Tomatoes, bah. I’m really a self-proclaimed tomato hater. I’ll eat them in sauces, soups and chilis, even diced on a taco, but you will never catch me biting into one for fun. I know several folks who just love fresh tomatoes from the vine sliced and drizzled with ranch.
Not me.
Let’s just say they have to be accompanied by some other flavor to be in my presence.
I was at a baby shower for a dear friend recently and there were these incredible appetizers there that were similar to bruschetta. Just french bread with mozzarella cheese and a slice of tomato on top and seasoned well. Who knew that something so simple could be so yummy? They were gone in a flash and everyone kept talking about them.
And of course my mind was just racing with possibilities to make this even yummier than it was.
I decided that they needed bacon. Come on, everything is better with bacon. And what comes to mind when I think about bacon? BLTs. Oh yeah.
Checking out the “about to go bad” section at Kroger, I snagged a loaf of french bread for $.99 to make my creation. I had some lettuce already in the fridge and grabbed a $1.29 package of turkey bacon (you know me!) and a block of mozzarella cheese ($1.67) and I was set.
So light and crisp, a BLT just reminds me of summer. These little beauties would make the perfect appetizer for a summer get together or party. And even your self-proclaimed tomato hater kiddos might like them! My Addie AND my husband both spend oodles of time working around tomatoes in most dishes and BOTH of them enjoyed these.
A twist on everyday bruschetta, bacon gives new life to this tasty appetizer.
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf French Bread, cut into pieces
- 2 Ripe Tomatoes, Diced
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, Chopped
- 10 Pieces Bacon, Chopped cooked and crispy
- 8 oz Block Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced into Small Pieces
- 1/2 Cup Lettuce, Shredded or Chopped
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- Pinch Pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Mix tomatoes with olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, and 2/3 of the bacon pieces.
- Place a slice of cheese on each slice of bread.
- Top with equal amounts of the tomato mixture.
- Bake for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bread begins to toast.
- Top each slice with a bit of lettuce and a few extra pieces of bacon.
- Drizzle with more olive oil if desired.
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I love tomatoes and am one of those “eat it right off the vine with just salt and pepper” types. Bruschetta has long been a favorite, but can’t wait to try these! Thanks, Amy!
SOLD! These look amazing! I’m entertaining this weekend and these look perfect 🙂
Ronda, I have absolutely nothing against tomato lovers. 🙂 Been around them all my life and I’m slowly growing to like tomatoes in their original form. It’s kinda like mushrooms. I hated them up until this past year and they are really growing on me.
I think it’s funny how we can be adults and our taste buds are still changing. I really like it though because it gives us a chance to try new flavors. 🙂
Thanks Nicole! The only issue I had was keeping myself away from them. I’m pretty sure that I ate at least half of the entire loaf myself. 😉
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