Easy Parmesan Cheese Crisps

Summer bloggin’ is a challenge when you want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time outside, especially with all those cookouts and parties.

So being a bit short on time this week I was looking for a quick snack and thought about the brick of Parmesan that laid at the bottom of my cheese bin.  As I gave it a good shred, I refused the urge to do what I typically do with cheese and use it as a topping.

Instead I placed the little piles on my baking tray and in no time, I had the best cheese cracker…ever.

Okay, since this is The Rooted Foodie, you know that isn’t the end of the story.

Cherry tomatoes were also staring back at me in my fridge impatiently waiting their turn.  So I popped them in to my oven to be the topping along with fresh basil from my garden.

Back to summer parties – these make great appetizers. I would double or triple the recipe because they will be gone in no time (just ask my husband).

Recipe

4 Ounces of shredded Parmesan cheese

Pint of cherry tomatoes

Black pepper

Basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add whole cherry tomatoes to nonstick baking pan and spray with nonstick spray. Bake for 30 minutes until tomatoes are charred and deflated. Let cool.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Add a tomatoes in rows on the baking pan leaving a couple of inches between each.  Take a spoonful of shredded cheese and pile over each tomato.  Bake for 5-7 minutes – watch carefully. You want them to be golden brown when you remove them from the oven.

Remove from oven and while warm, top with fresh ground pepper and basil. Let cool completely.

Hint: A drip or two of flavored balsamic vinegar would be a nice finish!