Cheese and Spinach Bruschetta

Crispy oven grilled baguette slices are topped with cheese, garlic, sautéed spinach and finished under the broiler. These are easy to make and tastes delicious. Perfect with a bowl of soup.

 

 

Ingredients 

1 French baguette

2 Tablespoons of salted butter at room temperature

2 Garlic cloves 

For the Topping  

1/2 Teaspoon butter

2 Garlic cloves crushed and chopped finely

1/2 Cup Fresh Spinach

1/2 Cup grated fresh mozzarella cheese

1/2 Teaspoon red chilli flakes

1/2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning ( mixture of dried oregano + thyme + rosemary+ basil)

 Salt and ground black pepper to taste  

Directions  

1. Using a sharp knife slice the bread into thick slices

2. Cut the garlic into two pieces and then rub the garlic on both sides of the bread slices to infuse garlicky flavor on the bread. Then Apply softened butter on both sides of the bread slices. You can use olive oil instead of butter

3. Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease a baking tray and arrange the bread slices on the try and bake at 200 C for 10 minutes or until they are crispy and golden. Alternatively you can grill the bread slices in a grill pan or regular griddle until they are crispy and golden. I have tried both methods and I prefer baking in the oven since it saves time and bread comes out crispy with nice char.

Make spinach topping

1. In a pan heat 1/2 Teaspoon butter. When the butter melts, add garlic and fry until it is light golden

 

2. Add finely chopped spinach and and fry for a minute just until the spinach turns soft. season with salt and pepper

 

3. On the crispy baked bread slices, sprinkle grated cheese. Top it with garlic spinach mixture on each bread slice. Sprinkle with ground pepper or red chilli flakes Italian sesaoning

 

4. Return the baking tray to the oven in broiler mode and cook it for a minutes until the cheese melts. Do not walk away while the bread is cooked under broiler mode, they burn very fast and quickly. Keep an eye and remove it once the cheese melts

 

5. Serve hot as an appetizer or with a bowl of soup