Italian Bruschetta
Juicy summer tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze make this Italian bruschetta the ultimate fresh and easy appetizer. It’s a crowd-pleaser every time!
The super long story behind my bruschetta recipe
If you remember, I posted about the smoked salmon appetizer with dill cream that we made for the English library’s silent auction a while ago. Well, we also made simple tomato basil bruschetta.
I had made this bruschetta recipe before, but it was really garlicky and a little overwhelming. This time I wanted to make sure that the bruschetta wouldn’t be too much for the silent auction’s guests that might not like garlic as much as me.
The two appetizers turned out amazing and we received a ton of compliments on the food.
This recipe would also be great served with: our favorite vegan wines / almond cheese ball / the best flank steak marinade / Italian sausage and peppers pasta
We also really love these appetizer recipes: olive oil bread dip / baked scallops / 6 ingredient fish cakes recipe / shrimp toast
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Tomatoes – You can use any tomatoes you like for this recipe. I normally use grape or roma tomatoes. Just make sure you’re using the best, ripest tomatoes you can get.
- Red onion – If you don’t have red onion, you can use sweet or yellow onions.
- Balsamic reduction – this is an optional topping, but it really brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes. You can buy it pre-made at the store, or you can make your own using this balsamic glaze recipe.
Melissa’s tips for recipe success:
- Make ahead tip: You can easily prep bruschetta the night before, but I wouldn’t recommend making it too much in advance because the tomatoes will turn soggy after about 1 day.
- Extra garnish – A little garnish goes a long way. Before serving, drizzle a little balsamic glaze and a fresh sprinkle of fancy salt for maximum impact.
- Toast your bread – Don’t skip on toasting your bread. It will help the bruschetta hold up to the tomatoes and their juices, and just give the appetizer and better all around flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 cups tomatoes (diced or quartered)
- 1/2 cup red onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (divided)
- 8 leaves fresh basil (chopped or thinly sliced)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- black pepper (to taste)
- 1 large baguette (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic reduction (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Mix your topping. In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt & pepper (to taste). Allow the bruschetta to marinate for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to blend.
- Make your toast. Start by preheating your oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the baguette to about 1/2-inch thick slices and brush with remaining olive oil (or spray with cooking spray). Place the slices on baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 15 minutes.
- Assemble the bruschetta. Spoon about 1 – 2 tablespoons of the tomato mixture over toasted baguette slices and top with a drizzle of balsamic reduction and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Can this be made the day before?
Yes of course!
There is clearly balsamic vinegar in the photo yet it’s not in the ingredients list. I think you forgot to input it.