Even though we are traditionally a carb-free household, we love our Italian food. Most Italian food is pure pasta, bread, and more pasta. We love it, but both know that it is not typically the healthiest food to eat every day. Lately, I have been trying to keep the veggies present in our pasta nights with salad and bruschetta! We love anything to do with salt, pepper, and olive oil…especially when there is bread involved. By adding some vegetables to the mix, we fill up faster, and eat less (which is probably a good thing).
My shopping list for this recipe includes:
- One loaf of Italian Bread
- 4 – 5 leaves of Fresh Basil
- ½ of a carton of Grape Tomatoes
- Mozzarella Cheese
Staples that you may already have in your kitchen:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 tablespoons of Butter
- 2 cloves of minced Garlic
- Crackled Pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bread into bite sized pieces, about a half of an inch to an inch thick. (We buy the whole loaves, which I swear stay good for longer, and are smaller, more ideal sized from bruschetta. Arrange the bread onto a nonstick baking sheet. Slice the butter into small chunks and distribute to each slice.
On each slice, add a bit of chopped fresh basil, sliced tomatoes (we like a mixture of orange, yellow, and red tomatoes when they are available), and minced garlic. Sprinkle a pinch of mozzarella or Italian blend cheese on top with crackled pepper and salt to taste. If you do not have garlic on hand, you can substitute garlic salt for to minced garlic and salt, but it will definitely not be as garlicky.
Baked for about ten minutes, or until the bread is firm on the outer edge and the cheese is melted. Serve with additional olive oil for dipping if desire. We also sometimes just dip our bread into the extra spaghetti sauce! We absolutely love this side dish, and try to make it each time pasta hits the menu in our house.
Have you ever tried to fancy some of your dishes up? What have you been successful with in your house? What are some of your favorite foods?
