By definition, Italian bruschetta is grilled or toasted bread drizzled with olive oil, rubbed with garlic and topped with just about anything, really. Tomato is traditional, cured meat like Parma ham is popular and garnishing with cheese is not uncommon.
Because I am calling these open-faced sandwiches bruschetta, I prepped the bread slices the way bruschetta is traditionally prepared. A baguette was cut into slices, arranged on a baking tray, drizzled with olive oil then popped into the oven to allow a light crust to form on the surface.
Mayo, softened scream cheese, grated garlic and parsley are mixed together and spread on the toasted bread before thinly sliced lettuce is piled on top.
Thin slices of tomato and onion (the latter separated into rings) are arranged on top of the lettuce.
Then, crumbled bacon is sprinkled over the vegetables. Grated Parmesan completes the bacon, lettuce and tomato bruschetta.
Bacon, lettuce and tomato bruschetta
Ingredients
- 1 baguette - cut diagonally into half-inch slices
- olive oil - for drizzling
- 1 large clove garlic - peeled and cut diagonally
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese - at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon garlic - grated
- 1 teaspoon parsley - chopped
- lettuce - shredded
- 3 to 4 plump and juicy tomatoes - thinly sliced
- 1 large white onion - peeled, thinly sliced and separated into rings
- 2 to 3 bacon rashers - cooked and crumbled
- Parmesan cheese - grated or crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Arrange eight baguette slices on a tray and drizzle both sides with olive oil.
- Toast eight slices of the baguette until lightly crisp.
- While the bread slices toast, mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, grated garlic and parsley.
- Take the bread out of the oven.
- Rub the cut side of the garlic on both sides of each slice of bread.
- Spread one side with the mayonnaise-cream cheese mixture.
- Cover each slice of bread with shredded lettuce.
- Top with tomato slices followed by onion rings. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper (optional).
- Sprinkle the crumbled bacon on each toast.
- Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the bacon.
- Serve your BLT bruschetta at once.
