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Pizza Toast

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

  • Yield: 4

Ingredients

¼ cup/55 g unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

4 slices sandwich bread

¼ cup/60 ml marinara or pizza sauce (there’s a quick marinara recipe in The Flavor Equation)

¼ cup/60 g of your favorite cheese you like to eat on pizza, shredded

1 medium/200 g bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced into rings

1 medium/140 g tomato, thinly sliced into rings

Fine sea salt

Fresh coarsely ground black pepper

2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro

1 tsp red chilli flakes, such as Aleppo

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set a wire rack on top (this wire rack part is optional, but it helps the toast cook nicely from the bottom).
  2. Brush each slice of bread with butter or oil and place them on the rack.
  3. Spread 1 generous Tbsp of the marinara sauce on top of each slice. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of the cheese over each slice. Add a slice of bell pepper and tomato on top of each slice and reserve the extra bell pepper and tomatoes for another purpose (salads or make more pizza toast). Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the slices and bake in the preheated oven until the bread is toasted and turns golden brown on the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, garnish with ½ Tbsp of parsley, and a good sprinkle of the red chilli flakes. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • The wire rack isn’t essential, but I’ve noticed it does crisp the bottom side better as it helps increase the airflow around the bread as it cooks.
  • Sourdough bread will make this fancier, but sandwich bread is also good.
  • Pizza sauce is a little thinner than marinara sauce. Either works here.
  • Your cheese choices are endless, sharp cheddar is what I first ate this with, but mozzarella, parmesan, etc. are all good here. If you use fresh mozzarella, make sure to press and pat it with dry clean paper towels or lint-free kitchen towels to get rid of any excess water in it, or it will make the toast soggy.

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