One of my favorite appetizers to serve in summer time is a Caprese Salad.

A Caprese Salad is not so much a “salad”, as an arrangement of mozzarella, tomato, and basil on a serving dish. And while it’s absolutely delicious, especially if fresh summer tomatoes are used, it’s also quite messy to eat. Imagine trying to gracefully pick up a slice of cheese, tomato, and basil leaf drizzled with oil and eating it without making a huge mess. Yeah, not the easiest thing to do!

You could, of course, stick the cheese and tomatoes through a skewer, but then of course you still have the problem of the oil getting everywhere. And unless it’s a tiny skewer, you most likely won’t eat the tomato and cheese at the same time, therefore destroying the delicious combination of Caprese Salad.

Luckily, this summer I came up with the perfect solution. Starting with a loaf of crusty French Bread, I cut relatively thin slices then top them each with a slice of cheese. Next, I slice a tomato, then cut each slice in half and top the cheese with the tomato slices. Finally, I place a medium basil leaf on each, drizzle with a tad of olive oil, and season with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt.

The result is a fresh open-faced sandwich that highlights the season’s best flavors and is still light enough to be considered an appetizer. Any excess oil is easily absorbed by the bread, as additional moisture from the tomato, so the possible mess is completely avoided!

These are the perfect appetizers to make before a get together, dinner, or summer party. Or you could just make a few for yourself as a healthy, refreshing snack. And even if you don’t have mozzarella, feel free to use any cheese you do have on hand, such as brie or a hard cheese. My favorite part about these easy open faced sandwiches? It only takes about 10 minutes to make 25 of them, and there’s no baking required!

What’s better than a quick and easy Caprese Open Faced Sandwich that’s mess and stress free?

Caprese Open Faced Sandwiches

• 1 french baguette (or other crusty bread)
• 8 oz cheese
• 3 medium tomatoes
• bundle of basil
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• coarse salt and pepper

Slice baguette into 3/4″ slices. Top each with a slice of cheese. Slice tomatoes width-wise, then cut in half and place each half on a slice of cheese. Garnish with a basil leaf. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Store in refrigerator until serving. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information (from myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 74

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 8g

Protein: 3g

(Yields 25 servings)

Nutrition information is calculated using whole milk mozzarella cheese. Depending on the cheese you choose to use, the nutrition information may change accordingly.