Llescas are a Catalan bread pizza or loaded toast, with various toppings. Here are 2 classics: spinach, pine nuts and raisins and ham, mushroom and cheese. Both delicious and incredibly easy to make.

This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.

It's summer vacation time for many people at the moment, and that can bring back memories of foods you have enjoyed on vacation or things that are easy to make in self-catered accommodation. Even just things that are super quick to make or that you can get the kids to help make.

These llescas - Catalan bread pizza or loaded toasts - are a bit of all of those for me. They are something I enjoyed a few times while I was living in Catalunya, Spain many years ago. True, I wasn't on vacation as such, but I would often go to a place that made them with friends as we celebrated the end of the week. They are also so quick and easy to make - and you can get the kids involved - and you only need a skillet and broiler/grill to make them. The end result is so tasty, too.

Catalan cuisine

My time in Catalunya introduced me to a whole range of new foods. I'll admit I didn't really know that much about Spain before I went and I definitely didn't know about the regional differences. Catalunya is definitely an area that has both a distinct language and cuisine that reflects where it's located.

There is a whole group of dishes known as 'mar y montanya' (sea and mountain) that combine seafood with land animals - some paellas or fideua are made that way as well with pork or chicken in there. I discovered many now favorites like romesco sauce, romesco de peix (fish stew) and crema Catalana too. And these llescas.

In the restaurant we used to go to, the list of llescas in the menu was huge. Toppings ranged from relatively simple cured meats or cheese to more elaborate mixes. Here I've gone with what were two of our favorites, and both are very classically Spanish.

The first is spinach with pine nuts and raisins - sometimes called 'espinacas a la Catalana' (Catalan spinach). I've also made a chard variation on it's own as a side - Catalan-style sauteed Swiss chard - that's really tasty too.

The other is ham, mushroom and cheese, another common mix (not just in Spain, it's true). The restaurant we went to used huge slices of bread that hung off even a large plate so one bread pizza was definitely enough. I guess I chose to do both as I couldn't decide which is my favorite, but also because with more normal-sized pieces of bread, two slices are about right for one generous serving. Plus, it gives options for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

How to make llescas - Catalan bread pizza

These are incredibly quick to make and all you need is a small skillet/frying pan and a broiler/grill. If you are somewhere without a broiler but have a toaster, then you can still make a pretty good version of these. All you need to do is:

First gently toast the bread and rub it with garlic.
For the mushroom topping, cook the mushrooms in butter, then add the thyme, ham and cheese.
For the spinach topping, wilt the spinach in a little olive oil then add the pine nuts, raisins and parmesan.
Spread the toppings over the toasted bread.
Warm for a couple minutes under the grill so the cheese melts.

If you don't have a grill, then keep warming the mushroom mixture to soften the cheese before putting it on the bread. Either way, it takes only around fifteen minutes in all for a delicious meal that everyone will enjoy.

In case you are wondering about rubbing the bread with garlic, this is the first step to making 'pan con tomate' or 'pa amb tomaquet' (bread with tomato) that is a Catalan classic, these days found all over Spain. For pan con tomate, after the garlic, you would rub the bread with a cut tomato and then drizzle with a little olive oil and a dash of salt.

I would do this as a base if I was using a simple Serrano ham or cheese as a topping, but for these two, the tomato is less of a fit. But if you are still hungry and have more bread but not topping, then pan tomate is definitely worth making!

Do give these delicious llescas/Catalan bread pizzas a go - they are so worth the few minutes they take to make. I for one will be having them again soon!

Try these other sandwich-like ideas:

Danish smørrebrød (open sandwiches)
Goat cheese and prosciutto croissant with balsamic figs
Caprese focaccia sandwich

Plus get more main dishes and Spanish recipes in the archives.

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes