Bubbly. Creamy. Toasty. Sweet. Garlicky.
Sound like something you might gravitate toward? Yeah, me too. As many of you know, I am obsessed with all things caprese/pesto/tomato/basil/etc. I’d say it’s a problem, but since I don’t want to fix it, I think it’s a reality I’m going to continue to embrace.
Today’s incarnation of this addiction comes at the perfect time as I’m sure you’re looking for just one more appetizer to serve on the 4th of July. I mean, you can never have too many hand-held, tasty, and simple dishes to offer your guests, right?
Oh, and did I mention that this is also a continuation of last week’s Pesto Party? Because I went a little nuts and made 6 different types of pesto in one week (like I said, I may be a wee bit obsessed), I used one of those pestos in this easy and crowd-pleasing appetizer. The beauty here is that you can use whatever type of pesto you want. Heck, serve a whole variety and let your guests decide which is their favorite!
For this particular tasty morsel, I used a Swiss Chard pesto. Very mild, and such a great base for the sweet tomatoes and creamy mozzarella. Because I regularly dare folks to dislike a recipe, why should this be any different? I DARE you not to a) be able to tell me this is a healthy green in this pesto when you taste it, and b) not love it as much as I do.
Go ahead, I dare you!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2 cups | 20 minutes |
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Pesto is one of those basic recipes that is easily switched up, and is always popular no matter how it's served. This recipe will be no different whether you're serving it to guests, or just making a couple of these beauties to accompany a weeknight dinner.
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- 1 bunch Swiss chard, washed and dried (approximately 4 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. freshly chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- kosher salt, to taste
- Toast walnuts for 6 minutes in 400 degree oven. Allow to cool completely prior to use.
- Remove stems and ribs of chard. Wash and pat dry chard leaves.
- Pulse garlic cloves in food processor until minced.
- Add chard leaves, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and walnuts. Process until all ingredients are incorporated.
- With processor going, slowly drizzle in olive oil until a smooth paste results.
- Store in air tight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze in ice cube trays and then store in air tight plastic bag in freezer for up to 4 months.
- Thinly slice bread and lightly toast slices.
- Defrost 1/4 cup of pesto (about 4 cubes), and drizzle in extra olive oil to reconstitute to a smooth texture.
- Spread each toasted slice of bread with approximately 1 tsp. of pesto
- Top each piece of bread with a slice of tomato.
- Top bread with slice of mozzarella.
- Toast for 6-8 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven until cheese begins to melt and starts to bubble and brown on top.
The use of walnuts in this particular pesto adds a depth of flavor to this mildly bitter green. When mixed with the nuts and the garlic, the flavor rounds out and provides a great base for other ingredients, like in this bruschetta. However, this Swiss Chard pesto, like other pestos, can be used in soups, stews, pastas, and any other place where a punch of flavor is needed.
I’m obsessed with anything caprese-like too so this recipe is right down my isle and I can’t wait to try it once my swiss chard from my garden is ready to harvest. Yum!
Bubbly and garlicky is all I need to hear, LOL. I love bruschetta but never tried it with Pesto. It is my next experiment
I love swiss chard and what a fabulous summer snack!
I have some swiss chard that I need to use. I love this idea! Such a great one for summer.
This sounds delicious! I love having different variations for pesto in my arsenal of tricks. As much as I love it, I just can’t stomach the traditional basil and pine nut version every single time. 🙂