This bruschetta recipe is a nostalgic one for me. The first time I went to Italy it was June. Tomato season was just starting, and bruschetta was everywhere! Since then, I’ve been making this easy Italian bruschetta recipe at home whenever I can!
In Italy, the bruschetta was made with bread grilled over an open fire. Fresh garlic was rubbed directly onto the toasted bread, and topped with ripe, juicy diced tomatoes. Thankfully, my beloved bruschetta is easy to replicate at home.
Key Bruschetta Ingredients
Tomato mixture
- Fresh, ripe tomatoes: You can totally use cherry tomatoes for this, but I usually use roma tomatoes. They’re traditional for bruschette because they’re relatively firm and not super, super juicy. In this case, that’s a good thing so that the bread doesn’t get soggy.
- Olive oil: You’ll really taste the olive oil in this recipe, so I always use extra virgin.
- Salt: Salt doesn’t just flavor the tomatoes, it also pulls some water out of them so that the topping isn’t too watery.
- Basil: Fresh basil is abundant when tomatoes are ripe, so it’s a must-add!
- Balsamic vinegar: I love splurging on aged balsamic. I don’t use it often, so it lasts a long time and the flavor really is better.
Toasted bread
- Baguette: This can be day-old, or fresh, whatever you’ve got.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin, or regular olive oil is OK here.
How To Make Real Italian Bruschetta
- Toast the sliced baguette in the oven, or you could grill them (take care not to burn them).
- Rub the toasted bread with fresh garlic cloves.
- Salt the diced, seeded tomatoes and let them sit for a few minutes in a bowl or colander. As they sit the salt will pull some of the water out of the tomatoes. If the tomato mixture is in a bowl, drain off the excess liquid. If it’s in a colander, most of the excess should just drip right out.
- Stir olive oil, vinegar, and basil into the tomatoes.
- Assemble the bruschetta! Spoon a generous heap of tomato mixture onto the toasted bread.
Bruschetta Tips
- Crisp, toasted bread is key! To keep your tomatoes from making the bread soggy, let the tomatoes sit in a bowl for a minute before adding to the salad and then drain off any excess liquid.
- If rubbing the garlic on the bread feels too fussy, you can grate the garlic right into the salad and toss to combine.
- Bruschetta is best served in the summer, when tomatoes are ripe and fresh basil is abundant. While you can totally make it at other times of year, if you make it in winter or fall, the flavor and color of the tomatoes and basil will be lacking, so you may need extra salt to bring it to life.
How To Serve
This dish makes a great picnic snack or potluck contribution! To make it to-go, make the tomato mixture, and the toasted bread, and then wait to assemble the bruschetta until you’re ready to dig in. It is also a really great starter for an Italian dinner spread. Serve it with while people arrive and have drinks before a feast! I’ve served it with other summery main dishes, like pasta primavera, or pasta alla norma, or really any pasta with our homemade tomato sauce.
More Fresh Tomato Recipes
Caio Bellas!
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