Pesto Mozzarella Bruschetta combines three of my favorite things – juicy tomatoes, rich, creamy pesto, and toasty bread for a delicious and simple appetizer that takes less than 30 minutes.
Once, on a trip to Jacksonville, Florida, my husband and I stopped at the French Pantry, a cute little bakery that only opens from 10am to 2pm and serves the most delicious food you have ever had. They have fresh bread, product, soups, and not to mention, several desserts that are mind-numbingly good.
One of the things that I would always, without fail, order was their Mozzarella Bruschetta (and they had over 10 kinds of bruschetta, so that’s saying something!). They used fresh bread with a layer of pesto and melted mozzarella cheese, topped off with a bruschetta mixture of tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper.
Adding pesto to the toasted bread is truly a game changer and honestly makes this classic appetizer super unique and addicting!
The French Pantry served their Mozzarella Bruschetta on a bed of mixed greens, which I always added on top of the bruschetta itself. It was such a joy to eat and I wanted to create a recipe of my own to mimic that experience.
In my opinion, a good appetizer is as simple to put together as it is to eat! They are light and refreshing, but not too complicated and can pair well with a range of entree items. This delicious Pesto Mozzarella Bruschetta appetizer recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and makes for a great start to a meal or serves as a lovely snack.
My Pesto Mozzarella Bruschetta is an easy appetizer recipe for any holiday, event, or even a girls’ night or date night in. I think it pairs really well with heavier pasta dishes like my Carbone Spicy Rigatoni Vodka or Four Cheese Baked Ziti.
Why I Love This Recipe
You can use as many fresh ingredients as you can! From the tomatoes and basil to the homemade garlic butter and fresh baked bread, you can make this recipe as simple or advanced as you please.
I usually use freshly baked baguette bread from my local grocery store when I make this recipe. It’s easy to slice and toast without having to make a whole loaf from scratch. When you use fresh bread, you can get the crispier edges during the toasting process.
That nicely toasted crust is what holds all the natural flavor of the bread that complements the soft center that is layered with the bruschetta toppings.
Additionally, since this recipe doesn’t take long to make, I can make everything just thirty minutes before any guests arrive. That way, you can avoid soggy bruschetta and simply keep your tomato mixture in a separate container and let your guests top off their bruschetta with as much or as little topping as they’d like.
1 loaf of baguette bread – cut into 1/2 inch sliced
1 cup pesto – I used Raos brand pesto
1/2 cup butter – melted
2 tbsp finely minced parsley
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves – grated or finely minced
2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 roma tomatoes – diced
1 small shallot – finely diced
4–5 basil leaves – finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 380F and lay all the sliced baguette onto a baking pan sheet.
In a bowl, mix the melted butter, Italian seasonings, garlic, parsley and salt + pepper. Mix everything until well combined and brush onto each baguette slice. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of each sliced bread and place in the oven until cheese is melted and bread is nice and golden brown.
In a bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, shallots and basil leaves along with the olive oil. Mix to combine and set aside until ready to use.
Once the bread is nice and golden brown, take it out of the oven and spread pesto on each sliced bread and top it off with the bruschetta mix, enjoy!
Just an East/West coast girl living the southern life. I love sharing all my tested and perfected recipes here, along with some travel guides and a little bit of my lifestyle
