This showstopping Ricotta Crostini with Bacon is an easy, make-ahead appetizer. Store-bought ricotta is topped with crispy bacon and drizzled with a touch of honey. So easy! Especially easy to throw down 12 at a time like it’s your JOB. Originally published November 7, 2014.
Table of Contents
Yesterday I was helping Charlotte buckle her seatbelt when suddenly she yelled, “Mom, I can do teamwork ALL BY MYSELF.”
Whoa. Point taken. I will sit back and watch you take care of that teamwork all by yourself.
Speaking of solitary teamwork, I’m in charge of organizing Thanksgiving this year. I’m not really sure how this happened. It’s like I was the last man standing. That part in the army-montage song on Mulan where everybody steps back from Captain Shang aiming the arrow except her? Kinda like that, except less hot cartoon characters, more agonizing over stuffing recipes. It’s like people think I’m into food or something.
My parents are in Vietnam for all of November. For realsies. Now that both my parents are retired, they are traveling fiends. Which was the plan all along. My Dad is crazy about traveling. In the past few years, they’ve been to Costa Rica, Turkey, Italy, Egypt, Peru, Germany…pretty awesome, right?
They deserve it. Growing up, we drove a nasty station wagon (dubbed “White Lightning”), were fanatical about turning off lights to save electricity, and when we went out to fast food, we would come home and spread it all out on our kitchen table, drinking homemade juice instead of soda to save cash. My parents can travel now because they wore sweaters at home in the winter. I have mad respect for them. Also, I’m wearing a sweater in my 68-degree house at the moment. Italy, here I come! In about 40 years.
Anyway, the point is that my parents get back right before Turkey Day, so I have to put on my big girl pants and Figure Stuff Out. Luckily, this means lots of Thanksgiving recipes are coming to a blog near you.
Including these awesome Bacon Ricotta Crostini. You guys ready for this? Welcome to the easiest Thanksgiving appetizer ever: just toast, ricotta…
You’ll LOVE these ricotta crostini
…and BACON. Drizzle it with some honey, and you’ve got yourself the easiest and most make-aheadable appetizer everrr. Give your guests something to snack on so that you don’t feel pressure while they wait for that turkey to finish up.
These are my new favorite things, you guys. I didn’t know it was possible to consume nearly a pound of ricotta single-handedly. But I think I managed it. Teamwork. ALL BY MYSELF.
Key ingredients
- Ricottaaaa. Feel free to make your own, by the way. I’ve heard it’s easy. Having drippy cheesecloth lying around my kitchen doesn’t sound easy to me, though, so I’m sticking with the tub for now. I kind of like the igloo shape it makes anyway.
- Buy thick-cut bacon. I get mine from the butcher in my grocery store. I sliced it the long way first, then chopped it up.
How to make ricotta crostini with bacon
For the crispiest crostini, brush both sides of each baguette slice with olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper, and bake until they’re lightly toasted but not overly browned. They’ll crisp up even more as they cool.
Chop up the bacon before you cook it.
Doing this will mean you’ll get little bits of smoky, crispy bacon goodness in every bite.
Cook it until nice and crispy, then drain on a paper towel.
Give your ricotta a good stir before spreading on the crostini.
Top with bacon bites. Don’t skip the final drizzle of honey. It might sound unexpected, but that touch of sweetness is what brings this all together.
How to store crostini
These crostini are best enjoyed fresh, since the toasted bread will soften once it’s topped with ricotta. If you do have leftovers, store the assembled crostini in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
You can make this ahead of time. For the best texture and results, store everything separately. Store the toasted crostini in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, the cooked bacon in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, and the ricotta mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then put it all together just before serving.
If you find that your crostini have lost their crunch, warm the plain toasted bread in a 350°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes before assembling. The bacon can be briefly reheated in a skillet or microwave if you’d like it warm.
Can I freeze leftovers?
Not really. The assembled crostini don’t freeze well. However, you can freeze the cooked bacon for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and re-crisp it in a skillet before serving.
Ricotta Crostini with Bacon (Easy Appetizer!)
Ingredients
- 1 baguette, long
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 15 ounces ricotta, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon
- honey
- pepper, freshly cracked
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Use a serrated knife to cut the baguette into about 30 slices.
- Use a pastry brush to coat each side of the slices with olive oil. I actually sprayed mine because I have an olive oil mister. Sprinkle salt and pepper over one or both sides of the slices.
- Spread the bread out onto a large baking sheet, not overlapping. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip each toast. Bake for another 3-4 minutes. It’s okay if they are not browned. Let the toasts cool for a few minutes.
- Finely chop the raw bacon. Cook it in a heavy skillet until it is crispy, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the ricotta to a medium bowl and stir until smooth. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, if you want. (This is optional)
- When the toasts are cool enough to handle, add a dollop of ricotta to the center of each toast. Top with a sprinkle of bacon.
- Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and more salt, if desired. Drizzle with a little bit of honey. Don’t eat all of them yourself.
