Smashed or mashed avocado is the trendiest toast topper to date and yet, one of the most ridiculously simple and delicious dishes you will ever make.
Oh, Bruschetta Avocado Toast, where have you been all my life? I just found out I am late to the “Avocado Toast” party, as I so often am. I didn’t even know there was a party, but more importantly, I didn’t know how much I was missing by not knowing about Avocado Toast. You have heard the phrase, “you don’t know what you don’t know”? Well, that fits me to a tee! I’m not sure where this foodie craze started, but for some reason I totally missed it. Bruschetta Avocado Toast is my new favorite food, and I’ve had it for lunch the last two days in a row and will probably have it again tomorrow. I can’t get over how good it is. It’s also fabulous for breakfast, lunch or even a light dinner!
Avocados are incredibly nutritious. They do not contain any cholesterol or sodium, and are low in saturated fat, but do contain high amounts of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. They also contain more potassium than bananas and are loaded with fiber. Combine them with tomatoes, which are packed full of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants and are a rich source of vitamins A and C as well as folic acid, and you have a nutritional powerhouse. Plus the best part, while Bruschetta Avocado Toast is healthy, easy and quick to make, every bite is pure deliciousness!
The secret to this delicious dish is to use only fresh and ripe Haas avocados. If you are in a bind and your avocados are hard and not ripe, I discovered a great trick to get them to ripen in minutes instead of days. Wrap them individually in aluminum foil and place them in a preheated 200-degree oven. Depending on how green they are, it may take anywhere from 20 minutes to 60 minutes before they start to soften. Using a potholder, start checking them at 20 minutes by squeezing them, and then about every 10 minutes or so to see if they are starting to soften. If they are ripe, they should give when you squeeze them and feel a little like a well-cooked baked potato. They will not have the same great buttery flavor of a naturally ripened avocado, but in a pinch will work just fine.
If you like avocados, you might also like these recipes: Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad, Avocado Stuffed with Blue Crab, and Spicy Quinoa Salad with Avocado.
The ingredients for Bruschetta Avocado Toast are simple: ripe Hass avocados, whole grain or other sturdy rustic bread, lime or lemon, cherry tomatoes, sea salt and ground black pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, unsalted butter, crumbled goat cheese and fresh basil for garnish.
Ready to get started? Rinse the avocados and dry them. Cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Scoop out the inner flesh of the avocados and place in a medium size bowl along with the juice of one lime (may substitute lemon juice) and salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a potato masher or a fork until everything is incorporated. You can either mash it smooth or leave it chunky. I prefer to leave it chunky. Set aside.
Add the olive oil and garlic to a small skillet over medium heat. Saute for a minute or so, until the garlic flavor infuses the oil. Stir often and watch carefully, do not let the garlic burn. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Place the tomato halves, balsamic vinegar, and garlic infused oil into a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed. (In this photo, I added the basil to the mixture. This is fine if you plan to use it immediately. If not, wait to add the basil when you are ready to serve your toast, or it may turn brown.)
Melt the butter in a large skillet and grill the bread slices over medium heat until the bread is golden brown on both sides.
To assemble Bruschetta Avocado Toast, spread 1/4 of the avocado mixture on each piece of toast. Top with 1/4 of the tomato mixture and 1/4 of the goat cheese crumbles. Garnish with chopped basil and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Bruschetta Avocado Toast
Ingredients
- 2 ripe Haas avocados
- 4 slices whole wheat bread or another sturdy rustic bread like sourdough, or 12-grain
- 1 lime
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes rinsed and cut in half
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced finely or grated
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp fresh goat cheese crumbled
- fresh basil chopped, for garnish*
Instructions
- Rinse the avocados and dry them. Cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Scoop out the inner flesh of the avocados and place in a medium size bowl along with the juice of one lime (may substitute lemon juice) and salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a potato masher or a fork until everything is incorporated. You can either mash it smooth or leave it chunky. I prefer to leave it chunky. Set aside.
- Add the olive oil and garlic to a small skillet over medium heat. Saute for a minute or so, until the garlic flavor infuses the oil. Stir often and watch carefully, do not let the garlic burn. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Place the tomato slices, balsamic vinegar, and garlic infused oil into a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet and grill the bread slices over medium heat until the bread is golden brown on both sides.
- To assemble Bruschetta Avocado Toast, spread 1/4 of the avocado mixture on each piece of toast. Top with 1/4 of the tomato mixture and 1/4 of the goat cheese crumbles. Garnish with the chopped basil and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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