Sometimes I’m a lazy cook. I want something good and homemade (and inexpensive), but don’t want to put in a lot of effort. That’s why I make lunches like these oven roasted tomatoes with toasted bread. They’re quick, easy, and delicious.
As a bonus, a meal like this makes me think of our time in Italy several years ago. Simple, delicious food with fresh ingredients. And a lot of basil and tomatoes. Yum. While this makes a great lunch, it can also be served as an afternoon snack or appetizer before dinner.
Let’s see how easy this is. Just take some cherry (or grape) tomatoes. Place on a baking sheet with a few cloves of wrapped garlic, drizzle everything in some olive oil, and bake.
While the tomatoes are baking, Cut the bread and dab with olive oil. And gather up some fresh basil.
Add the bread to the oven and bake for a bit longer (and then a quick broil so the toast gets toasty!)
Squeeze the garlic out of it’s wrapper, smear onto the toast, cover with tomatoes and basil and enjoy!
A few tips on making the recipe:
- Leave the garlic in the wrapper/skin. If you take it out of the wrapper, it has a higher chance of burning and getting bitter. You can also wrap the garlic cloves (still in the skin) in foil to help ward against the potential for it burning.
- When you’re spreading oil on the bread, make sure to get all the way to the edges! If you have missed the edges and you broil it, the edges wind up burning.
Oven Roasted Tomatoes on Toasted Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 loaf Cibatta or French Bread
- 10 oz cherry or grape tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 6 cloves garlic
- 10-14 leaves fresh basil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add tomatoes and garlic to a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
- While tomatoes are cooking, cut the bread into 2 equal pieces, then slice each in half to form 4 open-faced slices. Put the extra 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small bowl, and with a pastry brush, brush the olive oil all over the open faces.
- Tear or slice the basil leaves into small pieces.
- Once the tomatoes have been cooking for 15 minutes, add the bread to the sheet pan and return to the oven for an extra 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove from the oven (or broil for an extra 1-2 minutes if needed).
- Take the roasted garlic cloves and squeeze out of their paper skins. Spread onto toasted bread slices. Place onto plates and top with roasted tomatoes and basil leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Leave the garlic in the wrapper/skin. If you take it out of the wrapper, it has a higher chance of burning and getting bitter. You can also wrap the garlic cloves (still in the skin) in foil to help ward against the potential for it burning. If your garlic is looking pretty brown, remove it from the sheet and set aside before adding the bread and baking for an additional 5 minutes.
- When you're spreading oil on the bread, make sure to get all the way to the edges! If you have missed the edges and you broil it, the edges wind up burning.
oven roasted tomatoes are soooo yummy . .but on bread with garlic . . I’m drooling!