Caprese Ricotta Toast

With a topping of burst tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic glaze, this caprese ricotta toast is wonderful as a savory breakfast or lunch. 

This ricotta toast is so hearty and flavorful. Just one slice of this toast is plenty, although I have been known to easily polish off two slices. 

I usually have some thick cut sourdough slices in the freezer from bread baking projects. This is one of my favorite ways to dress it up. 

Ingredients for Caprese Ricotta Toast:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: For preparing the tomatoes. 

Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: You can use whichever is most ripe and sweet. I've even tried this with yellow and orange colored cherry tomatoes for a super pretty result. 

Fresh Garlic and Sugar: For adding to the tomatoes as they cook. 

Salt and Pepper: Preferably kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black or a multicolored peppercorn blend. 

Ricotta Cheese: I prefer using full-fat ricotta cheese for a richer flavor. You can also substitute cottage cheese if that's what you have, even tossing it into a food processor to make it smoother. 

Fresh Basil: I keep a basil plant (I found it at Trader Joe's) in my kitchen window for "basil emergencies." It's so generous with its leaves. 

The Final Touch: A balsamic reduction/glaze and hot honey. The hot honey is optional but the balsamic glaze is not. You can make your own with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and keep it in the refrigerator. It takes just 15 minutes to make this tasty ingredient. 

I used hot honey from Melissa's Produce. They have two flavors, habanero and jalapeño. 

To Make Your Own Balsamic Glaze:

Bring two cups of balsamic vinegar to a simmer and add 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Simmer, uncovered until the mixture thickens and is reduced by half. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool. Store the glaze in the refrigerator. 

If you prefer, you can skip or reduce the amount of sugar you include based on your taste and how you are using the glaze. 

Besides using it for this ricotta toast, you can use the glaze in multiple ways... for drizzling on bruschetta or dipping focaccia, for sprinkling on roasted vegetables and grilled meats. It's also a wonderful ingredient for flavoring seafood, especially salmon. It also is a great ingredient for making an extra flavorful vinaigrette for salads. 

To Prepare the Burst Tomatoes:

In an eight-inch skillet, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium and then add the tomatoes, minced garlic, a teaspoon of sugar, and a couple of pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring gently and watching closely, until the tomatoes "burst." Turn off the heat and let the tomatoes cool. This should take about 10 minutes. 

To Assemble the Caprese Ricotta Toast:

First, toast the sourdough slices. The slices should be fairly thick. 

Next top the toast with a half cup of ricotta, top it with the burst tomatoes and chopped fresh basil leaves

Finally, drizzle on some of the balamic glaze and hot honey. Serve! 

Note: You can skip the hot honey if you prefer. 

For the sourdough toast, I recommend using bread that is made with a high percentage of white flour such and without any add-ins such as nuts or fruits. If you make your own sourdough, I recommend French country bread, cold start sourdough bread, or basic sourdough bread for beginners. 

Of course, you can use store bought sourdough bread. Our grocery store has some great artisan sourdough loaves, including some "take and bake" loaves from La Brea Bakery. 

Sourdough is not required either. If you've mastered a yeasted artisan-style bread, such as my four-hour country bread, use it for the toast in this recipe! 

"R" is for Ricotta, Roe, Rhubarb, Rosemary, Rye, and More!

To continue the 2025 Alphabet Challenge, we are sharing recipes that begin with "R" or include ingredients that that begin with "R." 

• Food Lust People Love: Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce 
• A Messy Kitchen: Self-Saucing Rhubarb Pudding Cake 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Caprese Ricotta Toast 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Rosolli, Finnish Salad 
• Blogghetti: Shrimp Fried Rice 
• Magical Ingredients: Ricotta Red Pepper Dip 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Rustic Rye Sourdough Loaf 
• Palatable Pastime: Red Hot Pepper Vinegar 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Cinnamon Raisin Vanilla Zucchini Bread Muffins

For the 2024 Alphabet Challenge (last year), I made Pan Seared Scallops with Black Beans and Red Pepper Sauce. It's delicious! 

 

Caprese Ricotta Toast

Yield: 2 Servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 30 Min

With a burst tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic glaze, this caprese ricotta toast is wonderful for a savory breakfast or lunch. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (see ingredient notes in post)
• 2 thickish slices of sourdough or French bread
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze (see body of post for a recipe to make your own)
• 1 tablespoon hot honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in an 8 to 10 inch skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the tomatoes, minced garlic, sugar, and two pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring gently, until the tomatoes burst, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the tomato mixture cool. 
3. Top each slice of toast with 1/2 cup of ricotta. Top the ricotta with the tomatoes, dividing between the two toasts. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the basil.
4. Drizzle the tops with the balsamic glaze and hot honey.
5. Serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

377

Fat (grams)

23 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

11 g

Carbs (grams)

29 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

27 g

Sugar (grams)

18 g

Protein (grams)

16 g

Cholesterol (grams)

63 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2025/08/caprese-ricotta-toast.html

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This recipe was adapted from the book, Easy Everyday: 100 Recipes and Meal Prep Ideas for Effortless Eats, by Jessical Merchant. I received a complimentary copy from Melissa's Produce. It's a fantastic cookbook. 

Her approach is based on three principles, versatility of the recipe, ease of preparation, and quality leftovers (love this). 

You can see Jessica demonstrate this recipe on this YouTube video.