20 Minute Cheesy Caprese Pesto Tarts

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20 Minute Cheesy Caprese Pesto Tarts

a photo of a golden crispy pesto puff pastry bite topped with a balsamic glaze and fresh basil

I don’t know about you, but I adore appetizers, especially around the holidays. We make these 20 minute cheesy caprese pesto tarts all the time!

It’s easy to make a savory appetizer with puff pastry for gatherings and using a few key ingredients will make it taste like you’ve been in the kitchen for hours. Which is my favorite thing, make people think I’ve worked harder than I did.

We’ve done a whole post on pesto, how to make pesto, how to store pesto, how to freeze pesto, how to keep pesto green, how long pesto keeps, and we have plenty of recipes that use pesto which we will link up to at the bottom of the post. So, refer back to that post if you need to read up on pesto.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Fisher Nuts, however all opinions remain our own.

What Do I Need to Make Pesto Tarts?

Here is a quick rundown of all the ingredients you’ll need. The measurements for everything can be found by scrolling down to the recipe card below.

For the Pesto

  • Basil: you can make your own fresh pesto (highly recommend!) or go with store-bought pesto to save time
  • Garlic: fresh whole cloves
  • Fisher Walnuts: We use walnuts instead of pine nuts to really push that more nutty flavor in this pesto.
  • Olive Oil: make sure it is extra virgin for the best flavor
  • Parmesan Cheese: adds flavor
  • Lemon Zest and Juice: adds a bright pop of freshness and helps keep the basil green
  • Salt: enhances all the flavors

For the Tarts

  • Puff Pastry: We use store bought puff pastry because hello, who has time to make that from scratch?
  • Grape Tomatoes: You can half them or leave them whole depending on the size.
  • Mozzarella Cheese: grab a block of good quality cheese and cube it, it melts so perfectly!
  • Black Pepper: adds flavor

Tips About Walnuts

Just as with our classic pesto, the secret to really great flavor is in toasting the nuts and garlic. Walnuts, when fresh are not bitter like you may believe. Instead they have a sweetness to them and with that robust garlic it really makes for a great pesto.

The pesto we will make today is a little different as it uses Fisher Nuts Walnuts. We did a random sampling and Fisher Nuts were preservative free, tasted the most fresh and not bitter since they weren’t past their date of freshness.

Did you know that? That good fresh walnuts taste juicy, nutty and sweet? To store walnuts, I keep mine in the blue bag we buy them in as the dark colored bag actually is best to keep them fresh, then we place them in the kitchen cupboard as light degrades the oils.

The BEST Caprese Salad with Pistachios

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The BEST Caprese Salad with Pistachios

a photo of a caprese salad spread over a serving tray consisting of tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, a balsamic drizzle and salt and pepper.

The BEST caprese salad with pistachios recipe is right here! There’s nothing like finding a good recipe for fresh from the garden tomatoes.

This caprese salad is so light and refreshing and oooooooooohhhhhhhh so wonderful during the summer when you can pick the tomatoes straight from your garden. I had no idea tomatoes could even be that delicious until I tried my first homegrown tomato. It’s like a totally different thing. Am I right, gardeners?!

We love pistachios too and threw some on top of this pretty salad one night and we both found ourselves digging for the pistachios which could only mean one thing, they were meant to be. That added crunch is molto buono!

Recommended Equipment

Before You Begin…

Slice your tomatoes nice and thick! I love a meaty bite of garden fresh tomato! And slice your mozzarella into thick slices too.

What is a Caprese Salad?

Caprese salad is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt and olive oil.

Ingredients for Caprese Salad

Have I ever told you we love caprese salad? No? Well, we do. Like, a lot. Especially when it has a really nice balsamic vinegar (not the cheapest no name stuff at the store). And even more so when it’s the best caprese salad with pistachios. Here is everything you will need…

  • Tomatoes: heirloom or vine ripe tomatoes
  • Mozzarella: it has to be fresh!
  • Pistachios: shelled and either lightly salted or no salt added
  • Basil: fresh leaves only
  • Olive Oil: you’ll only need a drizzle but a good quality oil will make all the difference
  • Balsamic Vinegar: go for a higher quality vinegar or even a balsamic glaze
  • Salt and Pepper: just for a little extra flavor

The measurements and details for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

What Kind of Mozzarella is Best for Caprese Salad?

You absolutely have to use fresh mozzarella to get the full caprese experience! The part skim or low moisture mozzarella, while cheaper, is saltier and won’t grab on to the flavors like fresh mozzarella does. You can get the fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini) if you want, but we love the big hunks of a block of fresh mozz.

If you absolutely need a substitute, then burrata will be your best bet.

