You Don't Need The Bread For This Healthy Snack

July 5, 2011 8 Comments

The local tomatoes are beginning to roll in around here and Snack Girl is happy. I will be even HAPPIER when they start to ripen in my garden.

Man, you have to be patient to grow a garden! I have tomatoes growing now, but nowhere near ready to eat.

So, I went and bought some tomatoes because I can't wait any longer and I came up with a new way to eat them. I bought a jar of pesto and used it like mayonnaise!

Yes, just stuck my knife in the jar and spread it all over slices of tomato and ate it. So good!

In case you don't know, pesto consists of basil, nuts, and garlic blended with olive oil and cheese. It is super easy to make if you have a ton of basil around the house, and it does taste great fresh.

I can hear my Italian chef buddy right now yelling at me for advocating for purchased pesto.

But, I would argue, pesto keeps really well in a jar!

You can find jars of pesto next to the other pasta sauces (usually up high on the shelf) and I think they are pretty good. Pesto is great on pasta, pizza, or mixed into salad dressing. Try spreading it on a sandwich.

What makes this snack work is that you have added a bit of fat and protein to the tomato. Eating it with a fork (like a steak) slows you down as you munch through all the amazing flavors.

This would make a great side salad or even a party snack (if you can figure out how to serve it as finger food). Maybe you just hand out a lot of napkins.

What is your favorite way to serve tomatoes?

Tomato and Pesto Snack Recipe

1.6 from 24 reviews

(serves 1)

Print Pin

Ingredients

1 tomato
1 tablespoon prepared pesto
salt (optional)

Instructions

Slice tomato with serrated knife. Spread pesto on all the slices of tomato and sprinkle with salt. Eat with a knife and fork.

Nutrition Facts

86 calories, 7.1 g fat, 3.9 g carbohydrates, 2.3 g protein, 1.2 g fiber, 238 mg sodium, 2 Points+

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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8 Comments:

It's so easy to grow tomatoes and basil ... so, my favorite tomato dish is:
Tomato, basil, Mozzarella, with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (refreshing and delicious)... Here's a pic: http://bit.ly/iDb9aa
Speaking of tomatoes, if you haven't read the new book Tomatoland, check out the interview with the author: http://bit.ly/mqpk9O - No doubt, you'll want to grow your own after listening to this interview.

Ken Leebow

These sound easy and delicious! I think I will try grilling the tomatoes a bit with our chicken and asparagus for dinner...yumm! Come on dinnertime!

This combo is rockin. Try cutting a piece of whole grain bread in half, toast it and put the tomato and pesto on the bread. Its a great sandwich. Some also add fresh mozz on the sandwich, but I like the pesto flavor so much I don't want to take away from it with cheese.

Jason

Mmmmm this looks delish! I love tomatoes (I've been known to slice one up, add a pinch of salt and eat the whole baby in one sitting) and this looks like an awesome flavour combo. Tomato = Mmmm. Pesto = MMmmM. Tomato + Pesto = MMMMMM

Kelly

If you want to serve these as a finger food, you could always try using grape or cherry tomatoes and just slicing them in half and spreading the pesto on.

Anna

How about tomato with garlic scape pesto? Mmmmmm!

Angi MW

I need the bread OR a cracker

Kay

I had leftover pesto in a jar the next time I made an Italian meal I made homemade garlic bread (garlic paste or crushed mixed with butter) Last time I added some of the pesto and less of my butter garlic mixture. It looked pretty and tasted great :)

Elissa