Mozzarella, Tomatoes & Pesto on a Baguette - the Perfect Summer Appetizer!

It’s tomato season and I love tomatoes! In the summer when I was growing up we had sliced tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner! My mom served them with salt and a generous sprinkle of pepper (from the little McCormick can). They were usually warm from the garden and so delicious and so healthy! Even though I don’t have a garden at the moment, I still serve tomatoes and eat them as often as possible when they’re in season!

A favorite tomato memory from my childhood…

My mom would take a slice of white bread, top it with a slice or two of American cheese and a slice of tomato…add salt and pepper and broil it under the broiler until the cheese was bubbly! We would sometimes have this for dinner with Charles Chips potato chips when she didn’t feel like heating up the kitchen (we didn’t have air conditioning until I was a teenager!). It was one of my favorite things to eat and I suppose that this Mozzarella, Tomato and Pesto Baguette is my updated version of this sandwich. It’s perfect for a light dinner and takes very little time to prepare…especially if you use store bought pesto.

We didn’t eat pesto when I was growing up and the only thing I really knew about basil was that it came in a little jar. Now, even if I plant nothing else, I always plant basil so that I can make pesto. When my daughters were growing up, I always made gallons and kept it in the freezer for quick and healthy weeknight meals and it’s still one of my favorite things to eat! The first time I ever ate pesto was at a little restaurant in a neighboring town that my daughter Lauren and I would go to for lunch. This restaurant called Liberty Oak served a pesto pasta salad alongside their sandwiches and it was so delicious. Topped with chopped red onion and peas, it was just as pretty on the plate as it was tasty. One day I decided to make my own pesto…planted some basil and the rest is history. My recipe comes from The Joy of Cooking (a must have for any kitchen).

Fortunately, good pesto is easy to purchase these days and for this recipe, it’s perfectly fine to use a store bought pesto. There really are no proportions, just make this to your taste. Use 1 baguette or 20 depending on how many people you want to serve! It’s a perfect recipe for a crowd!

I sliced 2 baguettes (mine were on the small side) almost all the way through and slathered the inside with pesto…use as much as you like. I bought already sliced mozzarella and cut it in half and also cut the tomatoes in half. If your baguette is bigger around, leave the mozzarella and tomatoes whole. I recommend assembling the baguettes on a parchment lined baking sheet. I ordered this fun parchment paper from Amazon and it makes a nice presentation when you serve the sandwiches right on the baking sheet! I just ordered this parchment paper to use on July 4th!

After assembling the baguettes, drizzle them with a little olive oil and put them in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Watch to make sure they’re not getting too brown. Take them out of the oven and serve with more pesto if you like!

Stand back and watch these disappear because they are so delicious! This recipe is great for a light dinner…serve with your favorite potato chips (we love these and these) or as an appetizer! I promise this recipe will be one you come back to again and again.

If you want to add another layer of flavor, drizzle the baguettes with a little balsamic glaze (I like Nonna’s)

Writing about things my mom used to make is bringing up so many memories for me! I can remember the Charle’s Chip man coming to the front door, especially in the summer. Life was slower then and my mom would stand and talk to him for what seemed like a long time to me when I was little. We also used to have milk delivered and had a box on the front porch where the milk man would leave the milk. Sometimes, my mom would forget the milk and rush outside to get it before it went bad. In my mind, I can still see those bottles with red paper caps in the refrigerator! I always loved summers because life slowed down so much…we slept late, had delicious breakfasts, went to the pool or played in the park and always had fresh vegetables for dinner!

It’s so funny how sometimes, I start writing and the post is totally different that what I expected. I do hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane!

P.S. - My tank is brown and white striped (love) and it’s from Loft! I also got the tank dress and it’s great casual look when you just want to stay cool in the summer heat!

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