Three Cheese Bread and Tomato Salad

This is one of those super simple and satisfying snacks or side dishes that will leave you craving more. (Kind of like popcorn, but healthier. I think. )

To make for the ultimate cheesy experience, buy bread from your bakery that has cheese baked into it. Oh, yeah! You can also substitute the aged white Cheddar that I used for another cheese of your choice. I’m interested in trying Gorgonzola, but my other half isn’t into blue cheese. For a milder flavor, Fontina might be nice.

For a light summer meal, serve this salad with a bowl of assorted summer fruits, such as peaches, cherries, and plums, and a glass of red wine. Maybe Dan the wine editor will do a pairing for us…

Ingredients:

quality, bakery-style, crusty bread (preferably cheese flavored; I used Asiago cheese bread)
Parmesan cheese
aged white Cheddar cheese
fresh mozzarella
cherry tomatoes
fresh basil
olive oil
fresh ground pepper
sea salt

Guidelines:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cube the bread. I used about 6 thick slices for the two of us. If you’re serving more, adjust as necessary. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. How much olive oil? You don’t want the bread to be wet, but you want to be able to see a very, very light coating. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Grate the Parmesan cheese and the aged white Cheddar. I used about a ¼ cup of Parmesan, and ½ cup of Cheddar. Again, adjust as necessary. Toss the bread cubes with the cheese.

Place in the oven and bake until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let cool slightly.

In the meantime, half the cherry tomatoes and chop the fresh basil. I used a large handful of each.

Cube about half a ball of fresh mozzarella.

In a large bowl, toss the toasted bread cubes with the cherry tomatoes, chopped basil, and fresh mozzarella. Add another splash of olive oil, and a generous grind of fresh ground pepper.