Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes

Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes are the ultimate effortless appetizer. Crispy toasted bread is topped with creamy, herbed ricotta and sweet, jammy roasted cherry tomatoes for a flavor-packed bite. With just a handful of ingredients, this simple recipe feels elegant enough for entertaining yet easy enough for any night of the week.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple yet impressive, this appetizer delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort. The creamy ricotta paired with sweet roasted tomatoes feels gourmet, but it all comes together with just a few affordable ingredients. Perfect for parties or weeknight snacking, it’s a recipe that wins over both picky kids and discerning guests.

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Ingredient List

For the Roasted Tomatoes:

• 10 oz cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

For the Ricotta Mixture:

• ¾ cup ricotta cheese (I love whole milk ricotta for extra creaminess!)
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• Salt & pepper, to taste

For Assembly:

• Fresh crusty bread (French bread or baguette work beautifully)
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Substitution Notes: Out of Italian seasoning? I just grab whatever dried herbs are lurking in my spice drawer – usually oregano and some dusty thyme. Want it dairy-free? My lactose-intolerant sister swears by that Kite Hill almond ricotta.

Why These Ingredients Work

Here’s what my neighbor Maria taught me: those little cherry tomatoes turn into candy when you roast them low and slow. All their water evaporates and what’s left is pure tomato heaven. The garlic gets all mellow and sweet instead of sharp. And ricotta? It’s basically a blank canvas that soaks up all those roasted tomato juices. Balsamic vinegar adds that tiny hit of tangy-sweet that makes you go “mmm, what IS that?”

Essential Tools and Equipment

Nothing fancy here – just grab a baking sheet, some parchment paper, and a bowl. I use my grill pan for the bread because I like those pretty char marks, but honestly? Your toaster works fine too. Don’t overthink it.

How To Make Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes

Step 1: Get Those Tomatoes Roasting

Set your oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Dump those tomatoes in a bowl with olive oil and smashed garlic, give them a good toss until they’re shiny, then spread them out. Into the oven for a full hour – I know it seems long, but this is where patience pays off big time.

Step 2: Mix Your Ricotta

While tomatoes are doing their thing, stir together ricotta, Italian seasoning, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Taste it – if it needs more basil, add more basil. This isn’t rocket science.

Step 3: Toast That Bread

About ten minutes before tomatoes are done, slice your bread thick (like half an inch) and toast it however you want. I grill mine for those cute lines, but my mom just uses the toaster and it works perfectly fine.

Step 4: Put It All Together

Let tomatoes cool for maybe five minutes – you want them warm but not lava-hot. Spread ricotta on each bread slice, then spoon those beautiful roasted tomatoes and all their juices right on top.

Step 5: Make It Pretty

Tear up some fresh basil, sprinkle it on top, add salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil if you’re feeling fancy. Serve right away while the bread’s still crispy.

You Must Know

Use crusty bread or you’ll end up with soggy mush. I learned this the hard way at my first dinner party when I used regular sandwich bread. Disaster.

Personal Secret: After toasting, I rub each piece with a cut garlic clove. Takes two seconds and adds this subtle garlicky thing that makes people ask what your secret is.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Don’t rush the tomatoes – that slow 300°F roast is what turns them from regular tomatoes into something special. Trust me, I tried shortcuts and they don’t work. Those pan juices are liquid gold, so spoon every drop onto your crostini. Take your ricotta out thirty minutes before you need it because cold ricotta spreads like concrete.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Sometimes I drizzle honey on these and people lose their minds over the sweet-savory thing. Lemon zest mixed into the ricotta makes them taste fancy and bright. My dad loves when I add thin prosciutto slices – he calls them “man crostini.” You could swap the basil for thyme or oregano too, whatever you’ve got.

Make-Ahead Options

This is why I love this recipe for parties – roast those tomatoes up to two days ahead and just store them in the fridge. Make the ricotta mixture the day before too. Then when people show up, you just toast bread and assemble. Takes maybe ten minutes and you look like a total pro.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

If your tomatoes look dry after roasting, hit them with a tiny bit more olive oil and balsamic. Always use parchment paper – learned that lesson when I spent twenty minutes scraping tomato bits off a baking sheet. Want extra flavor? Toss the tomatoes with balsamic during the last fifteen minutes of cooking.

Serving Suggestions

These work for everything – cocktail parties, wine nights, or when you want to eat something that feels fancy for lunch. I serve them on my grandmother’s wooden cutting board with some olives and cheese, and suddenly my kitchen counter looks like a restaurant. Goes perfectly with white wine, especially something crisp like Pinot Grigio.

How to Store Your Ricotta Crostini

Honestly, these are best eaten right away – the bread gets soggy if you wait. But you can store the roasted tomatoes in the fridge for three days and the ricotta mixture for two days. If you have leftover tomatoes, warm them up in a low oven before putting them on fresh bread.

Allergy Information

This has dairy (ricotta) and gluten (bread). For dairy-free, swap in that cashew cream cheese stuff – works great. For gluten-free, use whatever gluten-free crusty bread you can find, or honestly, try grilled eggplant slices instead of bread. Different but really good.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use regular tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?

You can, but you’ll need to dice them and the cooking time might vary. Cherry tomatoes hold their shape better and have that perfect sweet-tart balance.

What if I don’t have Italian seasoning?

No problem! Mix equal parts dried oregano, basil, and thyme with a pinch of garlic powder.

How far ahead can I roast the tomatoes?

Up to 2 days ahead! Store them in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.

My bread got soggy – what did I do wrong?

Make sure your bread is nice and crusty, and don’t assemble too far in advance. The key is serving immediately after assembly!

💬 Made these? Tell me how they turned out! Did you try any variations? I’m always looking for new ideas!