Notes
Nutrition
More bacon appetizers you´ll love
Recipes for Dinner
Jalapeño Popper Cheesy Bread with Bacon
Meat & Seafood Recipes
Cheesy Bacon Ranch Puffs
Appetizers, Dips & Snacks
Bacon Blue Cheese Dip
Recipes for Dinner
Just a quick question, do I cook the bacon then chop it up or chop it up and then cook it? The directions are different than pictures. Whats the better way?
Hey Victoria! You can do it either way, it doesn’t matter. I prefer to chop first most of the time.
I added a bit of parm cheese and garlic powder to the ricotta… and WOW
Oh. my. gosh. That’s genius!!! Love it Allie, I’m so trying that next time! Yum. Thanks for commenting!
You want someone on your team? I’m totally into planning Thanksgiving! I’ve been begging my family to come here for two years, but they seem to think the two golden retrievers wouldn’t get along with the cats. Pshhhht.
PS. You said bacon and stole my heart.
YES BE ON MY TEAM!!! ps I totally think Artichoke and Aioli could take on a couple measly golden retrievers.
Ricotta crostini is a favorite around these parts. My family is constantly asking for the little toasts topped with cheese and tomatoes. That’s what they call them, “little toasts.” I really need to correct them. It’s crostini. Let’s be fancy about it, family. Anyway, I’m totally jealous of your parents. I might fit in their luggage ;) Love this delicious appetizer!
Haha, okay, I think I’m guilty of calling them little toasts sometimes too. I’ll think of you next time I do and stop myself :)
Whoa – thats awesome that your parents are doing all that! Love these appetizers. I mean, really – bread + cheese + bacon. It had to happen.
yes, bread cheese bacon! How can you go wrong? :)
This is my kind of eats! I’m happy your parents are getting to live it up and explore the world. You’ll do great hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and I cannot wait to read all about it. Enjoy a restful weekend, Karen :)
Thanks Lee! Happy Thanksgiving!!
I love ricotta!!! for me, bacon + ricotta is like a match made in heaven. delicious!! I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year as well, which means I am also in charge of the menu. . which is a good and bad thing because I can’t decide on some recipes right now. . and if I had my way, we’d be eating like 35 different things but that’s not gonna happen! :P oh well, my sister and mom will be helping! You can do it! and think of how much your parents will love that you organized and made Thanksgiving dinner all by yourself?!
I know Alice I’m totally torn between wanting to make All the Things and then feeling overwhelmed and thinking “we’re doing box everything this year. box stuffing, box potatoes, BOX TURKEY.” Don’t worry I don’t think it will come to that. Good luck with your T-day!!
Charlotte is so cute! She sounds a lot like me when I was little. I wanted to do everything by myself. Even pushing the grocery cart, even thought I would have to walk on my tip toes to reach it. These crostini’s sound delicious! Especially since there’s bacon on there. So happy you drizzled them with honey! I love salty and sweet. Good luck organizing Thanksgiving! You’ll do great! Even though the thought of that has me getting butterflies in my stomach! Eeek! The pressure!
Your mom should have been shopping at Trader Joe’s so that you could wield a tiny toddler cart that is designed to crush other shopper’s toes. EVERYONE WOULD LOVE YOU.
Me too! Me too! I am *SO* good at teamwork all by myself!!
These look SO GOOD. We have a long tradition in my family of eating dinner WAY too late, which we attempt to remedy by putting out lots of snacks: nuts, olives, those terrible vegetable chips that my mom forgets are STILL-FRIED-JUST-GET-ME-DORITOS-GOSH. Instead, I’m making THESE. And that parmesan-crusted goat cheese ball I scrolled by on my way down to the comments. It’s gonna be a Food Charlatan Thanksgiving over here!
Hahaha I love that your mom buys vegetable chips. Some brands are okay and others are SO BAD so I can see why you would be begging for doritos.
Okay now that you say that…these would probably be even more awesome and breakfasty if you drizzled maple syrup on top. WHAT! yes let’s try this.
Omigod…wait. Gosh. My son has me on restriction. Omigod is not allowed to be said in the house. But goodness! Bacon and honey are my favorite things. It’s like dipping your bacon in maple syrup. It should be wrong but it’s so good. These look fabulous. and easy which is awesome :)
Yum!! Don’t you love things that not only taste good, but are easy too? :)
YES! Especially when it comes to making appetizers. Like, I’m already making dinner, and you want a complicated appetizer TOO?? :)
I’d totally take eating these as a job. I mean, it sounds like quite the hardship, but I’m a team player and all.
These look out of this world, Karen! Pinned!
Thanks for taking one for the team Melanie! MVP award right here. :)
I came here for the amazing appetizer you made but also got a good unexpected laugh. :) I am going to have to make some of these asap, there is so much goodness in one easy bite!
Thanks Danielle! It is pretty great having so many awesome things in one bite :) Especially when that bite includes bacon.
This sounds SO good. And I actually make ricotta cheese, so i can use homemade!
You’re awesome for making your own Lauralynn! My best friend has been trying to convince me that homemade ricotta is super easy and delicious. I need to jump on the homemade train.