Healthy ricotta crostini are made two ways with less than 6 ingredients and take less than 20 minutes to make.
You are going to love these little healthy ricotta crostini as they are made with nutty and delicious Pepperidge Farm® Harvest Blends bread and simple but delicious fresh ingredients. These two healthy ricotta crostini recipes are so easy that even teenagers can make them and they even helped mom with the easy clean up. You have to love that! My boys are such complete foodies. Not only do they love cooking and EATING, they also love styling food and even taking photos for instagram...
Healthy Ricotta Crostini are the World's Easiest Appetizer
You are going to love how beautiful these little appetizers are going to look on your serving tray with a splash of green, orange-red and white. With all of the spring time weddings, showers, graduation and parties you are going to need some quick and easy appetizers to save the day.
The Italian ricotta and red pepper pesto crostini was a huge hit. We used Pepperidge Farm Harvest Blends seeded grain bread. The seeds in the bread and on the crust made it crunchy and delicious, especially when toasted in the oven. The creamy ricotta topping with the garlic infused roasted red peppers and caramalized onions is going to rock your world.
The Italian ricotta and gremolata topping with lots of fresh lemon zest and parsley was refreshing and delightful and a nice contrast to the rich Italian ricotta and red pepper pesto crostini. Gremolata is a chopped herbed condiment usually made with parsley, lemon zest and garlic.
We enjoyed three delicious breads from Pepperidge Farm. They were the Harvest Blends Seeded, Sprouted and Ancient grain breads. All three breads had a strong wheat flavor balanced out with a touch of sweetness. However, our favorite was the Harvest Blend Seeded bread as loved all of the sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds on the crust and in the bread. We love that little crunch. These products have limited availability and are currently only available in the Midwest at your local grocer.
The seeded bread was the heartiest of the three according to my boys. As you can see from my photo the word "Try" not to eat is not strong enough language when trying to deter hungry teenage boys from fresh bread sitting on the counter.
Thank goodness I was able to tear from their strong grasps the last few slices of the Harvest Blends Seeded bread to make these delicious healthy ricotta crostinis. We decided to cut the breads into rustic smaller circles so that they are easier to pick up one handed with a glass of red wine in the other. You do not have to go through the bother of cutting your crostini breads into rustic circles but I would suggest that you at least cut into either 2 or 4 triangles so that they are easier to pick up as a tapas instead of one full slice of bread.
The best part about making these quick and easy healthy ricotta crostini is that you can do all the prep in advance. You can make the red pepper pesto and gremolata up to 24 hours in advance and then all you need to do is toast your breads and pile on the toppings and serve. In addition, I highly suggest you make extra gremolata and red pepper pesto as it is delicious on pasta, grilled meats and many others and your meal planning is done for the week.
This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm® in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are our own.
More Delicious Appetizers
Best Italian Stuffed Artichokes
Lemon Lavendar Goat Cheese Spread
Savory Baked Brie in Puff Pastry
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Healthy Ricotta Crostini
Ingredients
Costini
- 8 slices Pepperidge Farm Harvest Blend Breads
(we used Seeded blend) - ½ cup olive oil
Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
- 8 oz roasted red peppers (capisum) in olive oil (reserve the olive oil to make pesto and brush on crostini breads)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 red onion
medium sliced into rings - basil
optional for garnish
Lemony Gremolata
- 1 cup parsley - 1 small bunch
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 clove garlic
Topping for both Crostini Recipes
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut breads into small round rustic circles or cut into 2 or 4 triangles. Brush olive oil on both sides and edges of Harvest Bread Seeded grain or bread of choice. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy. Set Aside.
- In the mean time while your crostini are baking prepare your roasted red pepper pesto and lemony gremolata.
- Roasted Red Pepper Pesto: In a food processor add the red roasted peppers, 2 tablespoons of oil from the red roasted peppers, garlic, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Combine until smooth. Saute the red onion in a little of the olive oil from the red pepper pesto until caramelised. Set aside.
- Lemony Gremolata: In a food processor add the parsley, lemon zest, garlic and salt and pepper to taste and process until finely chopped.
- Assemble the healthy ricotta crostini. Place a couple of teaspoons of lowfat ricotta cheese on each slice of bread and spread. Add a teaspoon or two of the red pepper pesto on half of the toasted breads with ricotta cheese and top with one slice of caramelised onion. To the other half half of toasted crostini breads with ricotta cheese add a teaspoon or two of the lemony gremolata mixture.
- Garnish the red pepper pesto ricotta crostini with a little fresh basil and a little lemon zest for on top of the lemony gremolata ricotta crostini. Enjoy!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
These look so delicious that my mouth is watering a little bit just looking at the photos!
Smitha says
This snack looks incredible. Pictures are awesome. Creative food styling. Excellent color and cheese and peppers
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
Bobbi, these look delicious and I love the flavour combination 🙂
Dawn says
Love the colors!!
Monica says
Your food always looks so visually appealing that I want to dive right in...and when I look at the ingredients and your combinations, it always makes great sense. And I love that your boys are such foodies. That's just wonderful!
cheri says
Hi Bobbi, oh how delicious these look, love the flavor combinations you created. These look amazing!
All that's Jas says
Love, love, love it! How do you come up with these ideas? Lucky you to have help in the kitchen and with styling!!! Pinning
Shashi @ RunninSrilankan says
I so love that your boys enjoy styling food and photographing it too - and I don;t think I could blame them for trying to finish that loaf as Havest Grains SEEDED bread sounds and looks delicious - the perfect base for these ricotta crostini! Love that the prep can be done in advance - I'm bookmarking this for next year when my daughter graduates. Hope you have a wonderful weekend Bobbi!
mira says
Great styling, love the photos! This looks like the perfect snack! Need to try this bread! Pinned!
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
OhI I love a good crostini and these look so cute and delicious. Love all the vibrant colors and awesome flavors here. I bet they tasted heavenly. I wish I could get to taste these in person! PS: Absoluelty in love your second photo! 🙂
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
Oh, I just love a good crostini, Bobbi! These beautiful colours and outstanding flavours are going to be a big hit. I love being able to serve healthy treats at parties.
Thanks for a great recipe! Sharing all over 🙂
Hope your week is fabulous!
Gerlnde @Sunnycovechef says
The roasted pepper pesto and gremolata is something I would like to try.Your crostinis look darling and tasty.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks so much Gerlinde. I could not decide which version I liked best, so just kept on eating both until they were gone. They go quick so make extra.
Eha says
This SO reminds me of being at the NY's 'World's Fair' methinks sometime 1964 or such. 'It's a small world after all' !!! 'Scuse' of the repetitions: I have eaten 2-3 such open 'sandwiches' every day of my life [OK, on a few days I could not 🙂 !!] Your choices are delightful . . . shall try!!! What bother breakfast . . . surely not all those sickening sugary and unhealthy carbs so-called breakfast 'foods' !!!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Eha, I hope you are doing well. These little crostini would be FAB for breakfast or any time you want a quick and delicious snack. Wishing you a super weekend!
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Great to get your boys styling food! I find that the hardest thing. You can hire them out to me. 🙂 Anyway, these look great -- so nice and tasty. Perfect for a party!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you John! Your photography is always beautiful, crisp and uniquely your style. My boys, especially my eldest is really into Food. He has an artists eye for food photography and styling. Sure thing, I can hire my boys out but in exchange for feeding them.. I think you will be sending them back in a hurry.
NancyC says
This crostini looks so yummy–what a great idea to use the bread in this way!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Nancy. I wish I could say there were left overs but not a crumb left. 🙂