Bruschetta with Cream Cheese

5 from 2 votes

Bruschetta with Cream Cheese appetizer has a cream cheese mixture that adds some flare to ordinary bruschetta. It's topped with fresh basil and a balsamic glaze.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword bruschetta with cream cheese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 13 minutes

Servings

Calories 124cal

Author Joanne Schweitzer

Ingredients

1 cup fresh grape or cherry tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic
salt to taste
12 oz baguette bread or 12 Crostini
5 leaves basil
Balsamic glaze

Cream Cheese Mixture

4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp onion powder

Instructions

First, dice tomato and add to a medium sized bowl. If too much liquid accumulates, drain the juice or it'll make the bread soggy. Very ripe tomatoes will have a lot of juice.
Then, add peeled garlic cloves and salt to taste to the tomatoes. Let stand while you complete the rest of the recipe so the tomatoes can pick up the flavor of the garlic.
Meanwhile, add cream cheese, heavy cream and onion powder to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Set aside.
Next, stack the basil leaves. Roll them from the stem side. Cut from one of the round ends. Basil ribbons will be the result. Set aside.
Then, just before the tomatoes are ready, cut the baguette into 1 inch thick pieces.
Next, toast the baguette bread (or use Crostini.) You can use a toaster oven (quickest) or place them in a conventional oven on 375F for about ten minutes or until they brown on top.

Assembly

First, spoon about one tbsp of the cream cheese mixture on top of each piece of bread.
Next, add about one tbsp of bruschetta on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Then, place one or two basil ribbons on top of each bruschetta piece.
Finally, drizzle 1/2 tsp of balsamic glaze on top of each bruschetta piece. Serve immediately.

Notes

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one day.

Substitutions

Use grape or cherry tomatoes if possible because they're sweeter. But, this recipe will work with just about any tomato.
Use crostini if you don't have baguette bread or don't have time to toast it.
If you have balsamic vinegar and not balsamic glaze, you can make it by boiling the balsamic vinegar until it reduces which, only takes 5-10 minutes.
You can use marscapone cheese instead of cream cheese.
If you don't have heavy cream you can use light cream or half and half.
If you don't have fresh basil, sprinkle with dried basil.
Save time and don't toast the bread but, I do recommend this if you're bread isn't fresh.

Nutrition