance, too.
INGREDIENT NOTES: You could use Parmesan, Grada Padano, Manchego, Colby Jack, Gruyere, or Pecorino Romano 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 no-knead chili cheese 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
