Fresh Tomato Basil Salad with Garlic Crostini
This recipe is basically a tomato and basil bruschetta deconstructed and I really, really liked it! I thought it was nice to serve it as a dip because we could all adjust the amount of topping to our liking. We all stood around the kitchen eating it until it disappeared and thought it tasted light, fresh, and delicious. Using really good garden-fresh tomatoes makes this dish extra special! This fresh tomato basil salad with garlic crostini is perfect for an appetizer or as a light meal and it paired very nicely with the arugula and shaved parmesan salad with lemon vinaigrette that I served it with.
How to Make Fresh Tomato Basil Salad with Garlic Crostini
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Slice a baguette (or two small ones) into thin slices. Place on a baking sheet and into the oven for 5-7 minutes. Flip over and continue to bake for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately rub the hot slices of crostini with the halved garlic cloves cut side down. Repeat with remaining crostini and garlic halves.
While the crostini is baking, combine the diced tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic slivers, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Mix until well combined.
Serve the tomato basil salad with the garlic crostini. Enjoy.
Ingredients
- Garlic Crostini:
- 1 large baguette or two small ones, sliced thinly
- 3 cloves of garlic halved
- Tomato Basil Salad:
- 6 small garden tomatoes diced
- Several basil leaves chopped
- 1 clove of garlic sliced thinly
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil to taste
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Slice a baguette (or two small ones) into thin slices.
- Place on a baking sheet and into the oven for 5-7 minutes.
- Flip over and continue to bake for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately rub the hot slices of crostini with the halved garlic cloves cut side down. Repeat with remaining crostini and garlic halves.
- While the crostini is baking, combine the diced tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic slivers, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
- Mix until well combined.
- Serve the tomato basil salad with the garlic crostini. Enjoy.
Such a simple and delicious lunch idea!
Just suits my taste perfectly, yum yum. Diane
Tomatoes and basil are such a dynamite flavor combo, aren’t they? This is perfect — great dish. Thanks!
Mine wouldn’t make it to the bread; I’d just shovel it up as is, especially with fresh summer tomatoes!
Perfect for this time of year. So refreshing and tasty. I like the addition of the crostini – very mediterranean.
crostini just seem so fancy to me! your topping looks incredible to me, since i’ve decided the only two things i really need to grow in my garden are tomatoes and basil. 🙂
This totally screams summer! Tomato basil is such a perfect combination.