7 Delicious Dinner Toasts That Will Make Your Week Easier

We love to break it to you: Toast isn’t just for breakfast anymore.

When you’re almost due for a grocery haul but still have a trickle of ingredients idling in the fridge and maybe half a loaf of bread left, make dinner toast. Think of the bread as a blank canvas for your culinary creativity, using it as an edible utensil for salad, roasted vegetables, dips, and more.

For the party of one dinner, with constant iCal alerts and distractions, these toasts are easy enough to make between events. And they’re stocked with a variation of toppings to satisfy any craving on the scale of sweet to savory.

The recipes make one serving, but can easily be doubled, in case of a second-helpings crave or if you have a "special guest" at your dining table. For seven ways to eat toast for dinner, check out the recipes after the break.

1. Avocado Tahini Mash Toast

Elevate everyone’s favorite brunch choice to the dinner plate by inviting more flavors to the table. Tahini, a paste made of roasted sesame seeds, enhances the creaminess of the mashed avocado. Top with thin cucumber ribbons for a cool juxtaposition to the spices that will add a depth to each bite.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 slice of country bread

½ Avocado

1 tablespoon Tahini

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 small cucumber

Directions

Pop the slice of bread into the toaster.

In a small bowl, combine avocado with tahini, garlic, paprika, cumin, pepper, and salt. Mash the avocado until all ingredients are combined.

With a vegetable peeler, peel the washed cucumber into 4 to 5 ribbons.

Spread the avocado tahini mash on top of the warm toast and assemble the cucumber ribbons atop. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Herbed Ricotta Toast with Honey Balsamic Drizzle

Butter smeared on toast is a classic, but a ricotta spread will invigorate your palate. Mix in fresh herbs, and top with a homemade honey balsamic drizzle for a toast tuned for dinner.

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the glaze:

½ cup balsamic

2 ½ tablespoons honey

For the ricotta spread:

1 slice of country bread

¼ cup whole milk ricotta

1 teaspoon chives, minced

½ teaspoon thyme, minced

1 small garlic clove, peeled and whole

5-8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

In a pot, over medium-high heat, pour in balsamic and honey. Whisk together. Let the mixture come to a boil and then decrease to low heat. Let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes to thicken.

Pop the slice of bread into the toaster.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, chives, and thyme. Make sure to fold the herbs into the ricotta.

Press the garlic clove into the hot piece of toast, as if you were spreading butter. Assemble the ricotta mixture on top. Layer with cherry tomatoes, extra chopped chives, and honey balsamic drizzle. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Broccoli Cheddar Toast

This cheese-and-vegetable combo is as compatible as Harry and Sally. Transport these beloved flavors from the soup bowl to toast for a harmonious nosh. Use any leftover broccoli in a salad, quinoa bowl, or for snacking.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 slice of country bread

5 broccoli florets, sliced in half

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon caraway seeds

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon butter

½ cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar

1 strip of bacon (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine broccoli, olive oil, red pepper flakes, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Toss until the broccoli is coated on all sides with olive oil and spices. Spread the broccoli on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes.

When the broccoli is finished, pop a piece of bread into the toaster.

Spread butter on toast and cover with shredded cheese.

Using the toaster oven or your oven on broil, melt the cheese, 2 to 5 minutes. 

Assemble roasted broccoli on top of melted cheddar. Melt extra cheddar on top.

Optional: To incorporate meat, cook a strip of bacon in a skillet, and break into chunks to sprinkle over the cheese and broccoli.

4. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Toast with Cucumber Salad and Feta

This toast is a hummust. Making your own hummus requires no more than five minutes, and means you know all the ingredients spread on your bread. Pack leftover hummus as a dip for vegetables to give you something to look forward to at your #DeskLunch. You can also use the rest of the Avocado Tahini Toast’s cucumber for this salad.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 slice of country bread

¼ cup roasted red pepper hummus (store-bought or homemade)

For homemade hummus:

1 15.5 oz can of chickpeas

½ cup roasted red pepper, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

3 tablespoons tahini

salt and pepper, to taste

For cucumber salad:

1 tablespoon diced cucumber

1 teaspoon diced red onion

1 teaspoon diced tomato

½ teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Feta, to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients for hummus in a food processor or blender. Mix until combined.

Mix diced cucumber, red onion, and tomato in olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Pop a slice of bread into the toaster.

Spread hummus over bread. Sprinkle cucumber salad atop and garnish with feta.

5. Kale Feta Toast with Roasted Sweet Potato

Don’t use your oven as additional closet space. This kitchen utility is a makeover machine for raw vegetables. A little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper will soon have you smitten with your dinner plate. In the 25 minutes the sweet potato requires to roast, read a chapter of your book or listen to a new album release.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato, cubed

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup kale, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese

1 slice of country bread

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and cut the sweet potato into cubes. In a small bowl, toss the sweet potato in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, as well as in salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining olive oil. Add kale and stir until it begins to cook, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, and ginger, and stir to combine, cooking for an additional minute. Stir in feta cheese. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.

Pop a slice of bread into the toaster.

Spread kale mixture over toast, layer with roasted sweet potato, and top with extra feta.

6. Southwest Toast

You know what they say about beans… they’re good for your heart. This filling toast can be assembled in less time than it takes for pizza to be delivered. You can use the other half of the avocado from the Avocado Tahini Toast for the slices here.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 slice of country bread

¼ cup cooked black beans, drained

½ avocado, sliced

¼ cup shredded chicken breast

1 small tomato, diced

3 tablespoons shredded Mexican blended cheese

1 tablespoon salsa (store-bought)

cilantro, for garnishing

Directions:

Pop a slice of bread into the toaster.

Spread the beans on the toast and mash slightly.

Layer with sliced avocado, store-bought grilled chicken breast, tomato, cheese, salsa, and cilantro.

7. Sweet Stuff Toast with Cinnamon Ricotta and Roasted Apples

It’s dessert, it’s breakfast, no—it’s a super sweet dinner! Sometimes your sweet tooth strikes. Satisfy it by stirring cinnamon into ricotta and by soaking apple slices in a buttery brown sugar bath. You may want to double this recipe for seconds.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, divided

½ pink lady apple or another tart baking apple

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon brown sugar

¼ cup ricotta

1 slice of country bread

Honey, for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Core a pink lady apple and cut in half. Slice one-half into ¼ inch slices.

In a small bowl, combine slices with melted butter, brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Eat the other half of the apple as an appetizer.

Pop a piece of bread into the toaster.

In a small bowl, mix the ricotta and remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon until incorporated.

Spread the ricotta mixture on toast, cover in roasted apples, and drizzle with honey.