10 Minute Bruschetta

In keeping with yesterday's theme, I really think that we need another super duper easy and delicious appetizer to have on hand for nights when people randomly come over and ruin your life but it's kind of fun because you like them and want to hang out with your friends even though you didn't have time to prepare and you secretly want to be in your pjs watching Grey's Anatomy.

I'm a very complex person.

This appetizer, though, is not very complex.  It's easy as pie, and super delicious.  It's vegetarian, too!

Here's what you need:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• crackers, pita, or bread, for serving

The simplicity of this is what makes it so dang delicious, for realzies.

First, halve or quarter the tomatoes - I quarter them, and if they're large I cut them into 6 little bits - I like everything to be chopped really finely. You could of course use one whole tomato too, I just find that cherry tomatoes are sweeter, especially this time of year.

Then, roll the basil leaves up together and finely slice them.  This is called chiffonade, and you really only need to use that word if you're feeling annoying and snotty.

Then, cut the mozzarella into little cubes - about the same size as the tomatoes.  We want a little less cheese than tomato in the mixture, so adjust the cheese amount if you need to.  If the cheese is very soft, put it in the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes to firm up and it'll be much easier to cut.

Now, all of that prep could be done in advance!  Just add the salt and oil about 20 minutes before you'd like to serve this.  If you mix everything together too soon the cheese might get soggy.  Soggy cheese is not sexy cheese, folks.

When you're ready to assemble this, add the tomatoes, cheese, and basil to a bowl with a light sprinkle of salt.  Drizzle the olive oil over the whole mess!  If you have a fancy olive oil, this is definitely the time to use it.

That's it, kids.  Mix this all together and taste it - add more salt if you'd like.

The tomatoes will start to break down with the salt after a few minutes, and the basil infuses into the olive oil....and MAN.  This is not gross, my friends.

I served this with pita, but I love it with little baguette toasts or even crackers!

Enjoy this, everyone.  It's a nice fresh complement to some of winter's heavier warm appetizers, and people love it.

This is so perfect that I included it in this week’s Weekend Potluck.  It’s this cute thing where blogs from EVERYWHERE can submit recipes to share with others – it’s so fun to check out new things!

It’s run by:

• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• Life As a Lofthouse ~ Holly
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie