My hubby inspired me to make this recipe. On one of the several occasions I made my Sausage and Pasta with Feta and Tomatoes, he suggested I just serve the Roasted Feta Cheese and tomatoes and let everyone take spoonfuls of it. Of course, his idea did not work with the meal I was preparing at that moment so I tucked his suggestion aside to try sometime later.

Well, later is now. Bruschetta with Roasted Feta Cheese was adapted from hubby’s idea. Bruschetta is very easy to make and refreshing. It is basically marinated diced tomatoes. A classic Bruschetta has diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. So I took a classic bruschetta and stepped it up by adding roasted garlic and feta cheese. Absolutely delicious!

Hubby didn’t quite give me the side eye when he saw me mixing everything together. But, he did give me a skeptical look. I told him his idea inspired me to create this dish so he was game to try it as an appetizer during our little happy hour.

After gobbling down three, he went looking for more! There were only two left and I give him credit for asking me if I wanted any more. I didn’t so he was quite happy to gobble up the rest. Whenever hubby goes back for seconds I know the recipe is a hit and blog worthy. Thanks Babe for once again inspiring me to try new things!

Bruschetta with Roasted Feta Cheese

Ingredients:

6 – 7 Roma tomatoes

2 cloves of peeled garlic

1 small French baguette sliced

1 block of feta cheese

1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves removed and chopped

¼ cup olive oil + 2 tbsp

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp dried basil

½ tsp Kosher salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

pinch chipotle seasoning

pinch red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut tomatoes in half and remove seeds. Chop tomatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup of olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, balsamic glaze and Parmesan cheese. Stir to mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate the flavors for 30 minutes.

Place block of feta cheese in the center of a small baking dish and place garlic cloves in one corner of the dish. In a small bowl mix together 2 tbsp olive oil, rosemary, red pepper flakes and chipotle seasoning. Drizzle mixture over the feta cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and smash the garlic. Let the cheese cool slightly.

Turn oven up to 400 degrees. Place sliced bread on a rimmed cookie sheet and brush with a little olive oil. Place cookie sheet into the oven and brown the bread on each side. Remove from the oven.

Combine the cooled feta and garlic with the tomatoes then top each bread slice with a little of the mixture. Serve immediately.