So you're having people over and you don't know what to serve for appetizers. Holiday season will be here before you know it and you need ideas. Well, I've cracked the code for a unique appetizer that everyone will be talking about. No need for sliders or full burgers when you've got this awesome bacon cheeseburger crostini with chopped pickles.
Bacon Cheeseburger Bites? Oh, Hell Yeah!
I know I say a lot of things are my favorite and I mean it every.single.time. I love so many foods and I love cooking - you know this. However, I do hold a very special place in my heart for crostini. This is my all-time favorite finger food. The possibilities are endless. And up until I made this particular recipe, my warm shrimp and gorgonzola dip served with toasty little bread, was number one on my list. It is now in a tie with this bacon cheeseburger crostini with chopped pickles. That's saying a lot, because that shrimp and gorgonzola had topped my culinary chart for many years!
Easy Crostini with Simple Ingredients
Who doesn't want a bite of a bacon cheeseburger? Who? Cheeseburgers are so very American and we can't get enough. So I miniaturized them to be enjoyed as a snack! Look, we're talking about ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, a little mustard, bacon, cheese and pickles. These are pretty basic ingredients that make an absolute gourmet crostini. I realize many of you won't have time for this, but if you do, please try my yummy homemade garlic, dill pickle recipe some time. I swear once you make your own pickles you will never go back to store bought. That being said, I won't judge you for using your favorite store-bought pickle as a topping here.
How to Make Bacon Cheeseburger Crostini
- Cook the bacon, let it cool then chop into bacon bits.
- Chop a few other things: onion, pickles, scallion.
- Slice the ciabatta stick into rounds then brush with olive oil.
- Make easy burger mix with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Cook in a pan til crispy.
- Mix crispy burger mix with shredded cheddar and bacon bits.
- Top crostini with burger mix and cheese and cook for 10-12 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped pickles, scallion and sriracha sauce if you want a little spice.
Why You Will Love This Crostini
This is a pretty easy appetizer to make and has the bonus of being something unique that most people have never tried before. It's perfect for feeding a crowd and will definitely make a great game night or Super Bowl Sunday finger food option. This is highly customizable as well. You can serve additional condiments on the side: chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, mayo, sriracha for those who want spice and whatever else your little heart desires.
Learning to Cook Has Never Been Easier
Look, I know that some of us love to cook and some of us don't know where to begin. The good news is that there are a ton of resources available to learn how to cook. I love cooking and I enjoying making these step-by-step videos so people can actually see how to put this together.
Restaurants are getting so expensive these days and it's time to stop wasting money on take-out. Learn how to cook for yourself and your loved ones. This is an invaluable life skill that will bring people together for home cooked food. A real meal or snack that can be shared over conversation (with no electronic devices distracting us) is what we need to work toward. I love sharing food with my loved ones - it always makes me feel better. 🙂
Oh, Were You Looking for More Crostini Recipes and Finger Foods?
- Warm Shrimp & Gorgonzola Dip w/Crostini
- Canned Crab Toasties (no mayonnaise!)
- Apple Brie Crostini w/Toasted Pecans & Honey
- Garlic Shrimp Crostini w/Romesco Sauce & Shaved Parmesan
- Cute, Little Mac & Cheese Mini Muffins
- Stuffed Mushrooms w/Sausage, Panko & Cheddar
- Brown Sugar Bacon Sticks Brushed w/Maple Syrup
- Nana's Weird Hot Dog Appetizer
Bacon Cheeseburger Crostini with Chopped Pickles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 20 pieces 1x
Description
It’s time to trade-in your sliders for this bacon cheeseburger crostini with chopped pickles. It’s crunchy, cheesy, burgery and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ heaping tablespoons of onion, finely diced
- 1 cup shredded orange cheddar, divided (¾ cup and ¼ cup)
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallion, optional garnish
- 2 tablespoons garlic dill pickles, diced small
- 2 ciabatta sticks, cut into ½” rounds (20 rounds total) - see note #1
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (more if needed for brushing crostini)
- 2 slices of white America cheese, cut in small squares
For the Burger Mix:
- 1 cup packed ground beef (80/20 blend)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup fresh chopped bacon bits (3 strips of thick cut bacon)
- ¾ cup shredded orange cheddar
Instructions
- Start cooking the bacon at the beginning of the process so it has time to cook and cool before you chop. Yes, in the video I show five strips of bacon. Three were for the recipe and two for my bacon snack.
- Finely dice the onion. This should be finely diced bordering on minced.
- Shred the orange cheddar. Reserve ¾ cup of shredded cheddar for the burger mix and ¼ cup to top the crostini before cooking in oven. Yes, you can use already-shredded cheese if you want.
- Chop your cooled bacon into bacon bits. Three strips of thick cut bacon should chop down into ¼ cup of bacon bits.
- Make the burger mix. Add ground beef to a mixing bowl with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Mix well to combine all the ingredients together then set aside for now.
- Dice the pickles. You can use pickle rounds or spears. I use my homemade pickles and used about 7-8 rounds. You can chop extra if you want to serve on the side as well.
- Chop the scallion garnish if you are using it. Normally, I cut scallions into circles. For this recipe, I did chop them down a bit more – like when you chop parsley. It’s up to you – I think the finer cut works better for a topping here.
- Cut the ciabatta into 20 pieces at about ½” of thickness per round. The pieces at either end of the ciabatta stick will be smaller so keep this in mind while you’re cutting.
- Place ciabatta rounds on a small sheet pan and brush lightly with olive oil using a pastry brush.
- Heat a pan on medium/high heat and add the burger mix. Spread burger out into the pan and chop into smaller bits – we need this in smaller bits. Then let it cook 2-3 minutes untouched to let it get crispy on bottom, but make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Add onion to pan and mix together a couple more minutes making sure to chop down the beef with your spatula. Beef should be cooked through when done.
- Transfer burger mix to a mixing bowl. I chopped mine down even smaller with my pastry cutter. You can use a hand held potato masher or fork here too. Remember this is going on top on tiny pieces of bread so we need it small.
- Add the bacon bits and ¾ cup of shredded cheddar and mix while still hot so the cheese melts and binds the burger mix together.
- Time to add the burger mix to the crostini. Using a tablespoon as your guide, fill the spoon with the burger mix and press down. Flip the spoon on top of the crostini and press mix again, gently, to mold into an even shape. Repeat the process for all the crostini. My video shows this well.
- Using the ¼ cup of shredded orange cheddar, add a small pinch of cheese to the top of each crostini.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- While the crostini are cooking take two slices of American cheese and stack them on top of each other. Cut them into tiny squares: three cuts aross, then rotate pile and three more cuts across. Tiny squares! My video shows this well.
- When the crostini are finished cooking take them out of the oven. Place a tiny square of American cheese on top of each crostini and place back in the oven for another 30 seconds to one minute to melt.
- Time to plate your appetizer. Have a metal spatula on hand to gently remove the crostini from the sheet pan. They will stick a little to the bottom because of the cheese. Arrange on a platter, spoon on the chopped pickles, garnish with chopped scallion if you’re using. Add little dots of Sriracha sauce to the platter to dress it up a bit. Serve immediately.
Equipment
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Measuring Spoons, Stainless Steel
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Calphalon Saute Pan with Lid (5QT)
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Notes
- I used ciabatta sticks for this recipe, but you can certainly use a thin French baguette as well. The larger French loaf baguettes don’t really work because they are too big and you won’t get 20 pieces until you cut them in half which could work. See my crab toasties video for a demo on that. We’re looking for a small loaf of good quality bread that can be cut into bite-sized rounds.
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