Warm Caprese Toast – A Great Toasted Party Appetizer

Summer tomatoes, garden fresh basil and fresh mozzarella cheese combine to create this delectable Warm Caprese Toast. It’s a perfect party appetizer or light summer meal.

Meal Planning For Those Hot Summer Days

Summer’s here in full swing and the weather has been warm and beautiful (actually HOT and beautiful!). And, during the Summer months when it’s hot outside, I like to keep meals simple.

But, simple doesn’t mean boring. I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen because I’d rather be outside enjoying the weather. That makes this warm caprese toast perfect for Summer eating.

Tomato Season is a Good Season!

Also, Summer means it’s tomato season. Fresh tomatoes are everywhere – whether at your local grocery store, the roadside stand or your own homegrown tomatoes. Fresh, juicy, ripe tomatoes just make every recipe that uses tomatoes all that much better!

And, I have to tell you, one of my favorite dishes using fresh, juicy tomatoes is a classic caprese salad. Such a simple dish of mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, balsamic, olive oil and salt and pepper. It’s a basic recipe, but oh so good!

So, the inspiration for this warm caprese toast recipe definitely comes from the caprese salad. But, how to put a twist on the caprese salad? 

How about adding some crusty bread to the equation! A combination of classic caprese flavors along with thick slices of crusty bread sounds pretty good to me. 

Warm Caprese Toast in 20 Minutes or Less

This toast is bursting with fresh Summer flavors, but it takes so little effort to prepare. From start to finish, this warm caprese toast can be ready in under 20 minutes. It’s great to put together for a quick and easy appetizer or even a light meal on the deck on a warm Summer evening.

The combination of tomatoes and basil on top of toast with warm, melted mozzarella is a total treat for your taste buds. A sprinkle of Italian seasoning and a generous drizzle of olive oil make this toast over-the-top amazing. Oh, and don’t forget a nice drizzle of balsamic glaze to really finish it off!

I used grape tomatoes for this recipe because they’re so sweet and flavorful, but if you have fresh garden tomatoes that would be even more amazing. To have this ready in under 20 minutes, prep the ingredients while the bread is in the oven toasting. But, make sure you keep a close eye on the bread as you only want it lightly toasted before putting it under the broiler to melt the cheese.

How About Some Warm Caprese Toast Tonight?

This delicious toast is so versatile. There are so many different ways you can use this recipe.

Can it be used as the perfect appetizer for a warm Summer evening? Check!

How about as a side dish for a nice pasta salad? Check!

Can I get crazy and use as a light main dish. Check!

So what are you waiting for? Give this warm caprese toast a try tonight!

Tips and Tricks

• This warm caprese toast is, as the name suggests, best served warm. Although it will still taste great room temperature, I still recommend it be warm.
• Make sure all the ingredients for the tomato topping are room temperature.
• The bread slices should be about 3/4″ to 1″ thick. This is meant to be a more hardy appetizer.

Ingredients Needed to Make Warm Caprese Toast

Full Instructions for this recipe are found below in the recipe card

• Crusty Italian bread – If you’re unable to find Italian bread, Ciabatta bread or crusty sourdough can be substituted. 
• Fresh mozzarella cheese – I highly recommend using fresh mozzarella, but in a pinch shredded mozzarella can be substituted.
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Dried Italian seasoning – If you don’t have any on hand, dried thyme, dried oregano or a combination of the two can be substituted.
• Grape tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes would also work for this caprese toast.
• Olive oil – I recommend a good quality extra virgin olive oil since you’ll be using it as a finishing oil.
• Balsamic vinegar – I highly recommend using balsamic, but you could substitute red wine vinegar.
• Fresh basil leaves –  Fresh basil is highly recommended over dried basil as the dried basil just isn’t going to give the same bright fresh flavor to the toasts. If you must make a substitution, I would recommend fresh Italian parsley or fresh oregano.

How to Make Warm Caprese Toast

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place bread slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, until bread is lightly toasted.
• Put two halves of the mozzarella slices on top of the toasted bread. Sprinkle each slice of bread lightly with salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning.
• Turn broiler onto high.
• Place toast under the broiler.
• Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
• Toss quartered tomatoes with olive oil, vinegar, salt and black pepper.
• Once cheese is melted, top each toast with some of the tomato mixture.
• Drizzle each toast with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

More Caprese Inspired Recipes

• Chicken Caprese Salad
• Tortellini Caprese Salad
• Grilled Chicken Caprese
• Caprese Tuna Salad
• Cucumber Caprese Salad
• Caprese Empanadas 

ENJOY!