I think I’ve been holding out on you! Yup. With these little Cheesy Toasts. These beautiful little Cheesy Toasts. They’re great with soup (like my Broccoli Cheese Soup I made a while back) but they are a perfect little party appetizer, too.

Cheesy Toasts

Simple, quick (and pretty frugal) Cheesy Toasts will go like wildfire at a party. Just make up a tray (or two or however many you need) ahead of time and pop them in the oven when you are ready.

About Cheesy Toasts:

I don’t recall how these toasts came about. It seems like I’ve been making them (as well as my family’s Garlic Toasts with Parmesan) for ages and ages. About as long as I can remember and I’m pretty sure my Mom came up with them originally. And I’m pretty sure there were slices of green olives stuffed with pimentos sprinkled on top. Mom, what were you thinking?

You can forgo the olives and forge ahead unless you’re wild about the idea. I wasn’t as a kid and I’m not now.  🙂 Basically, Cheesy Toasts are just baguettes cut into slices, toasted, then topped with cheese, and popped back in the oven at a higher temperature until all hot and melty. There’s a little more to it, but you get the idea.

Creamy dreamy Broccoli Cheese soup – 15 minute Instant Pot recipe.

Making Cheesy Toasts:

The recipe is super easy; the main takeaway is that you do need to watch your toasts as the bake, both in the initial baking to make the little toasts and the final baking to melt the cheese. When making the toasts, once they start to brown, they go fast! Don’t let it catch you unawares.

This is a great recipe to set up assembly line style. Have everything ready and work from left to right or right to left and do each step in order for all your toasts rather than finishing one up and then going on to the next.

Options:

You can pretty much choose whatever single cheese or combinations of cheese you’d like. I highly recommend something very ‘melty’ along with a little something that packs a bit of a punch.

I have a love/hate relationship with “recipes” like that! How about you? I love that it feels like you’ve got all the freedom in the world to “make it your own” but I’m also a fan of tried and true. To make it easy, I’ve given you some options/examples below, in the recipe, although you don’t have to stick with just them.

If you’d like to do so, you can sprinkle the Cheesy Toast with an herb or two or some type of spice blend just to ante up on that flavor. The link takes you to my main menu of spice and herb blends.

Storing and Reheating:

To prevent any condensation that could lead to sogginess, place your cheesy toasts in a container and add it to the fridge. Once the toasts are cool, cover them. They’ll be ok for several days but once leftover they’re never quite the same.

Reheating in the oven (400 for several minutes) or an air fryer are your best bets. The microwave in a pinch, or just eating them cold are other options.

Creamy dreamy Broccoli Cheese soup – 15 minute Instant Pot recipe. With Cheesy Toasts.

Saving Money on Cheesy Toasts:

Now, you know I’m all about the savvy savings, so let’s dive right into ways to save on these Cheesy Toasts.

Baguette:

There’s no doubt that in most areas of the country you might have trouble finding a baguette at a decent price. And it’s often something that if you buy, you need to use right away as it doesn’t hold well. There are some options:

• Bake your own: These days there are all kinds of easy, no-knead options.
• Use stale: As long as the baguette isn’t too hard to cut through, this recipe is a great way to “save” a baguette that might have been sitting a bit too long. See below how to revive a baguette.
• Take & Bake: These can be a little pricy but I often see them sold at a discount if they haven’t been sold in the first couple of days.

Reviving a Baguette:

• This is courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated.
• To revive a baguette, run it quickly under cold water, wrap tightly in foil. Place in a cold oven and turn to 300 degrees F. Remove after 15 to 20 minutes, unwrap, and place back in oven. It can go right on the rack. Leave to crisp for about 5 minutes.

Mayonnaise:

This is really a seasonal product! Not in the traditional sense of the word, but as far as price. Finding a great price is usually about knowing the best time to buy.

• Look for the best pricing before summer holidays; If you miss that time period, you’ll usually have a “Hail Mary” before the super bowl.
• To see what might be on sale during any “food” holiday, check my post, Win at the Grocers. There will be clickable links on the bottom of the page to what’s on sale for each holiday.

Cheese:

You can pretty much spend as little or as much on cheese as you’d like. I use a combo of cheeses which helps to bring home the flavor and keep the budget in line. If you’re interested in putting cheesy toasts on the table on a budget here are some hints:

• Regular block (and in a block is best for melting) grocery store cheese has come a long way. It’s what I use for the base of these toasts. Cheese, wrapped from the store keeps for weeks and weeks and can be frozen in a pinch. If frozen it becomes crumbly and is better for things like casseroles. There is no reason not to pick it up at a low because sales happen constantly. When it drops to rock bottom, which is usually once a quarter, stock up!
• Near Deli Cheese (as I call it because it is usually near the Deli) complements the base cheese and a little zip or a little bite depending on what you use. There is a specific strategy for buying. Often there are hang tags offering a dollar amount off a cheese or cheese brand, and these are often out long before a good sale. Grab them. When a good sale happens, check your hang tag coupons and check the producer’s website as well as a coupon site. Many sales are buy one, get one free or buy one, get one half off. Most stores allow you to apply a coupon to both packages of cheese. You can see how the saving can multiply. Even if you don’t have coupons, do buy extra when there is a great sale.

Cheesy Toasts

Cheesy Toasts

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• Author: mollie kirby

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 baguette (look for long & skinny)
• several tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise (you may need a little more if your cheese spread seams dry)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon
• freshly ground black pepper to taste (1/4 teaspoon?)
• pinch cayenne
• 3/4 cup grated “Melty” cheese; Cheddar, Jack, Mozzarella, etc.
• 1/4 cup grated or crumbled “Sharp” cheese: bleu cheese, Parmesan, Asiago, etc.
• 1 tablespoon honey, optional
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, green onion, chives, or other herb of choice

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Instructions

Prepare the baguette slices:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the baguette diagonally into 1/4-inch slices. You should have 20 to 25 slices. Place the slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Toast bread slices, rotating baking sheet from front to back and flipping slices halfway through baking, until toasts are golden brown and crispy, about 10-12 minutes.

Cooled toasts can be kept at room temperature in Ziploc bags up to overnight.

Prepare cheese topping:

Combine mayonnaise, Dijon, pepper, and cayenne in medium-sized bowl and whisk to blend. Mix in cheeses; season with salt if desired. Add honey if using.

Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

To bake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place baguette slices on a baking sheet or on a rack over a baking sheet. Spread 1 generous tablespoon cheese mixture on each bread slice. Bake until cheese topping starts to bubble and brown, about 10 minutes.

Transfer toasts to large platter and serve.

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I’ll be posting this recipe at Fiesta Friday #202, hosted this week by Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju.com and Laurena @ Life Diet Health.