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Creamy, peppered whipped ricotta is slathered on slices of toasted crostini and topped with jammy roasted cherry tomatoes to make an easy appetizer or simple breakfast or lunch.
Consider these whipped ricotta crostini a toast to my trip to Venice, Italy, where we spent nearly every afternoon wedged into small wine bar cafés to rest, sip, and nosh on cicchetti, Italy’s version of Spanish tapas. There, cicchetti crostini toasts come in as many varieties of toppings as there are gondoliers cutting through the canals. Today I’m keeping things simple, starting with toasted slices of French bread rubbed with garlic for that familiar bruschetta bite. Next, ricotta cheese is whipped with salty Parmesan cheese, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper for a little heat. Roasted tomatoes are the cherry on this appetizer sundae, delivering bursts of sweetness with sprinkles of thyme sending in the herbed earthy notes.
What’s In Whipped Ricotta Toast Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes
- Ricotta cheese — choose full-fat or low-fat, just make sure it’s high quality
- Parmesan cheese — freshly grated always tastes best. Skip the kind in the green can.
- Sliced French bread, sourdough, or baguette — if serving as an appetizer choose a smaller-diameter loaf of bread
- Garlic clove
- Cherry tomatoes — when in season I always choose those from my garden. Otherwise, I look for anything on the vine or those marketed as super sweet
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves
How to Make Whipped Ricotta
Whip the ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Since this is a small batch, I use my hand blender processor attachment to whisk the ricotta and grated Parmesan cheese smooth. If you don’t have one, a regular food processor works well, or use an electric hand mixer.
Flavor the ricotta cheese with more pepper for more bite. As always, add more seasoning to meet your taste.
Roast Cherry Tomatoes
From my simple Roasted Tomato Sauce to this Burrata with Roasted Tomatoes Caprese Salad, roasting is my favorite method for getting that extra-sweet summertime flavor from jammy tomatoes no matter what time of year. Get the full meal deal on making roasted tomatoes here.
Drizzle with oil, season with freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, and roast the tomatoes at 425°F for 10 minutes. Cook just until the skins begin to shrivel and the tomatoes start to pop so they’re soft and jammy but retain their shape.
Make clean-up easy. I roast my tomatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet in the toaster oven.
Toast the Crostini
Toast the bread on a baking sheet. I like this method becaues it makes one side extra crispy but the other side not quite as much. That way my mouth isn’t raw after I eat.
Rub the toasts with fresh garlic. There’s so much flavor in this step! Take a whole clove of garlic and rub on the crisped side where it acts like a grater for the garlic.
How to Assemble Whipped Ricotta Crostini
- Slather the garlic-rubbed toasts with whipped ricotta
- Top the ricotta with a pile of roasted tomato
- Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves
- Season with more freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil
Additions or Substitutions
- Use another type of bread such as sourdough or ciabatta
- Instead of thyme, top with fresh basil, mint, tarragon, marjoram, or chopped fresh chives
- Add a touch of sweetness with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, thinned jam, or honey. Or try hot honey for a little extra something.
More Crostini Toast Recipes
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Whipped Ricotta Toast Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes
Creamy, peppered whipped ricotta is slathered on slices of crostini toasts and topped with jammy roasted cherry tomatoes to make an easy appetizer or simple breakfast or lunch.
Servings 6
Calories 167kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 slices country French bread
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves , stems removed
Instructions
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Add the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth and set aside.
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Preheat a toaster oven or oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the tomatoes in an even layer on top. Drizzle with the olive oil and season the tomatoes with more salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss to coat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the skins begin to blister and the tomatoes start to pop. Remove from the baking sheet and set aside.
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Place the sliced bread on the same baking sheet and toast the bread until crisp. Rub the top of each toast with a garlic clove.
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To assemble, add a few dollops of the ricotta cheese to each toast and top evenly with the roasted tomatoes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. Season with more ground black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and kosher salt as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 333mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 661IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 1mg
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