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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Made this exactly as is and it got rave reviews from my birthday club of 11 friends.
Is there a reason that the make-ahead instructions refers to only 3 hours in advance.? I would like to do it a day in advance.
Hi Linda, the tomatoes will start to degrade a bit after a few hours, so it’s just at its best if eaten within that 3-hour window. Hope that clarifies. 🙂
Thanks for your quick response.
This bruschetta is delicious! While I like olives, I was worried it would be too olive-forward, but you actually can’t really taste much of the olives in the finished product. The olives provide a nice brininess that perfectly complements the tomatoes and vinegar. Normally with bruschetta I grill the bread on the stove and then rub with a cut piece of garlic, but I loved that this recipe has you bake the bread! So much easier and less messy. Thanks Jenn for another great recipe!
I made this over the weekend for my friends and had a hard time not eating every bite myself! YUM!
Love this recipe at the height of tomato season. Have made it twice now to rave reviews.
Any thoughts on how to make a zucchini bruschetta? 😊
Thanks, Marilyn
Glad you enjoyed, Marilyn! Do you mean zucchini in place of the bread or a zucchini topping?
Love it, very simple and quick to make. I’m just making it for the second time as I have so many tomatoes in my garden. Goes well the Costco baguette.
Yup, we use the Costco baguette for everything as well! So good!
I made these last night and we loved them! I love garlic, and its taste was so nicely incorporated. I will just add less vinegar next time, but that’s up to one’s taste. Many thanks for the recipe 🙂
We bought a bunch of basil at the farmers market last Saturday and so we were looking for recipes to use it up. This was an amazing bruschetta recipe! Followed the recipe and it was divine, made the perfect late Sunday lunch while the little one was napping. I was worried the garlic flavour wouldn’t come through enough as I love garlic, but it was perfect. We also made a double batch of your kale walnut pesto (amazing as well!) and tonight we used the pesto to make your baked spinach/basil/cheese pasta (subbed gouda for fontina as that was what we had on hand) which was enjoyed. Thanks again Jen!
I made the bruschetta-it was delicious and easy!!! I love the addition of the Greek olives!
Our family loves bruschetta, having it often as in appetizer. We were all underwhelmed by this recipe because the balsamic vinegar overpowered the tomato/basil. Used a quality vinegar- it was just too much. My homegrown tomatoes were lost in it unfortunately. Did not use olives in it, so that might redeem it some. This is my first miss with Jenn’s recipes; I have her cookbook and often use her website for all of my recipes! This just didn’t appeal to my crowd.
Strange. 2 teaspoons doesn’t seem very much in a pound and a half of tomatoes. Are you sure you didn’t use tablespoons?