Why I love Beets!
How to make Beet Bruschetta
For faster cooking, cut beets in half.
TIP: When selecting beets at the market, choose ones that are similar in size and no bigger than a tennis ball.
Cook the beets, (roast, pressure cook, or steam),and rub off their skins under running water. Dice finely.
Finely dice red onion or shallot – which gives the bruschetta a little flavor and texture. Remember to cut finely!
Basil brings this all together. To make basil ribbons, stack basil leaves and roll up tight, then thinly slice.
Mix some basil in the beet mixture and save some for the top.
Toast slices of baguette brushed with olive oil until golden and crisp.
Using the tip of a butter knife, make a little “trough” with the cheese, so the beet topping stays in place.
Place beet mixture in the center of the “trough”.
Top with the basil ribbons and serve on a rustic cutting board or white platter.
More Beet Recipes you may Enjoy
Beet Bruschetta with Goat Cheese and Basil
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 24 bruschetta 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: steamed
- Cuisine: Northwest
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Beet Bruschetta with Goat Cheese and Basil and simple delicious appetizer that is full of amazing flavor!
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets, (tennis ball sized) halved
- 1 baguette, sliced at a diagonal into 1/3-inch thick slices
- Olive oil for brushing bruschetta
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 10 basil leaves – cut into ribbons
- 1/8 cup finely diced red onion or shallot
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- In a medium put, cover halved beets with water and boil until just tender, about 20-30 minutes.
- In the meantime, slice baguette at a diagonal. Brush both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and place on a sheet pan in a 400 F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Set aside.
- Place cream cheese and goat cheese in a bowl and warm in a microwave until just soft enough to combine easily with a fork (20 seconds). ( I place the bowl in my toaster oven on low). Mix with a fork until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Feel free to add some fresh chopped herbs ( basil or parsley) Set aside.
- When beets are fork-tender, drain pot, refill with cold water and slip skins off the cooked beets under running cold water using your hands. Dice into very small 1/3-inch cubes and place in medium bowl.
- Add finely chopped onion, salt, pepper, maple, olive oil and balsamic -stir to combine. Taste, adjusting. You want this be flavorful and juicy.
- Assemble: Spread a little goat cheese mixture on each bruschetta creating a “trough” ( to hold beet mixture in place) and top with a Tablespoon of beet mixture. Garnish with a few basil ribbons. It’s really nice to serve when the goat cheese is still a touch warm. Serve on a white platter to show it off, or a rustic cutting board.
Notes
You can make all components ahead. Store beet relish and cheese mixture in the fridge. Store bruschetta on the counter, uncovered, resisting the urge to snack. 🙂
Assemble right before guests arrive, warming the cheese mixture just slightly so it’s spreadable – either in microwave, or in oven. Or leave it out on the counter for a couple hours beforehand to warm to room temp.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: one bruschetta
- Calories: 157
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 210.6 mg
- Fat: 4.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.9 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 6.9 mg
This was so good. Easy to prepare – prepped as advised and quick to finish when ready to serve. We had on the side with your celery soup. Yum. Brought us back to summer.
Sounds good Mary!
Great recipe! I love making it with fresh beets from my garden.
Thanks Amy! Garden beets are the best!
This is a wonderful recipe Sylvia! I had some roasted garlic which I slathered on the crisp baguette before the rest of the ingredients. It added a nice taste dimension. If not at hand the garlic could be roasted at the same time as crisping the baguette. I enjoy your weekly e-mail which gives me inspiration to ring the dining changes. Thank you!
Love it David! Glad you enjoyed.
Simple excellent recipe looks beautiful too
I don’t like goat cheese. Could I replace it with feta or ricotta cheese?
Yes, feta would work great. Cant picture ricotta here.
Absolutely delicious!!
I’ve made these so many times now and they never fail to impress!
They taste so good & look so pretty , wonderful recipe , Thankyou
Great to hear Lisa! Thanks so much~!
So easy & so yummy
Great to hear!
Very simple and pretty, but the cheese was a little bland. To do again, I would add fresh herbs to the cheese (or use an artisanal goat with herbs) or some roast garlic or blue cheese. I liked the basil, but it is so difficult to find good basil beyond summer, that next time I will go scandi with dill. Should play beautifully with the beets and creamy-milky cheese. I will make again—thanks for an unusual recipe. It looked lovely and was easy (and tidy) to eat.
Thanks Bri- I added some notes to the recipe. Appreciate this!
Delish! These were a hit at girls’ night.
I am trying this out tonight after work! It is making my mouth water!
Can this be made in advance?
They will get soggy. You could prep the components separately, then assemble right before.
Hi Sylvia,
I made this a few years ago for a small family celebration and it went down a treat, I loved how it looked and it tasted great! I’m about to make them again and wondered whether making the beetroot with the balsamic dressing a day ahead would be ok? Thanks, great recipe! 🙂
Of course! I think it would even taste better!
Great recipe! But the quote is by Howard Thurman!
Thanks, corrected it!
In all seriousness, I think this is the best appetizer I’ve ever made! My dinner party guests LOVED it.
I made these tonight. I made the mistake of buying plain canned beets instead of pickled beets. I drained the beets and pat them dry, then diced them. Used a full tube of basil paste. O. M. G. It was amazing. A fantastic recipe that I WILL be making again.
Hi Lynn, Glad you improvised and that it worked out!!!
I am making this tomorrow for a cocktail party. Hosts are low or non-carb, so I am going to use endive. What do you think?
It sounds perfect!
would canned beets ruin this?
Well, honestly I’ve never tried it! Give it a try and tell me what you think. I’m so curious!
A co-worker made these for our office holiday party and they were delicious. If you offered me goat cheese or beets I would pass the up but this was surprisingly good. A nice blend of flavor with nothing overpowering. I went right home to find this recipe and pinned it for something I plan on making myself. Thanks for this wonderful appetizer that has a nice presentation on the plate.
Thanks for the feedback…I’m so glad you liked it!!
This was amazing. And the great thing is that Costco has cooked beets in vacuum sealed packs. All you have to do is cut it up:)
Brillant- even easier! Glad you like it!
It looks delicious!
For this hot weather your delicious and simple bruschetta is perfect! I just bought a unique cream cheese knife or butter knife (from this fantastic website http://homegadgetsdaily.com/magic-butter-knife-unique-gadget-for-everyday/ ) Would highly recommend you guys. It’s amazing. Thank you for your recipe!
This is amazing! Seriously! I’m so in love with this stuff– I did a link back feature on my blog about it– thanks for sharing this amazing recipe– keep them coming! http://blog.confessionsofanewoldhomeowner.com/2014/03/beet-bruchetta.html
This looks so delicious. I have beets coming in our produce box this week and I can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Fantastic!
Absolutely beautiful. I love beets and this looks easy and festive. I just happen to have a board similar to yours. You have inspired me Sylvia.