Roasted Cheesy Tomato Bites

I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the store to get stuff for Caprese salad, only to come home with every ingredient but the mozzarella. I don't know why that one ingredient is so hard for me to remember, particularly because I tend to spend a lot of time in the cheese aisle. The good news, though, is that I have an incredible go-to backup.  These roasted tomato slices topped with Parmesan are oh-so-good and so easy. And topped with fresh basil and balsamic make them pretty, too. Great roasted in the winter, grilled in the summer. Plus if you sprinkle the cheese recklessly enough, some of it lands outside the tomatoes and melts into perfect chewy little cheese bites that you can snack on in your free time (see photo above. lots of cheese bites).


Recipe

• About 8 medium/small tomatoes on the vine (I used Campari)
• Olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
• Balsamic glaze (store bought)
• 6-8 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange thick-cut tomato slices on a greased baking sheet (I had about 20 slices). Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt.  Roast tomatoes for about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle parmesan on top, then roast for about 3-5 minutes more, until melted.  Let cool for several minutes, then transfer to your serving dish.  Drizzle with balsamic glaze and chopped basil.  I buy my balsamic glaze and it is THE BEST pantry staple (Caprese sandwiches, caprese salads, caprese flatbreads, I could go on...)...but you can also make your own by simmering balsamic vinegar until it reduces into a thick glaze.