During the summer, I often crave lighter, colorful, minimal cook dishes. Bruschetta is one of those appetizers that can be a healthy, delicious, filling in between meals dish. My local supermarket had some rainbow tomatoes on sale so I ended up purchasing a large carton of rainbow tomatoes to use for my bruschetta. My version features plump, colorful tomatoes, fresh basil, and a few simple pantry items. Plus, this is my way of having all of the flavors of pizza in an appetizer.
Rainbow Tomato Bruschetta:
Topping:
· 8-10 small tomatoes of different colors, diced
· 2 sprigs fresh basil, chiffonade
· 1 ounce fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
· 1 teaspoon olive oil
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Toast:
· 1 baguette, sliced on a diagonal and cut into ½ inch pieces
· 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
· 1 ounce fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Sauce:
· ½ small can whole tomatoes
· 6-8 small tomatoes of different colors
· 3 cloves garlic, chopped
· 2 sprigs fresh basil, chiffonade
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) In a small bowl, combine the diced rainbow tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
3) Assemble the sliced baguette pieces into rows on baking sheet. Divide the ounce of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and ounce of mozzarella cheese evenly on all the baguette pieces.
4) In a blender, combine the canned tomatoes, fresh rainbow tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse a couple times until a chunky sauce forms. Spread 2 teaspoons of sauce on each baguette piece.
5) Bake in oven to five minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool one minute. Add 2 teaspoons of the fresh tomato topping mixture on each baguette piece. Serve.
Takeaways: The different layers of colors, flavors, and textures makes this a visually stunning appetizer to serve at parties. The sauce can also be used for pasta. If you have any leftover sauce and topping, you can serve it with any cooked pasta of your choice.