Creamy Roasted Tomato Toast

Toasted bread slices topped with cream cheese spread, pan roasted tomatoes, fresh basil & balsamic vinegar is the wonder called as Creamy Roasted Tomato Toast.

Hello HTS Community

This is a super simple recipe that needs just a few ingredients and 1 pan, takes less than 15 minutes and tastes heavenly. If you are a toast fan like me, you should try Avocado toast with Balsamic Reduction and my Bruschetta recipe.

To make this creamy roasted tomato toast, you need a skillet or a pan to roast tomatoes and the same pan to later toast your bread slices. You can choose to use any type of bread you like, regular white, sourdough, whole wheat bread, multigrain, rye, french, the choices are limitless.

The thing about toasts is that you can have them simple or elevate with simple ingredients. Bread when topped with raw tomatoes and herbs makes bruschetta, and the same ingredients when roasted create a much elevated toast. Roasting tomatoes brings out the sweetness in them and doubles the umami. The addition of cream cheese balances the tartness and sweetness of tomatoes and basil adds a herby freshness to it.

The Flavor Matrix talks about the science behind best flavor pairings and the surprising ones too. Tomatoes are generally highly aromatic, and their taste and aroma is a result of balance between natural sugars and acid.

I like to eat toasts for breakfast, between meals or even for dinners at times. You just can’t categorize them that easily. They can be an appetizer or a full blown dinner mains, based on what you decide to put on top. This recipe is very adaptable and forgiving. You can use oven or gas to roast tomatoes, instead of cream cheese you can use cheese spread or a yogurt based dip. I am using rye bread in the video. For vegan version, substitute cream cheese with cashew cheese or vegan mayonnaise.

Ingredients you will need:

• Cream Cheese Spread
  • Cream cheese- 1/4 cup
  • Parsley- 1 teaspoon, chopped
  • Lemon zest- 1/4 teaspoon
  • Salt- to taste
• Roasting Tomatoes
  • Cherry tomatoes- 250g or about 2 cups, cut in half
  • Garlic- 1 clove, minced
  • Salt and black pepper- to taste
  • Olive oil- 2 teaspoon
• Assembly and garnish
  • Bread slices- 3
  • Basil leaves- 8-9
  • Balsamic Vinegar- drizzle

Steps to make Creamy Roasted Tomato Toast:

• Start with mixing ingredients for cream cheese spread in a bowl and keep aside.

• Heat a skillet or a pan and pour olive oil. Once hot, add cherry or any small sized tomatoes to it. Keep the heat at medium-low.

• After a minute, add garlic, salt and black pepper to the tomatoes and let cook them for about 8 minutes on medium heat. Turn off the heat and transfer roasted tomatoes in a bowl.

• In the same pan toast bread slices on both sides and place all ingredients together for assembly.

• Top the slices with spoonful of cream cheese spread and roasted tomatoes. Garnish with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Serve warm.