Bruschetta Recipe - Spend With Pennies

Ripe tomatoes are diced and tossed with fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, and a splash of vinegar, then spooned over garlic rubbed crostini. This appetizer is perfect for entertaining, summer snacking, or as a make-ahead starter.

When traveling in Italy, I started almost every meal with bruschetta. The best bruschetta recipe is fresh and simple, just like this one!

Flavor: This recipe is packed with flavor from juicy tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a hint of garlic, all served over crispy bread.
Skill Level: This beginner-friendly recipe has a big flavor payoff!
Prep Note: The tomato mix can be made ahead and served cold or at room temperature. The crispy bread is also perfect to cook ahead!
Recommended Tools: While no special tools are required for this recipe, I do love this vegetable chopper to make quick and easy work of the tomatoes.

What is Bruschetta?

While the word bruschetta is thought of as the tomatoes, bruschetta refers to the preparation of the bread (cut, olive oil, and garlic rubbed), not the tomato topping.

This Bruschetta recipe is easy to prepare. Toast slices of baguette and rub the bread slices with garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. The toppings can vary but often include fresh tomatoes & basil.

ingredients to make Bruschetta on a wooden board

Ingredient Tips for Bruschetta

Tomatoes: Use fresh, ripe tomatoes. I choose Roma tomatoes or vine-ripened tomatoes, but cherry tomatoes work as well. While dicing the tomatoes, place them in a colander to drain.
Bread: Slices from a baguette, hold the toppings, and soak up the marinade. Once toasted, rub the bread with a fresh peeled clove of garlic before serving.
Marinade: While some recipes use balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar is more traditional. Use a great quality extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil.
Extras: Finely diced cucumbers, minced red onion, slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, Greek olives, or parmesan cheese petals make bruschetta into a new appetizer every time!

ingredients to make Bruschetta in a glass bowl

How to Make Bruschetta

Dice the tomatoes and drain (full recipe below).
Toss the tomatoes and basil with the remaining ingredients.
Slice the bread, place it on a baking sheet. Bake. Rub the bread with raw garlic.
Spoon the tomato mixture over the top and enjoy.

baked bread on a baking sheet to make Bruschetta

Don’t Skip the Garlic!

Don’t skip rubbing the warm, toasted baguette slices with fresh cloves of garlic. It adds so much flavor to this recipe. Once you try it, the garlicky warm toast will be a go-to for dipping in soups, serving snacks, or even avocado toast.

fresh Bruschetta in a white bowl with tomatoes , bread and seosonings in the background

Storing Bruschetta

Prepare the tomato mixture up to 4 hours in advance; the flavors will only get better.
The toasts can be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container. Ensure the bread is cooled before sealing, as it won’t stay crisp otherwise. Leftover bread can be made into croutons.
The tomato mixture will last up to 3 days. Add it to sour cream for a quick dip, fold it into an omelet, or mix it into deviled eggs.

More Delicious Toast Toppers

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Tomato Bruschetta Recipe

Fresh ripe tomatoes are tossed with fresh basil and piled high on garlicky toasted bread.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Chill Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Dice tomatoes about ¼” and lightly drain.
Mix all ingredients and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Slice the baguette, brush with olive oil, and toast or grill until lightly browned about 2-4 minutes.
Rub each toasted slice baguette with a clove of raw garlic. Top with tomato mixture.

A sprinkle of parmesan cheese can be added to the bread before baking.
Lightly drain tomatoes in a strainer to keep the bruschetta from becoming watery.
Balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze can be drizzled over top if desired. We prefer this recipe without balsamic.
Nutrition is based on a serving size of ¼ cup per serving. This recipe makes about 3 cups.

Tomato mixture can be made up to 8 hours in advance.
The tomato mixture will last up to 3 days.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Party Food, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

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