Hello!
Whew, it’s been a busy week – so busy that I didn’t get to do my usual Wednesday blog post yesterday. I’ve been pretty consistent with a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule for awhile, and it’s rare that I’m here on a Thursday…well hi friends!
So shall we hop right into the topic at hand? Delicious food, of course.
Last year I planted an herb and veggie garden, and out of everything, my tomato plant has flourished the most. It’s a total hog that has crowded the rest of my raised garden bed, and at some point last summer it overtook the zucchini plant next to it.
As it grows and spreads out of control, we continue tying it to new wooden sticks to hold its different ever-growing branches upright. Certainly no complaints here though, because it’s been producing lots of gorgeous tomatoes!
The tomato plant growth slowed when we were hit with some colder winter weather for awhile, but ever since we had a stretch of 80 degree days and a couple of rain storms at the beginning of the year, it’s been providing me with some pretty veggies. Or fruit, if you want to get all technical.
My homegrown tomatoes were the spark for this recipe, as I was trying to come up with some fun, new ways to use the ripe tomatoes I had just picked and thrown into my fruit basket.
This recipe is pretty easy peazy to put together, and it includes some of my favorite things: fresh bread, artichoke hearts, greens and cheese. I’m all about making healthy pizza combos, and this is a different take on that – kind of like the bagel bites I loved as a kid, only more sophisticated, packing more of a nutritious punch but less cheese.
First, we sauté the spinach, then we combine it with the artichoke and tomato. Mix a bit of grated parmesan in, then slice the crostini, brush it with olive oil, and spoon the veggie mixture on top.
Then, we carefully sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top, and pop those babies in the oven until they’re golden brown and lightly crispy. Drizzle em with a touch of balsamic glaze for a little extra pizazz, and they’re good to go!
These crostini make for a great appetizer if you’re hosting a get together. Or, you can keep them all to yourself and call it dinner. That’s what happened in my household, and I think that my hubby housed at least 12 of these bites.
It’s no secret that I have an affinity for mini sized foods… and just look at how cute these pizza bites are! Am I right?!
Tomato, Artichoke & Spinach Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 8 oz French baguette
- 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach
- 1 vine ripe medium tomato diced
- 1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts chopped
- 3 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot bulb minced
- 1/4 TSP salt
- 1/8 TSP pepper
- Balsamic glaze for drizzling
Instructions
- Warm a medium saute pan over medium heat with 1 TBSP of the olive oil. Add in the minced shallot, and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted. Add in the tomato and artichoke pieces and salt + pepper, and toss to combine. Remove the pan from heat, and allow it to slightly cool.
- While the veggies are cooling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the baguette into 24 slices and place on a large baking sheet. Brush the tops of the bread with remaining olive oil.
- Add the grated parmesan cheese into the veggie pan, and toss to combine.
- Spoon the veggie mixture onto the baguette slices. Carefully sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of each pizza bite.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the baguette slices are lightly browned, around 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and drizzle the pizza bites with balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Tell me… Did you eat Bagel Bites as a kid too? Anyone else have a tomato plant garden hog?
I hope it’s been a good sort of busy week! And I’m so jealous of your garden .. anytime we’ve tried to grow veggies they tank miserably!! haha I stick with herbs now 🙂
These bites sound delicious!!
Good busy somehow turns to TOO crazy busy sometimes ya know?! 😉 It’s all good though!
Yea, it really depends.. Sometimes my garden turn out fabulously, other times they tank! It depends a lot on the amount of sunlight it’s getting & how consistent I’m being with remembering to water. Ha.
I am thinking that these would be perfect to serve up at a Christmas party!
Oooh definitely! Just about everyone loves pizza & crostini bites.
These look amazing and I want one right now! I can’t believe how beautiful your tomatoes are! Nice work! All the herbs I try to grow die. I try not to get offended. 🙂
Ha, I hear you… I planted new rose bushes last year that haven’t been doing well & it really annoys me! Thanks though, I’m proud of my tomato growing & get excited every time I pick them.