A simple Italian Bruschetta recipe made with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic cloves, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and rich olive oil over the top of toasted bread. This is a great recipe for the summer months when tomatoes and basil are in season guaranteeing the best flavor.
Pronounced: Brusketta (I often mispronounce these simple Italian words to say brush-etta). Oops.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy our summer tomatoes is by making the best bruschetta recipe (straight from my family’s cookbook). It is a classic Italian appetizer that is jam-packed full of flavor when it is made right. I also love to make my homemade artisan bread to use as the foundation.
There is truly nothing better than thick slices of artisan bread pressed down in a panini maker with a drizzle of olive oil some parmesan cheese and all of the bruschetta toppings. Yum.
My dad showed me how to make this recipe so many years ago. We come from a large Italian family down in Reggio Calabria, Italy. This recipe is about as authentic as it is going to get. It won’t disappoint I promise! I will say, I do not “measure” a lot when making this recipe. For all of you recipe hounds who love exacts, bear with me. I give you pretty close estimates in this recipe!
It is such an easy recipe to prepare and is loaded with flavor. It reminds me of summer on toasted slices of fresh bread. It is one of my all-time favorite appetizers to make for a large group too. A crowd-pleaser. I sometimes eat bruschetta as a light lunch or a small dinner if I am not super hungry.
TOOLS YOU MAY NEED FOR A CLASSIC TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
- A cutting board and knife to prep ingredients
- A bowl for mixing the bruschetta in
- A panini maker to press your bread or a grill pan to toast your bread
- Utensils for serving
- A plate for serving
TIPS TO MAKE THIS CLASSIC BRUSCHETTA RECIPE
-Use fresh tomatoes from a garden or farmer’s market. Good quality ingredients make this dish great.
-You can use both balsamic vinegar and a balsamic drizzle. I oftentimes use both. The balsamic vinegar for the bruschetta mixture and a drizzle at the end when serving over top of your bruschetta bread.
-Don’t be shy with the amount of garlic you are using. Great bruschetta is loaded with garlic!
-Taste as you go and add salt + pepper as needed
-Soggy bruschetta can happen if you do not toast or press your bread in a panini maker. This step is vital to getting that crunchy bite with the juicy toppings.
EASY BRUSCHETTA RECIPE
Serves 4 people
- 5 Garden Tomatoes or 2 Cups of Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves of Garlic chopped
- 5 fresh basil leaves chopped
- Balsamic drizzle to garnish
- Baguette slices or Homemade Artisan bread (either works fine)
- Parmesan cheese
HOW TO MAKE THIS EASY BRUSCHETTA RECIPE
- Start by cutting and dicing your tomatoes to your desired size. The smaller you dice the pieces the more bruschetta topping it will make. Once all of the tomatoes are diced up you can then add them to a serving bowl. I like to keep as much tomato juice as I can. It adds flavor and moisture. Do not let that juicy goodness run down the drain!
- Chop up the fresh basil and add it to your bowl of diced tomatoes. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop up a peeled clove of garlic or two and add it to the bowl. I love buying the Dorot garlic from Trader Joe’s because it is fresh and it comes already chopped.
- Now is when I like to add in my olive oil and balsamic to finish off the mixture. Sometimes I will add in balsamic drizzle and other times I will add in the vinegar. They have the same flavor. Add in roughly 1/4 cup each.
- Mix all of the ingredients into a bowl and get started on preparing your bread.
- Preheat your panini maker and slice pieces of bread to your desired thickness. Place on the hot surface and drizzle with olive oil and top with parmesan cheese. Press down until the bread is golden brown and crunchy.
- Spoon a generous amount of bruschetta onto your crunchy bread and add the balsamic drizzle overtop! Enjoy
Easy Bruschetta Recipe
Equipment
- A cutting board and knife to prep ingredients
- A bowl for mixing the bruschetta in
- A panini maker to press your bread or a grill pan to toast your bread
- Utensils for serving
- A plate for serving
Ingredients
- 5 Garden Tomatoes or 2 Cups of Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Black pepper
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Balsamic drizzle to garnish
- 2 cloves Chopped garlic
- 5 Fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 Loaf of bread sliced Artisan, French, or Ciabatta all work well
- 1 Cup Parmesan cheese To toast on your bread
Instructions
- Start by cutting and dicing your tomatoes to your desired size. The smaller you dice the pieces the more bruschetta topping it will make. Once all of the tomatoes are diced up you can then add them to a serving bowl. I like to keep as much of the tomato juice as I can. It adds flavor and moisture. Do not let that juicy goodness run down the drain!
- Chop up the fresh basil and add it to your bowl of diced tomatoes. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop up a peeled clove of garlic or two and add it to the bowl. I love buying this garlic from Trader Joes because it is fresh and it comes already chopped.
- Now is when I like to add in my olive oil and balsamic to finish off the mixture. Sometimes I will add in balsamic drizzle and other times I will add in the vinegar. They have the same flavor. Add in roughly 1/4 cup each.
- Mix all of the ingredients into a bowl and get started on preparing your bread.
- Pre-heat your panini maker and slice pieces of bread to your desired thickness. Place on the hot surface and drizzle with olive oil and top with parmesan cheese. Press down until the bread is golden brown and crunchy.
- Spoon a generous amount of bruschetta onto your crunchy bread and add the balsamic drizzle overtop! Enjoy!
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