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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So delicious! Made with green Sicilian olives and tomatoes fresh from the garden. Made our simple meal very special. Thanks again for another great recipe.
We really enjoyed this recipe for Bruschetta! Is there some trick that I’m missing in how to eat these without it the topping falling off?
Ha, not really — just to eat them very carefully (but you’re likely to have some topping fall off no matter what). Glad you like it though! 🙂
We spread thin layer of Philadelphia cream cheese on our baguettes
Hi Jenn, I have lots of wonderful summer tomatoes and want to make this. I don’t have Kalamata olives. Can black or Manzanilla be substituted or should I just leave them out?
Sure, Sharon, you can substitute the olives you have on hand. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for your quick reply! Looking forward to having this tonight with your delicious grilled shrimp with pesto 🙂
Dear Jenn,
Hello again from Pam and Trevor in Canberra. Like the rest of the world, Australia goes in and out of this crazy time but your blog remains a source of comfort and entertainment. Today we made two types of bruschetta – this recipe and used your Roasted Pepper Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts & Basil recipe (with less oil and no sugar) as the other topping. We made our bruschetta as a deconstructed dish. Toasted the bread slices in the oven, made up the toppings and set the toasted pinenuts in a separate bowl. Then topped the bread with whatever we wanted. The bread stayed crispy, the toppings were tasty, and, a good time was had by all.
Thank you for your continuing efforts and stay as safe as you can,
Pam and Trevor
Australia
This is delicious, and a great use of all the amazing tomatoes we are getting from our CSA. Love the addition of olives! I didn’t use much oil at all (maybe 2 TBL) as my tomatoes were SUPER juicy. Added a little more basil, because we just love it. Thanks for another great recipe!
What kind of baguette do you use ? Sour dough ?
Hi Asra, baguettes aren’t typically sourdough. I’d just look for the standard baguette in your store’s bakery. Hope that clarifies!
Hands down the best bruschetta I have ever had. Even my family members who don’t love olives devoured it!
Absolutely delicious and so easy. I prepared the topping and took it, along with some homemade gluten baguettes, to a friends house (she’s GF I’m not) then put it together in no time for a nice light appetizer and they all loved it. I haven’t had a fail from any recipe I’ve tried on this website.
So I made this but left out the olives – I had some guests over who don’t care for olives. Turned out great!
Very easy yet so delicious. Quick yet simple and full of flavor. I used lots of garlic and my fresh garden tomatoes. The bread I used was sweet and balanced the salty or briney olives perfectly. I hope I always make this recipe. I thought it went really well with hard-boiled eggs that were enhanced with black truffle mustard.