Easy Bruschetta Recipe

Bruschetta with tomato and basil! Chopped fresh Roma tomatoes, onions, basil, garlic, olive oil, balsamic or red wine vinegar and freshly grated parmesan cheese served on a toasty garlic slice of baguette. A real crowd pleaser. I whip up a batch of this Italian classic whenever I have a crowd to feed.

You can prepare this appetizer in advance (it’s almost better) which allows the flavors to combine then just toast your baguette slices when you need them. Serve the tomato mixture in a bowl along side the toasted bread slices, or dress the slices with the tomato mixture just before serving if you want to present them on a nice platter. Either way they are great!

How to slice tomatoes

When I need diced tomatoes I find the easiest way to cut them is to cut through the tomato from the top (not vine) edge, in a few parallel slices about a half centimeter apart and down towards the root (vine) end. Then turn the tomato 90 degrees and repeat the process, creating a grid. Then lay the tomato on its side and carefully cut rows off, creating a dice. If you find the tomato is too slippery to do this then I suggest once you have the grid cut, go back to the slice closest to the center of the tomato and cut it all the way through, creating two halves. Then laying the tomato on the flat side, cut through the already made slices, creating your diced tomatoes. I then put all of the diced tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and let the juices drain out for at least 10 minutes so you don’t end up with soggy toasts.

If you’re looking for appetizer recipes to feed a crowd then try my quick and easy Hummus or mini broccolini and cheese quiches

What goes into Bruschetta

• Fresh Roma Tomatoes – I find that Roma tomatoes work the best for bruschetta as they are very fragrant but not too watery.
• Onion – I prefer to use red onion in my bruschetta, but you can use whatever onion you have. Mince it quite small so the onion does not overpower the rest of the flavors.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – I love the lightness and flavor of Extra Virgin Olive oil, but you can use regular olive oil or any other light tasting oil of your choice.
• Minced Fresh Garlic – I use a garlic press to make it fast and easy as you don’t want large pieces of garlic in your bruschetta.
• Red Wine Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar – Essential for a flavorful bruschetta. I prefer the taste of red wine vinegar, but you can use balsamic if that’s what you prefer.
• Kosher Salt – my go to in most of my recipes, but if you don’t have it then regular salt is fine.
• Black Pepper – freshly ground is best but if you don’t have a grinder of pepper, then just use regular pepper.
• Fresh Basil – if you can’t find fresh basil you can use dried, but I prefer fresh basil cut into a chiffonade (thin strips) or torn into small pieces.
• Parmesan Cheese – again I prefer fresh parmesan, grated just before you use it. If you don’t have fresh then you can use whatever kind you have, but don’t omit it. It provides flavor and saltiness.
• Fresh Bread – either a fresh baguette or French bread is always my bread of choice. Slice into 1/2 cm rounds or oblong slices, brush with garlic butter (or olive oil) and toast in the oven on a tray for a crispy texture.