Bacon-Tomato and Cheese Toasts

No anecdotes or nutritional fun facts today folks, I'm gearing up for my weekend house guests. As a matter of fact, as soon as I finish this post I'm off to rub 5 lbs. of ribs and boil potatoes for homemade potato salad. Yep. Today's post is just about the food. As you can see from the picture above, this one speaks for itself anyhow and it's practically screaming, "YUM!" This recipe for Bacon-Tomato and Cheese Toasts is another winner from the latest edition of Food Network Magazine.

Thinly slice a tomato and place in a colander in the sink. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for at least 15 minutes.



Combine mozzarella and cheddar cheeses with the mayonnaise, scallions and parsley in a bowl.



Spread the cheese mixture on the toasts, reserving about 1/3 cup. I just used Lite Texas Toast that I thawed from my freezer. The original recipe instructed to toast the bread on the stovetop in the bacon drippings. By using thawed freezer garlic bread I saved a little time here.



Crumble the bacon on top.



Top with thinly sliced zucchini and red onion. I personalized my toasts. I left the onion off of a couple. For my picky child, I left off the mayo-cheese spread and just used zucchini and bacon and then topped with shredded mozzarella.



Shake any excess liquid from the tomatoes and place a slice or two on top of each toast.



Dot with the reserved cheese mixture and season with pepper.



Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm. Say, "Mmmmmm". I served this with Stuffed Cabbage Soup that I made back in February. I pulled it out of the freezer and heated while I was making these. I got the Rachael Ray soup recipe by way of Donna at My Tasty Treasures. Good stuff!



Bacon-Tomato Cheese Toasts adapted by me from The Food Network Magazine. You can view the original recipe here.

Prep: 10 min Inactive Prep: 15 min Cook: 30 min Total:55 min

Ingredients

1 large ripe tomato
Kosher salt
8 strips bacon
8 slices Lite Texas Toast from the freezer section, thawed
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
3-5 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 small zucchini, very thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Core the tomatoes and thinly slice. Place in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let drain for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Place the bread, buttery side up, on a baking sheet.

Combine the cheeses with the mayonnaise, scallions and parsley in a bowl. Spread the cheese mixture on the toasts, reserving about 1/3 cup. Crumble the bacon on top. Top with zucchini and red onion slices. Shake any excess liquid from the tomatoes and top each toast with a slice or two of tomato. Dot with the reserved cheese mixture and season with pepper. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.