Crusty Bites: 10 Appetizers Served on Toast

Elizabeth Passarella
Elizabeth Passarella
Elizabeth Passarella is the author of the essay collection Good Apple and a contributing editor at Southern Living. A former editor at Real Simple and Vogue, she has spent more than 20 years writing about food, travel, home design, and parenting in outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Parents, Martha Stewart Weddings, Coastal Living, Airbnb, and The Kitchn. Elizabeth grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and now lives with her husband and three children in New York City.
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updated May 2, 2019
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Toast some slices of baguette in the oven, slap on a spread, and call it a night. We love any appetizer we can serve on toast rounds (crostini, if we’re getting fancy). They’re easy for guests to pick up and eat in one or two bites, and you can really make them out of anything—tapenade, thin slices of meat, cheese and a drizzle of honey, you name it. Here are 10 options that would be great for a holiday party.

Again, let us reiterate: You can make crostini out of anything. Spread on some Nutella, add sliced bananas and crumbled walnuts, and you’ve got a sweet version. Take your favorite dip and portion it out over toast rounds, then add a slice of prosciutto to each one. Heck, top some toasts with cheese and herbs and run them under the broiler (no one dislikes cheese toast!). You get the idea.

TOP ROW:

• 1. Beets on Crostini with Goat Cheese, from the Kitchn. One of our standbys. You can roast the beets and slice them or use ready-to-go pickled beets from Rick’s Picks (who provided this recipe).

• 2. Goat Cheese Crostini with Blood Orange and Black Pepper Marmalade, from Bon Appétit. Goat cheese is a natural for this type of appetizer—easy to spread and plays well with a lot of other ingredients. We love the idea of a sweet and tart marmalade. Plus, it’s perfectly seasonal.

• 3. Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Toasts, from Simply Recipes. See? We told you goat cheese was popular. This appetizer doesn’t involve much more than opening packages. Easy easy.

• 4. Cheesy Bread, from Simply Recipes. We couldn’t pass up another one from Elise—a straightforward cheese toast that we’re sure would be the hit of the party. Love the green onions for a little color.

• 5. Crostini with Beef and Horseradish Cream, from Fine Cooking. Very common but delicious all the same, especially if you want something a little more substantial for an appetizers-only party.

BOTTOM ROW:

• 6. Creamed Mushrooms on Chive Butter Toast, from Smitten Kitchen. Deb says this is like caviar, and we believe her. Silky mushrooms chopped fine and served on buttery toast. Heaven.

• 7. Crostini alla Romana, from Giada de Laurentiis. These require a bit more work than others, but the combination of prosciutto, mozzarella, and fried sage butter (mmm) is a crowd pleaser.

• 8. Pear Pecan Toasts, from Martha Stewart. It’s nice to have something a little sweet, even if it’s before dinner. For these toasts, you mix roquefort with heavy cream to make a smooth spread, then add the pears and nuts. We suspect the spread helps keep everything else in place so it’s easier to eat.

• 9. Herb Crostini with Blue Cheese Spread and Caramelized Onion Relish, from My Recipes. We like the idea of brushing the bread with herbs before toasting it—another flavor dimension.

• 10. Eggplant Caponata, from the Kitchn. We showed this recipe used in a sandwich, but we make it all the time as a dip or appetizer on toast. It keeps well, so it’s easy to make ahead.

Related: Gallery: Holiday Appetizers from The Kitchn

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