This homemade fresh bruschetta is made with garden ripe tomatoes and basil. This easy yet elegant appetizer is a total crowd pleaser!
Hosting a party? Having a date night in? Looking no further for the perfect appetizer! This fresh and vibrant snack comes together in just 20 minutes. To round out the spread, serve it with some Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms or Oven Baked Firecracker Wings.
I quickly fell in love with bruschetta about 4 years ago when I was working at Sur La Table. It was always a quick, easy and elegant appetizer we could serve to our culinary class attendees, and it always disappeared in seconds!
While I love using roma tomatoes, we always have an abundance of cherry tomatoes in our garden during the summer, so today’s recipe includes pictures featuring them! You can easily use either for this tasty recipe, especially if it’s not cherry tomato season.
Bruschetta is surprisingly easy to make. Don’t let the fancy name fool you. You’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients:
Pretty simple, right?
TOMATO MIXTURE. In a small non-stick skillet set over medium-low heat, add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Do not let it brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the oil/garlic, tomato, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
BREAD. Let the mixture rest while you prep the baguette. Cut it on the bias (at a 45 degree angle), brush it with olive oil & garlic and then toast it to golden brown perfection.
COMBINE. Top with tomato mixture and serve immediately.
Tip: You can spread some ricotta or fresh mozzarella on the toasts before adding the mixture. YUM!!
You can make it a couple of hours in advance and keep it covered in the fridge until party time! This is best served cold or at room temperature. But don’t let it sit at room temperature for more than 30 minutes.
Bruschetta is one of those things that can last in the fridge as long as the tomatoes stay good. Eventually the vinegar will break down the tomatoes and turn kind of mushy. Just keep it STORED in the fridge in an airtight container.
You can FREEZE the bruschetta, but it will mess up with the texture, and won’t be as good served on bread. You can still try adding it into a sauce or soup, or put it over pasta for some extra flavor.