12 Ways to Make Toast a Gourmet Meal

Kale, when combined with sweet roasted squash, can make a tender and tasty topping for crusty peasant bread.

Recipe: Squash-and-Kale Toasts

Chilled ricotta smeared on lightly toasted bread and smothered in warm apples makes an amazingly fast dessert.

Recipe: Toasts with Ricotta and Warm Balsamic-Caramel Apples

For a quick lasagna dinner with all the traditional flavors, try these lasagna toasts, made in your toaster oven.

Recipe: Lasagna Toasts

You'll need a knife and fork for these hearty, luscious toasts. The cabbage topping would also be delicious as a side dish for roast pork.

Recipe: Cabbage-and-Mushroom Toasts

This big plate of eggs, cheesy toasts, and scrumptious sautéed veggies is simple and comforting, and works just as well for dinner as for breakfast or brunch.

Recipe: Leeks and Mushrooms on Cheesy Toasts with Fried Eggs

Try these blue cheese toasts to end a summer meal. A pinch of cayenne adds a slight kick to the praline pecans, while quince paste counters with a bit of sweetness.

Recipe: Blue Cheese Toasts with Praline Pecans

A dish of sake-steamed mussels with fermented carrots was chef Viet Pham's inspiration for this starter.

Recipe: Mussel Toasts with Pickled-Carrot-and-Coriander Butter

Dress up toast by using lump crab meat as the main ingredient in the spread. Combined with apples and chives, this crab salad is light and refreshing atop slightly crunchy bread.

Recipe: Crab Salad Toasts

This hearty fork-and-knife dish from Hugh Acheson is perfect for a quick, easy dinner for two or as a starter for four.

Recipe: Beans and Bacon on Buttered Toasts

This is an ideal make-ahead brunch recipe; the luscious ratatouille tastes even better when made the day before.

Recipe: Ratatouille Toasts with Fried Eggs

Inspired by the classic combination of bagels with lox and cream cheese, this variation uses smoked trout and homemade English muffins.

Recipe: Smoked-Trout-and-Caper-Cream-Cheese Toasts

This gorgeous hors d'oeuvre with roasted beets, horseradish cream, and rye toast was created by Top Chef Masters finalist Traci des Jardins.

Recipe: Roasted Beet Toasts with Horseradish Cream

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