50 Genius Ways to Top Toast

February 26, 2015
Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Elevate your toast experience by getting creative with all kinds of toppings. Turn standard toast into more of a gourmet meal or a super satisfying snack by using ingredients you may have never tried on toast before.  These recipes reveal how easy it is to create a simple snack or appetizer by topping toasted bread with sweet or savory ingredients. These combinations are so simple and delicious that you may find yourself wondering why why you've never tried them before.
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Avo-Tahini Toast

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Claire Spollen
Avo-Tahini Toast Recipe

If you think you're over avocado toast, this topper will change your mind. Make sure to give your tahini a good stir before drizzling. These make for a filling snack, plus they're loaded with protein to help you stay fuller for longer.

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Cucumber-Lox Toast

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Claire Spollen
Cucumber-Lox Toast Recipe

The loaded deli bagel works perfectly as an instant toast topper. Greek yogurt has the same tang and richness as cream cheese, and you don't have to wait for it to soften. Sprinkle with additional chives for more punch.

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Cashew-Carrot Toast

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Paige Hicks
Cashew-Carrot Toast Recipe

Instead of a PB&J, try a CB&C: smooth cashew butter, bacon, and a bright, crisp-tender carrot salad on top. The perfect savory treat topped with crunchy veggies and crispy bacon. If you have a nut allergy, substitute seed butter or hummus. Make your own cashew butter, or buy it at your local grocery store.

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Pear-Prosciutto Toast

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Claire Spollen
Pear-Prosciutto Toast Recipe

We fancified the classic ham and cheese sammy with prosciutto, Swiss, and pear. Fig preserves provide the can't-quite-place-it sweetness that elevates this toast; you can sub 1/2 teaspoon honey.

 

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Baked Egg-in-a-Hole

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Baked Egg-in-a-Hole Recipe
These bacon-and-egg toasts make for a fun breakfast or easy dinner.

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Roasted Apple-Honey Toast

Photo: Oxmoor House 
Roasted Apple-Honey Toast Recipe
Honey toast is not unfamiliar to folks from Tokyo-metro, Taipei, Singapore, or Bangkok. Really, it's genius. And simple. And able to be interpreted to your heart's content. As many ways as one can craft a sandwich, one can hook up some honey toast. Classically, it's a big fluffy slab of Pullman-type bread, with more than a little butter and a generous amount of honey. Here, the toast is dredged in a sugar to give it an irresistible crisp-meets-sticky exterior.
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Mustard Green Pesto and Egg Open-Faced Sandwiches

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Amy Stone
Mustard Green Pesto and Egg Open-Faced Sandwiches Recipe

Any extra pesto will keep refrigerated for 4 days and frozen for up to a month.

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Veggie Eggy Scramble

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Veggie Eggy Scramble Recipe
We like the idea of incorporating veggies into the morning meal, and it's not hard or time-consuming to do. To make it a grab-and-go dish, stuff the scramble into a whole-wheat pita.

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Smashed Avocado on Toast

Photo: Grant Cornett; Styling: Alistair Turnbull 
Smashed Avocado on Toast Recipe
Smashed Avocado on Toast is a great snack before a run or workout. With the perfect combination of healthy fats and carbohydrates, this snack will keep your body energized without weighing you down.
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Garlic-Parmesan Toasts

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Garlic-Parmesan Toasts Recipe

Everyone needs a quick and easy garlic toast recipe to serve with hearty pasta entrees. This four ingredient recipe is warm, cheesy and perfect for busy weeknights.

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Saucy Shrimp Sauté on Toast

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Saucy Shrimp Sauté on Toast Recipe
Check around for the best prices on shrimp: Sometimes, it's at the seafood counter; other times, it's in the freezer case. The garlic that's rubbed on the toast at the end lends lots of punch.

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Ricotta, Pear and Almond Toast

Photo: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps
Ricotta, Pear and Almond Toast Recipe
What makes this recipe great: Ricotta has more protein and less saturated fat than cream cheese.
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Pimento Cheese Toast

Photo: Yaso + Junko
Pimento Cheese Toast Recipe
This toast is extremely cheesy and creamy with a little kick. Serve for breakfast, lunch or as an anytime snack. We can't get enough!

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Country-Ham-and-Egg Toasts

Photo: Greg Dupree; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham 
Country-Ham-and-Egg Toasts Recipe
Try a Southern take on the French tartine with country ham, green onions, and hard-cooked eggs.

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Herbed Onion Parmesan Toasts

Photo: Aya Brackett; Styling: Emma Star Jensen
Herbed Onion Parmesan Toasts Recipe
Perfect for a quick snack—spread a simple mixture of mayonnaise, Parmesan, and green onions over a baguette and broil to perfection.
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Toasts with Ricotta and Warm Balsamic-Caramel Apples

Photo: Antonis Achilleos
Toasts with Ricotta and Warm Balsamic-Caramel Apples Recipe
One bite of quick-cooking balsamic-caramel apples and you'll wonder why you never thought of it yourself.

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Green Garlic Prosciutto Toasts

Photo: Iain Bagwell
Green Garlic Prosciutto Toasts Recipe

Serve these robustly flavored open-face sandwiches as a light dinner with a big salad, or as appetizers, using small slices of baguette.

