Friday, March 20: Toast with Sun-Dried Tomato-Spinach Pesto + Fresh Mozzarella
You’ll soon see that I love toast. We have it for dinner at least once a week, keeping things interesting by using different pestos and spreads, veggies, and cheese. Tonight we tried out a flavorful spinach and sun-dried tomato pesto (original recipe here), which we topped with a cozy blanket of melty mozzarella. As you can see here, the toasts were not practicing social distancing ;-)
Also worth noting: my favorite bread ever is a loaf called Seed-uction from our local Whole Foods. Whenever I go to the grocery story (every 10-12 days), I buy one or two loaves — then when I get home, I slice the loaf in half, put in separate zip-lock bags (which I reuse) and pop in the freezer. On a day I know I’ll be making toast for dinner, I just take out one of the loaf halves in the morning to let defrost during the day.
For the pesto:
Add 1/4 cup almonds (I used raw, but toasted would be good too!), 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (drained), 3/4 cup parm, 3 cups spinach (or a mix of spinach and arugula, which I used), 1 clove garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a big pinch of kosher salt, and the juice of half a lemon in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 10 to 15 times until the mixture is finely chopped but not completely puréed. Scrape down the processor and add 1/2 cup olive oil; pulse until combined and to your preferred consistency. Taste and add more olive oil, lemon, or salt if needed.
To make the toast:
Slice your favorite loaf of bread into thick slices and place on a sheet pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil (I’ve been using this great garlic-infused kind), sprinkle with a bit of sea salt, and put in a 425 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Flip the slices over and put back in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Spread each slice with a hearty layer of pesto, followed by a slice or two of fresh mozzarella. Pop back into the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melty and enjoy!
See more:
See other toasts recipes here: artichoke pesto, beans, and cheese; arugula pesto with roasted tomatoes and goat cheese; arugula pesto with roasted tomatoes and mozz; arugula pesto with caprese salad
