Tomato Bruschetta is one of those gems that proves you can make incredible food in minutes with a few simple, great quality ingredients. This Bruschetta recipe is a classic Italian one – no unnecessary extras, just the essentials. Perfect as is! Fabulous quick dinner for hot summer nights.
Bruschetta
Bruschetta is one of those foods that’s impossible to eat elegantly. When you gorge on a crunchy piece of bread that’s piled high with tomato, dripping with juices and olive oil……well, in my world, the best I can hope for is that I don’t end up with a tomato-mud-slide down the front of my top.
That there’s juices on my chin goes without saying!
And I’m totally ok with that. All my favourite foods require napkins and plenty of finger licking. Buffalo Wings, Cheese & Garlic Crack Bread, Pastrami Sandwiches, Brisket Sliders.
You get the picture!
How to make the best bruschetta!
Bruschetta is simple to make, but there’s a few fundamentals that you can’t skimp on if you want a seriously tasty one. Get these right and you can’t go wrong!
Juicy, ripe tomatoes at room temperature, not fridge cold
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
A good, crusty bread that can hold up to the juicy topping. Sourdough and ciabatta are my picks. Skip the basic sandwich bread – it will literally disintegrate from the juices. Thin baguettes work ok if you toast well (because they have a smaller surface area). Great starter option!
**CHEFFY TIP** Rub the hot toast with garlic. This is a little trick that gives bruschetta an edge that makes it even better than just mixing garlic through the tomato mixture. It’s the reason why the bruschetta at your favourite bistro is so good – now you can replicate it yourself at home!
How to make bruschetta
Toast olive oil brushed bread in the oven if making a large batch. But if you’re just making this for yourself, just use your toaster!
Deseed tomato (optional) – Halve the tomato then scoop out the watery seeds using a teaspoons. Deseeding is optional, not mandatory! It removes the watery centre which dilutes the flavour. To be honest, I never bother deseeding when I’m making this just for myself!
Chop tomato into small pieces.
Toss with chopped basil, olive oil, salt and pepper – that’s all you need for a classic Italian version. More on variations below!
Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to get it real juicy and for the flavours to come together – it’ll be fine for up to 30 minutes but after that, it gets a bit too mushy for my liking.
Toast bread – Meanwhile, brush each side of the bread with olive oil and toast in the oven until golden. Or, for a quicker version, just use your toaster.
Rub with garlic – Whichever method you use to toast your bread, don’t skip rubbing the bread lightly with the cut face of a garlic clove for authentic bruschetta flavour!
Pile on the tomato basil topping and devour!
TIP: Use the juicy seeds you scoop out for anything tomato based that you make – just toss it in while simmering. Think: Bolognese, Lasagne(or Veg Lasagne), Cannelloni, Baked Ziti, tomato based soups like Lentil Soup, Taco Soup, or this fabulous Healthy Vegetable Soup!
Variations
The recipe I’m sharing today is a classic Italian Tomato Bruschetta which, if made with good quality ingredients, is so lip smackingly delicious as is that you wouldn’t even think about adding anything else.
However! If you so choose, or perhaps your tomatoes aren’t quite as ripe as you wish, here are some add in options:
2 tsp+ of red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar or lemon juice)
Minced garlic mixed in the filling
Other herbs (thyme, oregano, chives come to mind)
Chopped olives or other antipasto things (artichokes, capsicum/peppers etc)
You can also spread the bread with things like avocado, ricotta or anything similar (cream cheese, labne, soft feta) before piling on the bruschetta. It’s effective as a sort of glue for the topping so you can pile even more on! 😂. – Nagi x
Remember. It’s impossible to eat Bruschetta elegantly. Don’t even try.
Watch how to make it
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Real Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
Ingredients
Bread
- 4 slices crusty bread like sourdough or ciabatta , sliced 1.5cm/ 3/5″ thick (Note 1)
- extra virgin olive oil , for brushing
- 1 garlic clove , halved (unpeeled)
Tomato and Basil Topping
- 4 tomatoes (medium) , ripe and juicy, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup basil leaves , roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (best quality you can afford)
- 1/4 tsp salt , kosher / cooking salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat grill/broiler on high (or grill side of BBQ or griddle skillet).
