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.
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.
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 Whipped Feta Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp. olive oil divided
- salt/pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup almonds or pine nuts, or preferred nuts
- 2 cups fresh basil
- ½ cup feta crumbled
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- 1 loaf french baguette
- additional basil for garnish optional
Instructions
- 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.
- 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 ⅓ cup of olive oil. Pulse until completely smooth.
- 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.
Nutrition
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