I can’t remember where the idea for this recipe came from, but I’m glad it came to me.
Maybe it goes something like this: Gary and I were talking about bruschetta last week and how much we liked it, and how some folks like to add chunks of avocado to it. Then I remembered a restaurant in TX that I ate at frequently, like 15 years ago, that had awesome bruschetta and their secret ingredient was an avocado spread. Sounds pretty good, right? You know what makes it even better? Bruschetta, with avocado spread, topped with a slice of melted provole. Yupperdoodles!
You know how bruschetta is kinda messy and falls out everywhere? Well this one doesn’t. The avocado spread and cheese keep those tomatoes in their place!
It’s pretty easy. Toasting the bread up without burning it is the hardest part. I burned the first round because I was using the broiler and multitasking which is not usually a good combo for Jenn. In round 2 I baked the bread which worked perfectly as it gave me time to prepare the other ingredients.
I don’t know about you, but I hate soggy bread! So I removed the seeds of my tomatoes to help reduce liquid.
After I mashed the avocado and seasoned it with a little salt and lime juice, I spread it on the toasty bread.
Then added the chopped tomato mixture. Then topped with deli provolone cut in half.
Then added the sliced deli provolone that I cut in half.
Then pop them in the broiler for 1 minute just to melt the cheese.
And I ate as I was taking pictures. Sometimes I just gotta!
About 2 hours later, with my bruschetta melts sitting on the counter, I decided to fry an egg and add it to the top of 2 pieces. That explains why my avocado isn’t as vibrant. Avocado gets icky pretty quickly. But it was still amazing!
- ½ of a 1 lb. loaf of French Bread
- 3 Tbsps. butter, soft
- pinch of garlic powder or garlic granules
- 4 roma/plum tomatoes, seeded, diced
- ⅓ cup red onion, minced
- 2 tsps. (4 cloves) garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 Tbsps. e.v. olive oil
- 2 tsps. balsamic vinegar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ⅛ tsp. black pepper
- 1 ripe avocado, pitted mashed
- 2 tsps. lime juice
- ¼ tsp. cayenne (optional)
- ⅛ tsp. salt.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place rack in the middle.
- Slice the bread in half, then slice in 1 inch thick pieces. I used French bread, not baguette for this, so the bread is bigger.
- Put 3 Tbsps. butter on a plate and microwave 15 seconds to soften and season with a pinch of garlic powder or granules.
- Butter both sides of each slice of bread and place on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until toasty. I flipped each piece and rearranged a couple of the pieces 7 minutes into baking.
- Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and give a gentle stir.
- In another bowl, mash the avocado with a spoon and mix in the lime juice and salt.
- When the bread is done, allow it to cool 5 minutes.
- Spread the mashed avocado on each slice of bread, placing each piece back on the sheet.
- Turn broiler on.
- Top each piece of bread with the tomato mixture, draining a little bit of the liquid.
- Stack 6 slices of provolone on top of each other and cut in half.
- Top with a half slice of provolone.
- Broil 1 minute or until cheese melts. Do not walk away from the oven. Stay put and watch, so you don't burn these glorious pieces of heaven.
- Devour!
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