Tomato Topping
- Deseed (optional, note 2) – Cut tomatoes in half. Use a measuring teaspoon to scoop out watery seeds (reserve for other use, see post for suggestions) then dice into 1cm / 2/5" pieces.
- Toss – Place tomato and remaining Topping ingredients in a bowl and gently toss to combine. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes for the flavours to meld and the tomatoes to become juicy and soften slightly.
Bread
- Brush each side of bread with oil then grill/broil until golden and crusty – about 3 minutes on each side. (Or just use your toaster then brush with oil)
- Rub one side of the surface of the bread lightly with the garlic.
Assemble
- Pile topping onto bread with some of the juices. Drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
He was by my bed the whole time when I was bed-ridden with Man Flu for the past few days… Never barked once when I slept through breakfast / treat / bone / dinnertime! He’s a good boy. 😇
Excellent with halved cherry tomatoes too!
How have I waited all Summer before remembering to make bruschetta? This recipe is simple and delicious.
Great bruschetta. I pimped it up for a perfect warm summer night meal – spread the toast with avo smash before the tomatoes, added bocconcini on top of the tomatoes and drizzled the lot with balsamic vinegar. Delicious.
Just made Bruchetta. Worked out great!
Simply delicious!
Would it be sacreligious to use dried basil?
I’ve been known to put a light sprinkle of balsamic on the top.😋
My this for hubby for lunch today..he says it iwas so 😋 yummy.. i used your famous Worlds easiest yeast bread..
Made this tonight with cherry tomatoes I had on hand. I also added the red wine vinegar variation you had posted. Soooo good!
Just made this with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden! So yummy! Now I’m waiting for the rest of the tomatoes to ripen so I can make some more.
Made this yesterday. Oh it was so yummy
Made this as a starter today for 30 guests. What a hit! my new staple diet. Thanks Nagi
I was wondering …. I might want to add goat cheese and balsamic reduction …? Can’t wait to try this out!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I tried it this morning and loved it ..you are my go to for any recipe
Thanks so much Dia! N x
Delicious. Ratios are perfect of course. I added a little red onion & feta to zoosh it up a bit.
Today is the very end, the very last day, of this season’s tomato harvest. Mostly the golden pear toms are ripe. What would Nagi do? Bruschetta, obv. So we made this in advance (no salt yet) of a party. Early taste tests, with BBQ sourdough slices, are spectacular! Can’t wait to share. Tx again for all your deliciousness.
Oh yum! What I’d give for some good tomatoes!!
just friggin YUMMY!
Love this!! 🙌
print recipe how?.
Hi Dean, in the recipe box, there is a print function ☺️
Hi Nagi,
So sorry to hear you were under the weather. I hope Dozer’s watchful eyes (and warm, furriness) gave you comfort and made you feel better. He’s such a good boy! Hope you are back on your feet soon.
This Bruschetta looks wonderful. I have to say that every recipe of yours that I’ve tried has been delicious. I tried your Juicy Roast Turkey with the dry brining, something I’ve never done before, and WOW!! So delicious! I will never roast turkey the old way again! I do wish I would have filmed my husband and I trying to turn our 25+ pound stuffed turkey – I think we could have won many Funniest Video contests.
Thanks so much Bev! I can just imagine your hubby with the turkey – would have been great to watch 😂
We’ve been reduced to sad, tasteless winter tomatoes from stores until next year, unfortunately. Our tomato season is very brief also, about 6 weeks on average. I’ve read that scientific advances may soon deliver better tasting tomatoes year round, and shall certainly rejoice if that happens in a few years! That would be a dream come true.
Hope you’ve recovered completely by now.
Bugger! Ah well, here’s hoping for better tomatoes next season! 🍅
PS: I won’t even care if they are Frankentomatoes, as long as they tasted like real tomatoes-in-season and would be available all year”
He’s such a good boy! and…perfect for our hot conditions. Good Dozer and ….hope you are feeling much better too. PS: 3 carpet pythons on my deck last week 🙂