This recipe is a great use for your stale bread. If you ever have loaves of bread that you have not used, and you don’t want to throw them away, this recipe can take care of that. When the cheese, tomatoes, and basil is placed on top of the bread, it softens it, and the baking will take care of the crunchiness.

This recipe uses wholesome ingredients including fresh tomatoes, light chees, and refreshing basil. This is sure to be an adventure on your pallet, and it will not be a surprise what ingredients you used to make this appetizer.

 

Ingredients:

1 loaf ciabatta bread, horizontally cut in half

4 tablespoons salted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place both sides of the baguette on a large baking sheet with the cut side up.

In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic and spread evenly on bread halves. Place the mozzarella cheese slices on top of the bread, making sure the cheese covers the bread completely. Bake the bread for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

While the bread is in the oven, make the balsamic reduction. Place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring the vinegar to a boil, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about half. This should only take about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

Remove the bread from oven. Top the bread with tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the fresh basil and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Cut into slices and serve.

 

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Quick Tip: You can use store-bought balsamic glaze for a faster assembly.

Photo and Recipe Courtesy of Two Peas and Their Pod