Looking for easy meal ideas? You'll love this colorful Pesto Ricotta Toast topped with marinated tomatoes and crumbled cheese! This recipe is loaded with fresh, delicious flavors, and it's super easy to make. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
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Ginnie's Take
When it comes to quick meals, I often reach for toast. Open faced sandwiches are super simple to prepare, and you can go sweet or savory depending on the toppings you choose. This Pesto Ricotta Toast is one of my favorites! This vibrant sandwich has the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy textures, and its summery, tomato-basil flavor is simply irresistible.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make - Throw this toast together in minutes for a quick meal. You can even prep the toppings in advance to save even more time!
- Delicious + Fresh Flavor - You'll love the combo of fresh tomatoes, zesty pesto, and creamy ricotta cheese. So tasty!
- Customizable - Try different cheeses, pesto flavors, and more. You'll find lots of helpful tips below.
Jump to:
Ingredients
This recipe is made with simple, fresh, and easy to find ingredients! Here's what you'll need:
- Ricotta - I recommend using whole milk ricotta for the creamiest results. For a lighter option, choose part skim.
- Pesto - You'll pair the ricotta with basil pesto to make the creamy Pesto Ricotta Sauce. I've included directions below to make the pesto from scratch (you'll need garlic, nuts, fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and olive oil). However, you can absolutely use leftover homemade Pesto or store bought sauce (this is my fave brand), if you prefer.
- Tomatoes - The toast is topped with the most flavorful Marinated Tomatoes! This tasty topping takes minutes to prepare, and it's made with cherry or grape tomatoes (I like using these colorful Wild Wonders), olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes (optional), and fresh basil.
- Cheese - I topped these toast with crumbled goat cheese, but you have lots of other options (feta, fresh mozzarella, etc), if you're not a fan.
- Bread - Sourdough is perfect for this recipe, because it's flavorful and sturdy enough to stand up to the toppings (I used this Izzio Sourdough Loaf). Other artisan style breads, like ciabatta or focaccia, will also work great though.
This tasty Pesto Toast is naturally vegetarian! I've included tips for adapting the recipe for other diets in the Variations section below.
You'll Also Need
You'll need a toaster for the bread. If you're making the pesto from scratch, a food processor works best.
How to Make Ricotta Pesto Toast with Marinated Tomatoes
This Ricotta Toast recipe has a few steps, but each one is super easy! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's an overview of the process:
- Make the marinated tomatoes. Start by mixing together the tomatoes, olive oil, and other vinaigrette ingredients. Season generously with salt, and stir in the basil just before using.
- Prep the ricotta pesto sauce. Next, you'll make the quick pesto sauce in your food processor. Then you'll blend in the ricotta cheese.
- Toast the bread. Slice your bread and toast it.
- Top with pesto ricotta. Spread the pesto ricotta over the warm bread.
- Add tomatoes. Layer the marinated tomatoes on top.
- Finish with cheese. For the final touch, crumble the cheese over the tomatoes.
And voilà, your yummy Pesto Ricotta Toast is ready to enjoy! Doesn't it look delicious?
Variations
This recipe is easy to customize based on what's in your pantry, so feel free to get creative! Here are a few ideas to try:
- Tomatoes - While I prefer grape or cherry tomatoes for this recipe, almost any variety goes. Cut larger tomatoes into slices or wedges (or chop them), and keep in mind that they'll be juicier (especially once marinated). Drain any excess liquid off before adding them to the toast.
- Cheese - Not a fan of goat cheese? Don't panic! Substitute feta, burrata, cotija, or fresh mozzarella instead. Out of ricotta? Replace it with with cottage cheese or cream cheese.
- Herbs - You can use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand for the marinated tomatoes. Chives, parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, and dill would all be delish.
- Pesto - For a unique flavor, use different herbs and nuts to make the pesto. Check out my Rosemary Pesto, Macadamia Pesto, Cilantro Pesto, and Kale Pesto recipes for inspiration!
- Gluten Free - Use your fave GF bread. This GF baguette is a good option.
- Nut Free - Skip the nuts when making the pesto, or if you're using store bought, choose a nut free version.
- Vegan + Dairy Free - Swap in your fave plant based options for the cheeses. If you'd like to use store bought pesto, Gotham Greens is a great option!
Serving Suggestions
This Tomato Cheese Toast makes a great one dish meal! If you'd like to add a side, try pairing it with a simple Green Salad, an easy Cranberry Kale Salad, or this yummy French Potato Salad. For dessert, this mouthwatering Pear Crumble is an excellent option!
Storage
This recipe tastes best when it's eaten right away, however you can prepare the pesto ricotta a day or two in advance. The marinated tomatoes may also be made ahead of time, although they'll be tastiest when eaten on the same day that you make them.
Related Recipes
Looking for more savory toast ideas? Try one of these delicious recipes next:
- Need more fresh tomato ideas? You'll love this Tomato Tartine with Pesto, simple Spanish Pan con Tomate, and this easy Tomato Toast recipe, too.
- For a more unique topping, give this yummy Chickpea Salad Sandwich a go!
- Craving cozy flavors? This Mushroom Open Face Sandwich has been a hit with Hello Little Home readers for years (it's so delish).
- Get creative with your idea of toast, and make these veggie-loaded Hummus Pitas. You'll love the fresh Mediterranean flavors!
- These Open Face Radish Sandwiches are surprisingly tasty, and they couldn't be easier to make.
- If you enjoy sweet-savory flavors, then this mouthwatering Peach Toast with Hot Honey is a must try on a sunny summer day!
Pesto Ricotta Toast
Ingredients
For Marinated Tomatoes:
- ½ pound (227 grams) cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1 ½ teaspoons)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil (or other herbs)
For Pesto Ricotta:
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons nuts (such as pine nuts or walnuts)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves (lightly packed)
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- zest from ½ lemon (optional)
- ¼ cup ricotta cheese
For Toast:
- 4 slices sourdough bread (see note)
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (or feta, fresh mozzarella, etc.)
Equipment
- Toaster
Instructions
Prepare Marinated Tomatoes:
- Cut tomatoes in half, or in quarters, depending on their size. Place in a medium bowl.
- Add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Mix well, then season with additional salt, to taste.
- Let tomatoes marinate while you prepare the pesto ricotta. Stir in basil just before serving.
Prepare Pesto Ricotta:
- Place garlic cloves and nuts in food processor, then mince.
- Add basil, Parmesan, olive oil, salt, and lemon zest to food processor; process until pureed. (Scrape down the sides of machine as needed, to ensure everything is well blended.)
- Mix in ricotta, blending until smooth. Then season generously with additional salt, to taste.
Assemble Toasts:
- Using a toaster, toast sliced sourdough bread.
- Top each toast with 2 tablespoons ricotta pesto, followed by ¼ cup marinated tomatoes (you will probably have extra tomatoes). Sprinkle goat cheese over tomatoes.
- Serve toasts immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
