Vine ripe juicy tomatoes with fresh basil and garlic served over toasted Italian bread makes this Easy Bruschetta a quick and delicious healthy appetizer!
10 EASY HEALTHY RECIPES EBOOK
Jump to:
- ❤️ Why You'll Love This Bruschetta Recipe
- 🛒 Ingredients for Bruschetta
- 🔪 How to Make Italian Bruschetta
- 💡 Tips for Making the Best Bruschetta
- ☑️ Storage Instructions
- 🍴 What to Serve Bruschetta With
- 🔄 Substitutions and Additions
- What Are the Best Tomatoes to Use for Bruschetta?
- What is Bruschetta Topping Made of?
- What is the Best Bread for Bruschetta?
- What is the Difference Between a Bruschetta and a Crostini?
- 🍽️ More Appetizer Recipes
❤️ Why You'll Love This Bruschetta Recipe
- Vine ripe juicy tomatoes
- Fresh basil and garlic give it a classic Italian flavor
- Spoon over toasted sliced Italian bread
- Perfect quick and easy last minute appetizer
- Made with a handful of healthy ingredients
Bruschetta, pronounced “brusketta” is something I’ve been making for many years. The first time I had it, my brother had just returned from Sicily and made it for me, and I was hooked right then and there. The freshness and simplicity of the ingredients are typical for the area he lived in and it's what makes this easy appetizer so appealing.
In fact, I can remember growing up and watching my grandparents take the most basic ingredients and turn them into something spectacular. That was a running theme in my family’s cooking and it stuck with me all these years.
Made with just a handful of ingredients, you can assemble this dish at the last minute. I promise your guests will go crazy over it, as everyone I’ve ever made it for has.
🛒 Ingredients for Bruschetta
- Vine ripe tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Italian or French bread
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
🥣 Recommended Tools
🔪 How to Make Italian Bruschetta
Wash and dry your tomatoes, then slice into a small dice.
Remove any excess of seeds, a few here and there are perfectly fine. Add them to a mixing bowl.
Take your fresh basil leaves, stack them on top of each other, then roll them up lengthwise like a cigar. Slice into thin ribbons (or chiffonade) slicing only once. If you chop it like you would any other herbs, you will bruise the delicate basil causing it to brown quickly.
Add the basil over the tomatoes along with the garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.
Gently toss to combine, then set aside at room temperature while you prepare the bread.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Take your Italian (or French) loaf and slice into about 1” slices. I like to cut them on the bias, it makes for a nicer presentation.
Brush the top and bottoms of each slice with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet.
Toast in the oven for 3-4 minutes, flip each slice over and continue toasting for another 2 minutes or until golden.
While the bread is still warm, you can rub sliced fresh garlic all over the surface, then top with the tomatoes mixture and serve. The garlic step is totally optional, but it does add a nice garlic flavor.
When serving a crowd, I like to assemble just a few, then arrange the toasted bread around the bowl of tomatoes, so guests can assemble them last minute. This helps prevent the bread from getting soggy with the juice from the tomatoes.
💡 Tips for Making the Best Bruschetta
- Use the best tasting vine ripe tomatoes you can find. Tomatoes are the star ingredient, so don’t settle for what’s cheap or easier to find.
- Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Since the olive oil isn’t being cooked, you want to be able to taste the fruitiness. This is not the time for using a light or mild flavored oil.
- Don’t make the tomato mixture too far in advance, otherwise there will be too much liquid and the tomatoes will become too soft.
- Spoon the tomato mixture over the toasted bread right before serving, and not any sooner. As the tomatoes sit, the salt allows them to continue to draw out more of their natural juices and will make your bread soggy.
- The same applies to adding a balsamic glaze over the tops. That’s something you’ll want to add very last minute.
☑️ Storage Instructions
Store leftovers separately- the tomato mixture in an airtight container for 1-2 days in the fridge. Store the leftover toasted bread in the fridge in a food storage baggie. They will reheat perfectly in an air fryer for 1-2 minutes.
🍴 What to Serve Bruschetta With
Bruschetta will go with just about anything, but it pairs especially well with these Italian dishes:
🔄 Substitutions and Additions
There are so many different toppings that you can add on top of this bruschetta, here are some of my favorite ideas to consider:
- Thinly sliced ribbons of prosciutto
- Sliced Kalamata olives
- Chards of fresh parmesan cheese
- Drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction
- Capers
- Crumbled goat cheese
- Crispy diced pancetta
- Toasted pinoli (pine nuts)
- Thinly sliced roasted red peppers
- Chopped marinated artichoke hearts
If you have an abundance of leftover tomatoes, you can use them to make this Cheese Cracker Tomato Salad that's a vintage Southern recipe!
What Are the Best Tomatoes to Use for Bruschetta?
The tomatoes that I used for this recipe are Campari on the vine. They have the perfect balance of sweetness that works so well with the other ingredients in this recipe.
I happen to like my tomatoes on the sweeter side, but any vine ripe tomatoes, Plum or Roma will also work well. This is really going to be a personal preference.
What is Bruschetta Topping Made of?
For this recipe, I use vine ripe tomatoes, finely minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil.
What is the Best Bread for Bruschetta?
A fresh loaf of Italian bread is my personal top choice for this bruschetta recipe. French bread is another great option to consider.
What is the Difference Between a Bruschetta and a Crostini?
Crostini, meaning “little toasts” is typically made with thinly slicing a baguette, then adding any number of toppings. Bruschetta or “bruscare” means to “roast over the coals” is made by (thicker) sliced and toasted rustic Italian bread. typically rubbed with fresh cut garlic cloves, then adding your toppings.
🍽️ More Appetizer Recipes
Easy Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds vine ripe tomatoes
- ⅓ cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 loaf of Italian or French bread
- Optional garlic for rubbing on the toasted bread
Instructions
- Wash and dry your tomatoes, then slice into a small dice. Remove any excess of seeds, a few here and there are perfectly fine. Add them to a mixing bowl.
- Take your fresh basil leaves, stack them on top of each other, then roll them up lengthwise like a cigar. Slice into thin ribbons (or chiffonade) slicing only once. If you chop it like you would any other herbs, you will bruise the delicate basil causing it to brown quickly.
- Add the basil over the tomatoes along with the garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.
- Gently toss to combine, then set aside at room temperature while you prepare the bread.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Take your Italian (or French) loaf and slice into about 1” slices. I like to cut them on the bias, it makes for a nicer presentation.
- Brush the top and bottoms of each slice with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet.
- Toast in the oven for 3-4 minutes, flip each slice over and continue toasting for another 2 minutes or until golden.
- While the bread is still warm, you can rub sliced fresh garlic all over the surface, then top with the tomatoes mixture and serve. The garlic step is totally optional, but it does add a nice garlic flavor.
- When serving a crowd, I like to assemble just a few, then arrange the toasted bread around the bowl of tomatoes so guests can assemble them last minute. This helps prevent the bread from getting soggy with the juice from the tomatoes.
Recipe Notes
*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
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Colin
I don’t use minced garlic. Rubbing garlic on the toasts leaves more than enough garlic flavour. I use ciabatta as I live it!
The last time I had this in an Italian restaurant, they didn’t add minced garlic either!
Nutritious Deliciousness
For a more robust garlic flavor, minced works best. For a subtle hint, feel free to rub it. I am Italian, and I have had it both ways many times. It's delicious either way.