What Type of Tomatoes are Best for Caprese Salad?

If you have access to fresh tomatoes straight from the garden, then go with those! Get some at a farmers market or maybe your neighbor! They just can’t be beat!

If store bought is your only option, then go with vin

Classic Margherita Pizza Recipe

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Classic Margherita Pizza Recipe

My go-to pizza at all pizza restaurants is a margherita. It’s my favorite…hands down. Logically I had to create my own classic margherita pizza recipe that rivals the pies I had in Italy.

I honestly feel like you can judge how legit a pizza place is on how good their margherita is. If they can’t make a good marg…pizza in it’s most simple, pure form…then I have little hope for any of their other ‘zas. Might be harsh, but it has worked for me so far!

The crust in this recipe is a Neopolitan crust which means that it is thin. We love it thin and chewy. This pizza crust recipe is flawless and the perfect compliment to the simple and delicate but bold flavor of a margherita pizza.

homemade margherita pizza with fresh basil leaves

Ingredients for a Margherita Pizza Recipe

Recipes that are amazing have to be complicated and have a grocery list a mile long, right? Wrong! The crust has just 5 ingredients, the sauce has 2, and for the toppings, there are 3. It really couldn’t be more simple! Here is what you will need:

Dough:

  • Baker’s flour (or 00 flour): essential to getting that chewy crust you want in a pizza, see section below for more details
  • Water: it needs to be warm (105-115 degrees F) to activate the yeast properly
  • Sea Salt: go for fine grain, adds flavor to the crust
  • Sugar: feeds the yeast
  • Instant Yeast: don’t use active dry yeast

Sauce:

  • San Marzano Tomatoes: you can use crushed, whole, diced…whatever you can find…it all ends up in the blender
  • Sea Salt: adds flavor to the sauce

Toppings:

  • Fresh Mozzarella: you can use as much or as little of the cheese as you want
  • Fresh Basil: I like to leave the leaves whole and scatter them over th

The Secret to Better Italian Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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The secret to this Better Italian Stuffed Peppers recipe isn’t anything crazy, so why does no one do it? I guess it took a hater of stuffed peppers to make the magic happen.

a photo of a baking dish full of stuffed pepper covered in melted cheese.

Motherhood with Joy

My friend recently had her little boy in the hospital with a bad case of pneumonia. Anytime a child, especially one that’s still a young toddler ends up in the hospital, my heart lurches into the reality of time and love. It seems only yesterday and somehow a million years ago that I was lying in a hospital fighting to survive along with an unborn baby doing the same thing, but at my own expense. I lack an awful lot in life, certainly when it comes to parenting, but times like these always remind me of one thing, and I hope it will make sense to say it, at least I’m here.

I may not make perfect decisions or respond to situations perfectly, but oh how I perfectly ache to be a good mother. To remember to love them and to strive a little more to extend that love to those outside of my home. As I honor the gift of motherhood I find myself wondering, what is the secret to motherhood with joy?

My friend’s son made it out of a much longer stay in the hospital than expected. She had so much on her plate and could have lost faith in tomorrow, in medicine, even in God, but she continued on, giving all she could muster each day for him.

I guess that’s it. All I can do it strive each day to begin again and remember that though tempted to lose faith in many things, myself, people and the world, God never loses faith in those things. Maybe I won’t end up with adult children that think I was the best mom, but maybe they will think I was trying to love them. Maybe that’s enough. Just to try to love.

 

Grilled Corn and Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

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Grilled Corn and Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

It’s one of my favorite quick dinner ideas for summer – grilled corn and roasted tomato pesto pasta is so fresh and ready in just 15 minutes!

When you find something that the whole family will eat, you make it in every form possible! By some miracle, all my kids will eat pesto. PESTO! Of all the things! I’m not complaining because pesto is life!

We have pesto pizza, pesto paninis, pesto veggies, pesto chicken pasta, and even pesto tarts! See…all forms possible and every one is so delish!

This recipe is so tasty with a little smokiness from the roasted tomatoes and grilled corn. I love the addition of the bocconcini for the creaminess and added protein. It’s also healthy and so satisfying!

a photo of a bowl full of pesto pasta topped with grilled corn, mozzarella balls and roasted tomatoes.

What Ingredients Go in Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta?

This ingredients list is simple and so yum! You’ll need the ingredients for homemade pesto and then just a few other items to get this recipe on the table. Here is your list:

  • Pine Nuts
  • Garlic
  • Basil
  • Olive Oil
  • Tomatoes
  • Grilled Corn
  • Parmesan (fresh)
  • Sea Salt
  • Pepper
  • Penne
  • Bocconcini

The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

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