Bruschetta (pronounced brew-SKET-tah) is an Italian appetizer of toasted or grilled bread rubbed with fresh garlic. In this recipe, we use this garlicky bread as a base for fresh tomatoes with basil. When I see fresh tomatoes, my mind immediately turns to bruschetta. I love it and honestly could eat it every night of the week, especially during the summer! For more Italian-inspired recipes, see our Caprese salad, Panzanella salad, or this incredible tomato gazpacho (a chilled tomato soup).
Key Ingredients
Bread: I use a rustic Italian or French loaf of bread to make bruschetta. It should be soft and chewy, with a little bite around the crust. It also needs to hold up to the tomatoes and their juices. Garlic: Fresh garlic is key to the best bruschetta. I don’t add garlic to my tomatoes but rub my warm, toasted bread with raw garlic. Tomatoes: Bruschetta is best with ripe summer tomatoes. If you crave bruschetta outside of tomato season, look for cherry tomatoes. We’ve found them to be sweeter and more consistent all year round. I also prefer using room-temperature tomatoes. Something happens after refrigerating tomatoes (they become less flavorful and less tomato-y). We store them on the counter. They taste so much better this way. Olive oil: I use olive oil when toasting my bread and add it to our chopped tomatoes and basil for the bruschetta topping. Use the best olive oil you’ve got. Basil: I love fresh basil in this recipe, but you can leave it out if you don’t have it on hand. Tomato bruschetta without basil is still delicious.
How to Make Tomato Bruschetta
Making bruschetta at home is simple and so delicious! You’ll start with the tomatoes. We want to give our tomatoes time to sit with the olive oil, basil, and salt. They will become much more flavorful as they sit and release some of their incredibly delicious juices. I use the same trick when making my favorite tomato and mozzarella salad. While the tomatoes sit, you can grill your bread. Use an outdoor grill or a grill pan on the stove. Slice your bread, drizzle with olive oil, and grill until warm and you see some grill marks. Then, rub a raw garlic clove over each grilled bread slice. To serve, place your garlic-rubbed bread onto a plate and spoon over the tomatoes, drizzling over some of the juices left at the bottom of the bowl (the best part). Then enjoy. I especially love fresh tomato bruschetta served with a light and bubbly cocktail like this Aperol Spritz. 2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole 8 ounces (226g) ripe fresh tomatoes, at room temperature, 3 to 4 medium tomatoes 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 basil leaves, thinly sliced Salt and fresh ground black pepper 2Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium heat or prepare an outdoor grill for medium heat. 3Drizzle the bread slices with the remaining tablespoon of oil and grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until warmed through and grill marks appear. 4Rub one side of the warm grilled bread with garlic (two to three strokes per slice should do it), and then place onto a serving plate with the garlic-rubbed side facing up. 5Stir and taste the tomatoes, then add more salt or pepper as needed. 6Spoon a generous amount of tomatoes onto each bread slice. Drizzle a little of the juice remaining at the bottom of the bowl over the tomatoes and enjoy.
