Triple Tomato Flatbread

June. Summer is arriving and Tyler and I are in the full established rhythm of our relationship now, which is to say we know how to be together in the ordinary ways that matter: who sleeps on which side, how we navigate a disagreement when neither of us is wrong but we want different things, what he sounds like when he is tired versus when he is sad, how to tell when I need quiet and when I need company. These are the things you learn in the second year of something. The first year you learn what you want. The second year you learn how to actually have it.

I made a summer corn chowder this week, the first of the season, with fresh corn cut from the cob and bacon and a little cream. Tyler was here when I made it and he watched from the kitchen table and I noticed he was not watching the soup, he was watching me, and I said what. He said: I just like watching you cook. I said why. He said: because you know what you are doing and you know that you know. There was a time when I did not know that I knew. I said thank you. He said: I mean it as an observation. I said I know. Both those things are true: that it is a compliment and that it is a simple fact.

I sent Crystal a text this week that was slightly longer than our usual: I told her about the daycare and a specific kid who had done something funny. She responded with a laughing emoji and then: tell me more about the kids sometime. I said: okay. That felt like an opening. I am not running toward it but I am not closing it either.

The corn chowder was the meal of the week, but the Triple Tomato Flatbread was what I put together after — easy and bright and exactly the kind of thing I reach for in summer when I want something that feels intentional without being labored. It is the sort of recipe I no longer have to think through step by step, and that ease is its own kind of satisfaction. Tyler stayed for that too.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 flatbreads or naan (store-bought or homemade, about 8 inches each)
3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto or sun-dried tomato spread
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium roma tomato, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn or chiffonade
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic glaze, for drizzling (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the flatbreads on it in a single layer.
Spread the base. Spread a generous layer of sun-dried tomato pesto evenly over each flatbread, leaving a small border around the edge.
Layer the cheese. Distribute the shredded mozzarella evenly over the pesto on both flatbreads.
Add the tomatoes. Arrange the roma tomato slices over the cheese first, then scatter the halved cherry and grape tomatoes on top. Press them down gently so they sit into the cheese.
Drizzle and season. Drizzle the olive oil over both flatbreads, then season with the flaky sea salt and black pepper.
Bake. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges of the flatbread are golden and the cheese is melted and beginning to bubble.
Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately scatter fresh basil over both flatbreads. Drizzle with balsamic glaze if using. Slice and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Triple Tomato Flatbread — The Dish I Made When I Knew What I Was Doing