Skinny Pesto Pizza Crostini {Vegetarian}

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These easy, make-ahead Skinny Pesto Pizza Crostini will be the hit of the party. They’re perfect for the holiday season! Thank you to QSquared NYC for helping me to share this recipe with you.
Skinny Pesto Pizza Crostini...Great for a crowd! So easy that the kids can make these. 51 calories & 1 Weight Watcher PP | cookincanuck.com #recipe #appetizer #vegetarian

I was 23 years old and determined to throw a “grown-up” Christmas party. Luckily, my friends were game and humored me by dressing up in their Christmas best – guys in ties and dress pants, girls in dresses and skirts. There wasn’t a single non-glittery female eyelid in the crowd! Plenty of cocktails (okay, cheap beer and vodka with cranberry juice…hey, we were 23!) and a potluck that involved everything from brownies to bacon-wrapped water chestnuts.

Even then, I was a lover of anything savory and salty, so my contribution was a pizza crostini, straight from a family friend’s recipe. They were a hit and I found myself making batch after batch of them all night long. Seriously, I probably made about 150 of those things and my friends thought I was “the best cook ever” (spoken through a haze of cheap lager).

Skinny Pesto Pizza Crostini...Great for a crowd! So easy that the kids can make these. 51 calories & 1 Weight Watcher PP | cookincanuck.com #recipe #appetizer #vegetarian

The recipe has since disappeared in the abyss of my recipe box, so it was time to re-create it with a healthy twist. Out with the glug of Italian salad dressing and in with a helping of basil pesto, out with the handfuls of mozzarella and in with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top. And, of course, plenty of veggies and black olives. I just can’t do pizza without black olives. But if you’re not a fan, just leave them out.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make the topping ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to bake the crostini. I don’t know about you, but when I’m entertaining, I want to do as little prep as possible when my guests arrive so that I can actually spend time chatting and cheers-ing.

Skinny Pesto Pizza Crostini...Great for a crowd! So easy that the kids can make these. 51 calories & 1 Weight Watcher PP | cookincanuck.com #recipe #appetizer #vegetarian

Back in my 23-year old party hosting days, I raided my parents’ stash of serving dishes and appetizer plates. Now I have my own stash of dishes and some of my favorites are the ones you see in the photos, made by QSquared NYC (you may remember seeing some of their cool dishes when I made this salad). They are from their Peony collection, which includes everything from appetizer plates to serving bowls.

You’d never know it from looking at the pictures or from even looking at the dishes up close, but they are made of melamine. That means they are really sturdy, and perfect for entertaining both indoors and outdoors. Thankfully, all of QSquared products are BPA free, so you can feel comfortable using the dishes to feed family and friends.

Skinny Pesto Pizza Crostini...Great for a crowd! So easy that the kids can make these. 51 calories & 1 Weight Watcher PP | cookincanuck.com #recipe #appetizer #vegetarian

If you want to learn more about QSquared NYC and see some of their amazing collections of dishes (tons of different patterns), check out their site, or follow them on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

Other healthy appetizer recipes:

Healthy Appetizer Recipes | cookincanuck.com
Cookin’ Canuck’s Cinnamon Apple & Goat Cheese Crostini
Cookin’ Canuck’s Mini Brie & Pear Appetizer Quesadillas
Cook the Story’s Grilled Scallops, Butternut Squash & Basil Skewers
Sugar-Free Mom’s Healthy Kale Spinach Bacon Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Cook Like a Champion’s Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

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Skinny Pesto Pizza Crostini

Loading nutrition data...
Prep Time 12 mins
Cook Time 8 mins
Total Time 20 mins

These easy, make-ahead appetizers will be the hit of the party.

Yields Makes 24 crostini

Ingredients

  • 24 thin slices multigrain baguette, cut on diagonal
  • 1 Roma tomato, diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 16 black olives, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
  • 3 tbsp basil pesto
  • 6 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • Minced flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Place the baguette slices on a large baking sheet in a single layer.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir together the tomato, red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, black olives, garlic and parsley.
  4. Stir the pesto into the tomato mixture until combined.
  5. Scoop one rounded tablespoon of the mixture on each baguette slice. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over top.
  6. Bake until the cheese is starting to melt and the crostini are heated through, 7 to 8 minutes. Garnish with parsley. Serve.

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Recipe Notes

Weight Watcher Points: 1 (Points+), 1 (Old Points)

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by QSquared NYC. All opinions are my own.

 

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Comments

    • Dara says

      Nov 17, 2014 at 9:29 am

      Thanks, Lori! I figured that we all need a guilt-free appetizer here and there over the holidays. It makes up for all of the baked Brie. 🙂

      Reply

  2. Diana+M. says

    Nov 17, 2014 at 8:30 am

    That’s awesome that you had such a “grown-up” party in your early 20s! These crostini look like something I need to make over the holidays. Oh, and I love those dishes!

    Reply

  4. missyMops says

    Nov 17, 2014 at 9:23 am

    I have to make these for my family! I have a feeling they wouldn’t want to share them with guests. 🙂

    Reply

  7. Julia Martin says

    Nov 17, 2014 at 11:16 am

    Do you think this would work if I replaced some of the bell peppers with some sort of meat, like pepperoni or ham? And I love those dishes! Maybe my husband will buy me some for Christmas if I drop enough hints. 🙂

    Reply

    • Dara says

      Nov 17, 2014 at 11:40 am

      Julia, that would absolutely work! I’ve actually made them that way before and they were a big hit. And yes, definitely drop those hints because you’d love these dishes.

      Reply

  9. Amanda Paa says

    Nov 17, 2014 at 11:31 am

    sometimes old favorites can’t beat! i love the fact that you can part of the recipe ahead of time. and it’s got flavors that i know everyone would love.

    Reply

  15. cristina says

    Nov 17, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    These crostinis are vibrant and beautifully presented – who wouldn’t want to grab several of these when they’re so colorful and decked with healthy, tasty ingredients. This will be perfect during the holidays to also serve for my vegan sister (and her vegetarian family!). 🙂

    Reply

  21. Heather | girlichef says

    Nov 17, 2014 at 5:04 pm

    You’re right, I wouldn’t have guessed these were melamine. They’re very good looking! And these crostini are the perfect little nibbles. I do love that you can mix it all up in advance.

    Reply

  29. Erin+@+Texanerin+Baking says

    Nov 18, 2014 at 2:45 am

    When this page was loading, my first thought honestly was, “Cool plate! I wonder if it’d be okay to ask her where she got it from…”

    The crostini looks wonderful! Love that it’s on the healthier side. 🙂

    Reply

  31. Kim+(Feed+Me,+Seymour) says

    Nov 18, 2014 at 6:17 am

    Ah, the things we did at 23… 🙂 But this pizza crostini is brilliant so I can see why it was a huge hit then and still now. Can’t wait to make it for our big NYE bash! We do a fried food fest every year, indulging and eating junk before the big New Year’s Resolution purge. I think these will definitely make the menu as a lighter, fresher option.

    Reply

  33. Carla says

    Nov 18, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    Just the other day I had a basil pesto pizza and the crust was ahh-mazing. Since it takes awhile to make homemade dough, I like your shortcut with the crostini. Party food? More like dinner 😉

    Reply

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