Roasted Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Crostinis

Roasted Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Crostinis are a simple yet super delicious morsel! You’ll go crazy over these! Roasted garlic in a mascarpone and cream cheese spread is just the beginning. Add sun dried tomatoes, Spanish olive, red onions, and fresh basil, you have the perfect little bite!

What Is a Crostini?

Crostinis are an awesome little bite of yummy stuff, of course. Just kidding, well, mostly. Crostini is Italian for “little toasts.” Basically, it’s a loaf bread that is sliced in thin pieces and toasted. Usually, it’s topped with olive oil with a clove of garlic rubbed on it to give a slight garlic flavor. While living in New Jersey, they were often called a cracker by a lot of my Italian friends.

While there are many uses for crostinis, like dipping in soups, quite often they are topped with any number of items and served as a snack or appetizer. That’s my favorite way to have them. And this Roasted Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Crostinis is my absolute favorite!

Roasted Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Crostinis

The little bite came from my love for cheese and crackers. My wife and I would often have a snack, a meal even at times, of a variety of cheese and crackers with various hot sauces and toppings. I wanted to do something different, and I thought of crostinis.

Here are some tips to make this recipe easier than it already is.

Roasted Garlic. This last for 2 week in the fridge. Yep! Two weeks! So you can make a bunch at a time. Roasted garlic takes an hour in a high temp oven. So you can make the best use of the time and heat of the oven, especially in hotter months when you don’t want to heat the oven so high or often. So you can make this ahead of time and can make several heads at one time.

Storing Roasted Garlic. As already mentioned, you can store them in the fridge. Place them in a airtight container and cover with olive oil. You can use that oil later for cooking. Another method is squeeze the garlic out of the skin, mash it into a paste, and place that in an airtight container. Pour a little olive oil over that in an airtight container. Again, this will almost 2 weeks!

You can also freeze roasted garlic. It can be frozen as the complete head, individual cloves, or mashed. It can last for several months this way.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some ways to serve these little bite of awesomeness:

• As an appetizer
• On a cheese board
• With wine as a snack with family and friends

What Ingredients Are in Roasted Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Crostinis?

• Roasted Garlic Spread
• 2 heads Fresh Garlic
• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4 ounces Mascarpone, softened
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Crostini Toppings
• 1 loaf Baggett, or similar bread
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1 cup Spanish Olives, cut in thirds
• 1 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup Red Onion, diced small
• 1/4 cup Fresh Basil, sliced (chiffonade)
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper topping

How Are Roasted Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Crostinis Made?

Roasted Garlic Spread

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. A toaster oven works great for this if you have one.
2. Cut the tops off the head of garlic, about 1/2 inch, and discard the top. Pour about 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the cut part of the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and wrap in aluminum foil.
3. Place the garlic in the oven and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Take the garlic out of the foil.
4. Grab a small mixing bowl. Hold the garlic heads upside down (the roots will be facing up). Squeeze the garlic out of the skins of the heads. Try to get out as much as you can. Mix the garlic into a paste.
5. Add the mascarpone, cream cheese, and salt and mix thoroughly.

Crostinis

1. While the garlic is roasting, slice the bread on a diagonal into 1/4 inch pieces on a diagonal. Depending on the bread, you should get about 24-30 pieces.
2. Brush olive oil on both sides of each pieces of bread. Arrange them on a sheet pan or 2 depending on the size of the bread.
3. When the garlic comes out of the oven, lower the temperature to 385°F. Place the bread in the oven and toast for 10-12 minutes until crispy.

Assembly

1. Spread some roasted garlic spread on each piece of bread. Add some red onions, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. Finish off with a little cracked pepper and fresh basil.

What Can I Do with the Leftovers?

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge. However, the crispiness of the toasted bread will soften. They will last for 4-5 days, but the bread will be soft.

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Print

Roasted Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Crostinis

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword crostini, roasted garlic, sun dried tomatoes, sundried

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 24 pieces

Ingredients

Roasted Garlic Spread

• 2 heads Fresh Garlic
• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4 ounces Mascarpone, softened
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Crostini Toppings

• 1 loaf Baggett, or similar bread
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1 cup Spanish Olives, cut in thirds
• 1 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup Red Onion, diced small
• 1/4 cup Fresh Basil, sliced (chiffonade)
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper topping

Instructions

Roasted Garlic Spread

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. A toaster oven works great for this if you have one.

2. Cut the tops off the head of garlic, about 1/2 inch, and discard the top. Pour about 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the cut part of the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and wrap in aluminum foil.

3. Place the garlic in the oven and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Take the garlic out of the foil.

4. Grab a small mixing bowl. Hold the garlic heads upside down (the roots will be facing up). Squeeze the garlic out of the skins of the heads. Try to get out as much as you can. Mix the garlic into a paste.

5. Add the mascarpone, cream cheese, and salt and mix thoroughly.

Crostinis

1. While the garlic is roasting, slice the bread on a diagonal into 1/4 inch pieces on a diagonal. Depending on the bread, you should get about 24-30 pieces.

2. Brush olive oil on both sides of each pieces of bread. Arrange them on a sheet pan or 2 depending on the size of the bread.

3. When the garlic comes out of the oven, lower the temperature to 385°F. Place the bread in the oven and toast for 10-12 minutes until crispy.

Assembly

1. Spread some roasted garlic spread on each piece of bread. Add some red onions, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. Finish off with a little cracked pepper and fresh basil.