Crostini

I love crostini! 
It's warm & crispy ... & the perfect addition to a bowl of soup.
My second favorite way to serve it would be alongside pasta dishes or as an appetizer.

Now, if this is brand new to you, here is the exact definition of crostini:
Crostino is an Italian appetizer consisting of a small slice of grilled or toasted bread and toppings.

So there you have it.
Easy peasy.
Little breads topped with stuff that has a fun Italian name!
What's not to love?

It starts out the same way every time, with little slices of french bread.
That's the blank canvas.
And the versatility comes in with the toppings.
The possibilities are endless.

Start out by preheating the oven to 425.
Line your sheet pan with the little rounds of bread.
{I always buy my bread at Kroger the markdown rack  ... they come pre-sliced in a bag for .99.
I buy two or three bags at a time & keep them in the freezer.}

Here is the variety that I made this week:
I sprinkled garlic powder directly on the bread & then topped each piece
with Italian turkey sausage {already cooked}, fresh tomatoes from our garden,
shredded mozzarella cheese & a sprinkling of dried parsley.
{I use this all the time ... a little pop of green on the top makes anything look better!}

My go-to topping is usually just diced fresh tomatoes, garlic, salt & pepper & cheese,
but I was frying up Italian sausage for my soup, so I just reserved about 1/2 pound of it
to add to the crostini to make it a bit heartier.
Be sure & check out the recipe for the Zuppa Toscana that I made for dinner.
It is SO yummy.

After you have topped the bread, bake it for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden
& the bread is starting to crisp.
It's just as easy as that!

PS)
One more crostini favorite around here is to brush the bread with garlic butter & then top with mozzarella.
This one is definitely not as figure friendly but very tasty nonetheless.

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