A Grateful Meal

Mother's day

Tomato Bruschetta with Whipped Feta Pesto

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Roasted tomatoes in a cast iron skillet with bruschetta on the side.
This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This is such an easy tomato bruschetta recipe! Which is perfect for an easy, weeknight summer meal. I love roasting tomatoes in the oven. Rarely have I found a tomato that doesn’t taste even better roasted, even middle-of-winter grocery store tomatoes. The problem is that this summer, who wants to turn on the oven more than they have to? So with a little help from my cast iron skillet, I turned my gas grill into a tomato flavor machine.

Roasted tomatoes in a cast iron skillet

I wanted to pair the tomatoes with their natural friend, basil pesto. I wasn’t exactly feeling that just any old pesto would work here. To make the pesto feel a little extra special, I decided to marry a version of whipped feta along with the pesto. Whipped feta is one my absolute favorite small plates from Butcher and Bee in Charleston. Drizzled with honey, it’s creamy, salty, and sweet. Basically, it’s heaven on earth.

Tomato bruschetta with a bite taken

To accompany the tomato bruschetta, I threw together a quick salad and boom – the perfect summer meal. It’s basically a fancier version of pizza, but way more flavor, not to mention it’s on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Tomato bruschetta with pesto and basil on a plate
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Tomato Bruschetta with Whipped Feta Pesto

  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup almonds (or pine nuts, or preferred nuts)
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
  • 1 french baguette
  • additional basil for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill burners over medium-high heat or to at least 450 degrees. Add the tomatoes to a cast iron skillet, drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place cast iron in preheated grill. Cook tomatoes until blistered and they begin to pop, releasing their juices.
  2. Add nuts to food processor and pulse until ground. Add basil, feta, minced garlic, lemon juice (if using) to food processor, and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until completely incorporated. Scrape down sides and drizzle in 1/3 cup of olive oil. Pulse until completely smooth.
  3. Slice baguette and toast in toaster or on grill. Spread whipped feta pesto on bread, top with blistered tomatoes, and garnish with extra basil if using. Serve.

Notes

Serves about 4-6 people. 

Shop the recipe:

Homemade Strawberry Shortcakes with Yogurt Whipped Cream

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINK(S), WHICH EARNS ME A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO COST TO YOU.

Hello again!

I’m so excited for today’s recipe – it’s a real hit and turned out even better than I imagined. It’s homemade strawberry shortcakes with yogurt whipped cream. The yogurt cream is sweet with a light tang – absolutely perfect for these shortcakes.

Creamy, Dreamy Yogurt Whipped Cream

I am in LOVE with this stuff. The slight tang in the yogurt is a perfect offset to the sweetness of the strawberries and buttery biscuits. I do think it is very important to pick a high quality, whole milk yogurt with simple ingredients. I used Siggi’s Vanilla 4%, and it was perfect. (Disclosure: I did not receive compensation from Siggi’s for this post.) I did add some extra vanilla extract for a little extra oomph. Dare I say, I think I might like this better than regular whipped cream. It’s just got more flavor. (Another disclosure: I may have licked the bowl clean.)

Give me the honey, honey.

The main sweetener in this dessert is honey. Not because it is any healthier, but because of it’s taste. The taste of honey changes so much from variety to variety that you could have a different taste every time depending on the honey’s flower source or location. I think it will be fun to try a new variety of honey every time I make this dish…and trust me I will be making this again (and again, and again!)

This one goes out to all those Mamas!

It’s the perfect dessert to show those Mamas some love on Mother’s Day! Strawberries are always a hit with my mom, and I would definitely be making it if we were able to get together this weekend. Unfortunately, she lives a weeee bit far away. If you’re reading this, Ma – I’ll make sure it’s a part of our next get together!

BUT, this recipe isn’t just for the Mamas – it’s a keeper as long as those fresh strawberries keep on coming!

Enjoy!

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Strawberry Shortcake

  • Yield: 6 shortcakes 1x
  • Category: Dessert
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Ingredients

  • 6 oz. all-purpose flour, (about 1 ¼ cups)
  • 3.5 oz. whole wheat flour, (about ¾ cup)
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and very cold
  • 1 cup low fat buttermilk, very cold
  • 1 lb. fresh strawberries
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1/3 cup regular whipping cream
  • 1 small container (4–5 oz) high quality thick vanilla yogurt (Recommend Siggi’s 4% vanilla)
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven 450 degrees F.
  2. Add flours, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda to the bowl of food processor. Pulse until mixed thoroughly.
  3. Add cold cut-up butter cubes to processor and pulse until flour looks like corn meal. Little pockets of butter should be speckled throughout flour mixture.
  4. Add cold buttermilk. Pulse just until dough forms and comes together.
  5. Turn out dough on floured board. With floured hands and a floured rolling pin, roll out dough until about 1 inch thick and then fold the dough over. LIGHTLY roll to 1 inch thickness one more time taking care not to overwork dough.
  6. Cut shortcakes with a cookie cutter or an upside down jar. Place biscuits on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat or use a greased cast iron skillet. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
  7. While biscuits are baking, cut strawberries, place in a bowl, and drizzle with honey. Mix with a spoon until even coated and set aside.
  8. Mix whipping cream, yogurt, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl on high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form about 2-3 minutes.
  9. Once shortcakes come out of the oven, split shortcake in a serving dish, top with honeyed strawberries, and yogurt whipped cream. Serve immediately.