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Multigrain Toast and Red Pepper Tapenade

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Claire Spollen
Multigrain Toast and Red Pepper Tapenade Recipe
Olives, red bell peppers and garlic blended in a food processor is a savory, bright combination to serve over multigrain toast.
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Cabbage-and-Mushroom Toasts

Photo: John Kernick
Cabbage-and-Mushroom Toasts Recipe
You'll need a knife and fork for these hearty, luscious toasts from chef Steven Satterfield. The cabbage topping would also be delicious as a side dish for roast pork.

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BLT Bruschetta

Photo: Jeffrey Cross; Food Styling: Karen Shinto
BLT Bruschetta Recipe
Watch these mini, open-faced BLTs disappear at your next party. If you're doubling or tripling the recipe, you can set out the toppings and the grilled toasts brushed with olive oil to let your guests build their own.

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Curried Spaghetti-Squash-and-Chickpea Toasts

Photo: David Malosh
Curried Spaghetti-Squash-and-Chickpea Toasts Recipe

Spaghetti squash gets its name because once it's cooked, you can use a fork to pull the flesh into long, thin strands. Jonathon Sawyer makes his own curry and cooks his own chickpeas for this vegetarian dish, but this simplified recipe calls for store-bought curry paste and canned chickpeas. Sawyer roasts the seeds from the squash and uses them as a garnish; pumpkin seeds from the supermarket are a fine substitute.

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Tartines with Cheese, Peppers, and Chard

Photo: Photo: Randy Mayor
Tartines with Cheese, Peppers, and Chard Recipe
A tartine is an open-faced sandwich. This recipe demands a hearty bread (one topped with seeds and intact grains adds a nutrition bonus); it's the best match for the herbed cheese topping.

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Glazed-Beet-and-Burrata Toasts

Photo: Antonis Achilleos
Glazed-Beet-and-Burrata Toasts Recipe
To intensify the flavor of boiled beets and form a rich glaze, cook them a second time in sherry vinegar and sugar before topping the toast.

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Garlicky Beans on Toast

Photo: Kang Kim; Styling: Tiziana Agnello
Garlicky Beans on Toast Recipe
Garlicky Beans on Toast takes the hot, crunchy breakfast stand-by to a new level. Mornings have never had it so good!
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Ricotta-Pistachio Toast

Photo: Kang Kim; Styling: Tiziana Agnello
Ricotta-Pistachio Toast Recipe
Keep weekday mornings interesting with Ricotta-Pistachio Toast for breakfast.

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Edamame and Shrimp Bruschetta

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Victoria Cox
Edamame and Shrimp Bruschetta Recipe

Give bruschetta a little kick by topping with pureed edamame and shrimp tossed in lemon zest. 

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Ham and Cheese Tartine

Photo: Travis Rathbone
Ham and Cheese Tartine Recipe
This lean snack of Ham and Cheese Tartine satisfies your craving for something savory. Pick pumpernickel bread as the base for this snack as it has resistant starch, a fat-burning carb.
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Pear, Brie, and Balsamic Bruschetta

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Pear, Brie, and Balsamic Bruschetta Recipe

This bruschetta is both sweet, with pear slices and honey, and savory because of the Brie cheese and balsamic drizzle. 

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Strawberry Bruschetta

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck and Caroline Cunningham
Strawberry Bruschetta Recipe
Usher in the warm days of spring and summer with Strawberry Bruschetta. This refreshing mixture of  nectarine, grape tomatoes, strawberries, and basil are served over baguette slices with slatherings of goat cheese.

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Pear Chutney Bruschetta with Pecans and Blue Cheese

Photo: Nina Choi
Pear Chutney Bruschetta with Pecans and Blue Cheese Recipe
Sweet-tangy chutney pairs beautifully with pungent blue cheese and toasty pecans. You can make the chutney up to three days in advance; assemble bruschetta shortly before serving.
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Northwest Bounty Bruschetta

Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Karen Shinto
Northwest Bounty Bruschetta Recipe
Bruschetta is a favorite appetizer because it's easy, tasty and versatile. This recipe features so many bold flavors like onion, tart cherries, blue cheese and hazelnuts.

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Green Pea Pesto Crostini with Prosciutto

Photo: Brie Passano; Styling: Claire Spollen
Green Pea Pesto Crostini with Prosciutto Recipe

Offering a bright pop of color and requiring next to no prep time, these tasty little toasts are equally ideal for special spring gatherings and casual afternoon snacking. You can assemble them up to 45 minutes before serving and they won't sog out.

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Blue Cheese Crostini with Balsamic-Roasted Grapes

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Blue Cheese Crostini with Balsamic-Roasted Grapes Recipe
Keep this recipe in your back pocket to use as your go-to for last-minute company.
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Beet-and-Goat Cheese Crostini

Photo: Tara Donne; Styling: Erin Swift
Beet-and-Goat Cheese Crostini Recipe
For a vibrant display, choose both golden and red beets for Beet-and-Goat Cheese Crostini. The combination of creamy goat cheese, roasted beets, and toasted walnuts is to die for.

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Radish and Arugula Crostini with Brie

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Cindy Barr
Radish and Arugula Crostini with Brie Recipe
Add a generous smear of Brie cheese to toasted baguette before topping with peppery radish and arugula.

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Saucy Shrimp Sauté on Toast

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Saucy Shrimp Sauté on Toast Recipe
Check around for the best prices on shrimp: Sometimes, it's at the seafood counter; other times, it's in the freezer case. The garlic that's rubbed on the toast at the end lends lots of punch; for sensitive taste buds, skip that step.
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