How to Make Bruschetta
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.
Easy, Yet Elegant!
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.
Ingredient Tips
- Vinegar: Balsamic vinegar is the vinegar you want to use for an authentic bruschetta, but I also like to use red wine vinegar.
- Garlic: 2-3 teaspoons of minced garlic will equal 2 cloves of garlic
- Tomatoes: A ripe tomato will be bright red, give a little when you squeeze it, and be heavy for its weight. An unripe tomato will be as firm as a baseball
- Bread: If you don’t want to make your own little slices of bread I recommend using pre-made crostinis or even crackers!
How to Make Bruschetta
Bruschetta is surprisingly easy to make. Don’t let the fancy name fool you. You’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients:
- cherry tomatoes (or a few roma tomatoes)
- fresh basil
- garlic
- quality olive oil
- vinegar
- salt & pepper
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!!
Tips for Serving and Storing
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.
For more tasty appetizers, try:
- 15 Minute Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Homemade Garlic Hummus
- Best Ever 7 Layer Bean Dip
- Roasted Salsa Verdy
- Restaurant Style Guacamole
Fresh Bruschetta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 1/2 cup diced tomatoes - (roma, cherry etc.), seeds removed (or a majority of them)
- 6-8 basil leaves - (depending on size), julienned
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar - OR balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp kosher sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For the Baguette
- 2 tbsp olive oil - OR melted butter
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 baguette - sliced on the bias, about 1/4-inch thick
Instructions
- 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.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the oil and garlic powder. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and toast until lightly browned.
- Top with tomato mixture and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition