Bruschetta
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Transform simple toasted bread into a fresh and summery appetizer with this easy bruschetta—juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar make each bite burst with flavor!
Simple and easy to make, bruschetta (pronounced broo-SKEH-tah) is an Italian appetizer of toasted bread drizzled with olive oil, rubbed with garlic, and topped with seasonal ingredients. This classic version is all about two summer favorites—ripe tomatoes and fresh basil—brightened up with briny olives and a splash of balsamic vinegar. But don’t be afraid to make it your own. If olives aren’t your thing, just leave them out. You can even add some cubed fresh mozzarella and turn the bruschetta into a light dinner, perfect with a glass of wine.
What You’ll Need To Make Bruschetta
Because this bruschetta recipe is so simple, it’s important to use high-quality ingredients. Look for the juiciest, ripest summer tomatoes—preferably heirlooms for their varied color and flavor—as well as the best quality bread, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar you can find.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the tomatoes, olives, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, pepper, and 1/3 cup of the oil in a medium bowl.
Toss to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (If the tomatoes aren’t as sweet as you’d like, add 1/8 teaspoon sugar.)
Set the tomato mixture aside and slice the bread into 1/2-in-thick slices.
Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush both sides of the bread with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp and golden on the bottom.
Using tongs, flip the bread slices so the golden side is facing up.
Rub the top side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic, going back and forth once (or twice, if you like your bruschetta extra garlicky).
Transfer the toasted bread to a serving platter and top each slice with a spoonful of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the bruschetta with more basil. Serve within 10 minutes so that the bread stays crisp.
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Bruschetta
Transform simple toasted bread into a fresh and summery appetizer with this easy bruschetta—juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar make each bite burst with flavor!
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs ripe tomatoes (preferably heirloom), cored and diced (3 to 4 tomatoes)
- ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- A few grinds freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 good quality baguette, cut into scant ½-in-thick slices on the bias
- 1 clove garlic, halved lengthwise
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a rack in the middle position.
- In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, pepper, and ⅓ cup of the oil. Toss to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (If the tomatoes aren't as sweet as you'd like, add ⅛ teaspoon sugar.)
- Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush both sides of the bread with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp and golden on the bottom.
- Using tongs, flip the bread slices so the golden side is facing up. Rub the top side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic, going back and forth once (or twice, if you like your bruschetta extra garlicky). Transfer the toasted bread to a serving platter and top each slice with a spoonful of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the bruschetta with more basil. Serve within 10 minutes so that the bread stays crisp.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The tomato mixture can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Taste and adjust seasoning before topping the toasted bread.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 piece
- Calories: 108
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 147 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn!
Made the recipe as written and it was delicious! However, a couple of questions: First, when I poured in the 1.3 cup oil over tomato mixture, it was swimming in it! Afraid that it was too soggy, I scooped out the mixture and drained it in a colander over a fresh bowl; I saved it, but I can’t tell if it is supposed to sit in all that oil? Did I need more tomato’s? Can’t see from your picture how high the olive oil is in the bowl. I seemed to waste a lot of tomato with coring the heirlooms. Secondly, the baguette toasted nicely, but the cut pieces looked much smaller than yours—is that the photography, or should I be looking for a wider baguette to get a longer piece to spoon the tomatoes on?
All that said, it was still very flavorful!! Appreciate your thoughts!
Elise
Hi Elise, it doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong but I’m surprised the mixture was swimming in olive oil. Maybe you were a bit too ambitious when coring the tomatoes? Regardless, if that happens again, I’d just add some more tomatoes to the mix. Regarding the baguette, did you slice it on a bias? If not, that will help to give you bigger pieces. If you did, I’d try going with a wider baguette. Hope that helps!
I haven’t made the recipe yet, but it looks delicious! Question: I have one guest that gluten free what could I serve for her?
Hi Mary, you can use the recipe — you’ll just need to use a gluten-free baguette for her. If you can’t find a baguette. You can use a different gluten-free bread.
We just LOVE this bruschetta. It is the best we have ever made (or tasted). My bread wasn’t QUITE toasted in the middle, so will leave it in a bit longer, but the amazing, fresh taste of this was wonderful. AND the garlic dragged on the one side of the bread was lovely; I wouldn’t have thought it would have been noticeable, but it WAS. And as often with your recipes it is the seemingly small things that have a big impact. Another go-to recipe for years to come. Thanks, Jenn.
Hi, Jenn – Love this recipe! Wondering, do you have any tips for selecting garlic? I live in Boston and for some reason I often find that the garlic I’ve bought has a weird taste like it wasn’t ripe when it was picked. It smells weird when it’s cooking and tastes worse. I’ve even had a dish in a local restaurant served with it so it seems to be a problem here in general. I’ve resorted to using Pastene minced garlic because it’s the only consistently good-tasting garlic I can find. Thanks for any ideas! Laura
Hi Laura, Glad you like it! And I feel your pain regarding the garlic — I find that I sometimes buy bulbs that are sub-par so I’m definitely no expert. Epicurious says “Pick the bulb up and give it a light squeeze to be sure none of the outside cloves are too soft or dry. It should feel firm and not hollow or dehydrated. Also keep an eye out for sprouting, which is another indicator that the garlic is old.” (Not sure that any of that is new information, but thought it was worth sharing.)