Serves: 2 Dozen Time: 15 minutes Cookbook: Martha Stewart’s Hors D’oeuvres Handbook
Originating from Italy, crostini are essentially small toasts with toppings that make a perfect snack or appetizer. Learn this basic Caprese crostini recipe and you’ll be able to let your imagination run wild with variations. Crostini is your best friend in the kitchen when wanting to entertain guests. They pair excellently with cocktails and work to whet the appetite for the courses that follow.
Crostini can be sweet or savory (or both), with virtually any ingredient as the topping, making them one of the most versatile foods in your repertoire. If you can think it, you can crostini it. Keep reading for a beautiful Caprese-style crostini recipe to get you started.
Pro tip: Want to ditch the carbs? Make a Burrata Salad instead – it has all the flavors of this classic app without the bread!
Jump Ahead:
- 🍅 Ingredients Needed to Make Caprese Crostini
- 🍴 Equipment Needed in the Kitchen
- 🥄 How to Make Caprese Crostini
- ♾️ Crostini Variations
- ❓ Caprese Crostini Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
Ingredients Needed to Make Caprese Crostini
To make this delicious summertime appetizer, you’ll need:
- 24 Cherry Tomatoes
- 8 ounces fresh Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh Basil
- 1 large Baguette
- 4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Equipment Needed In the Kitchen
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- 2 Baking Sheets
- Medium Bowl
- Tongs
How to Make Caprese Crostini
This delightful appetizer makes the most of fresh, in-season ingredients from the garden. Basil, tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil are the stars of this easy-to-make dish.
Prep the tomatoes
Slice the tomatoes in half, then place them into a medium bowl and toss with salt and pepper to taste.
Let the tomatoes marinate for 10-15 minutes as you continue with the next steps.
Prep the mozzarella and basil
Cut the mozzarella into 1/4-inch pieces and set aside.
Stack the basil leaves on top of each other, then cut the basil leaves horizontally into thin ribbons. This technique is known as chiffonade.
Prep the crostini
Turn your broiler on high and place a rack 4-5 inches below the heating element.
Slice the baguette into 1/4-inch thick pieces and lightly coat each side with olive oil. You should have 24 slices.
Place slices on baking sheets, spreading them out evenly.
Broil for 1-2 minutes, then turn each piece over and place back under the broiler for another minute, until golden.
Remove from the oven and place on a rack or extra baking sheet to cool.
Assemble the crostini appetizers
After the tomatoes have marinated, your bread slices are cooled, and the mozzarella and basil are prepped, it’s time to assemble these little slices of happiness.
Add the crostini slices to a serving platter, then place mozzarella slices, cherry tomato halves, and basil ribbons onto the slices.
Crostini Variations
Want to make a variety of crostinis to serve at your next party or book club? Set out these crowd-pleasing variations.
Kalamata Olives, Salami, Pickled Veggies: Think of this as a charcuterie platter in one. Keep the mozzarella slices, and add Kalamata olive halves, slices of salami, and pieces of pickled veggies for a bright and refreshing taste sensation.
Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Feta: Here is a classic Mediterranean style variation with savory artichoke, sweet red bell peppers, and salty feta. Use either fresh or canned artichoke hearts along with roasted red bell pepper strips and swap the mozzarella for feta with a nice drizzle of olive oil.
Blue Cheese, Portabella, Chives: We like to think of this as a vegetarian “steakhouse” style crostini. Use meaty portabella mushrooms (chopped and cooked), along with tangy blue cheese, and top with chives for a savory powerhouse crostini that your guests will truly love.
Caprese Crostini Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
Yes! You can make the crostini bread slices up to 2 days before you need them. Just place them into an airtight bag or container after they’ve cooled and keep them in your pantry.
Technically, no. Any style of bread can be sliced, toasted, and topped with ingredients. Keep in mind that if you use strongly flavored bread such as rye or pumpernickel, the toppings need to compliment the style of bread you choose.
With enough of them, they definitely could. One of the simplest ways to turn this app into a meal would be to include protein such as meat, fish, or poultry in the crostini toppings. Cream cheese and smoked salmon with dill would make an excellent light lunch. Crostini with eggs and parmesan cheese would be a killer breakfast item. Our favorite for dinner would be pizza crostini with pepperoni, cheese, and tomato sauce on top.
Caprese Crostini: An Easy, Breezy Summer Appetizer
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These delightful appetizers are a breeze to make and are perfect for the summertime when cherry tomatoes and fresh basil are abundant.
Ingredients
- 24 Cherry Tomatoes
- 8 ounces fresh Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh Basil
- 1 large Baguette
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Prep the tomatoes
- Slice the tomatoes in half, then place them into a medium bowl and toss with salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the tomatoes marinate for 10-15 minutes as you continue with the next steps.
Prep the mozzarella and basil
- Cut the mozzarella into 1/4-inch pieces and set aside.
- Cut the basil leaves diagonally into thin ribbons. This technique is known as chiffonade.
Prep the crostini
- Turn your broiler on high and place a rack 4-5 inches below the heating element.
- Slice the baguette into 1/4-inch thick pieces and lightly butter each side. You should have 24 slices.
- Place slices on baking sheets, spreading them out evenly.
- Broil for 1-2 minutes, then turn each piece over and place back under the broiler for another minute, until golden.
- Remove from the oven and place on a rack or extra baking sheet to cool.
Assemble the crostini appetizers
- After the tomatoes have marinated, your bread slices are cooled, and the mozzarella and basil are prepped, it’s time to assemble these little slices of happiness.
- Add the crostini slices to a serving platter, then place mozzarella slices, cherry tomato halves, and basil ribbons onto the slices in that order.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Snacks & Appetizers
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Martha Stewart, Crostini, Appetizer, Italian
This is perfect! My MIL just gave us a huge basket of her cherry tomatoes and I was trying to use them all before them turned. I always made crostini with chopped tomatoes before but LOVED using up the little ones for this. They had such a fresh bright flavor.
That’s so great! I’m so glad this came just in time!
I know these are supposed to be appetizers for company, but they are so delish I like to have them for lunch! lol Thanks for the tasty recipe!
Don’t worry – we won’t tell! We love doing that, too!!
What a fresh, easy recipe! I pretty much just set these out for dinner, along with some shrimp and chilled drinks, and everyone was happy and full.
I’m so glad this was a hit!
These were terrific! The perfect summer appetizer and I loved how easy they were to make!
We love how easy they are, too! So glad you enjoyed them!
Easy breezy is right! This appetizer is great for summer and fresh basil MAKES it. Also a great way to use up basil from the garden!
Yes!! We love using basil from our garden!