Nothing screams summertime more than fresh tomatoes, and if you’re lucky enough to have your own garden or access to a local stash, you may not know what to do with so many tomatoes. Homemade tomato basil soup, tomato toast, salsa, and caprese are just a few of our favorite easy tomato dishes, but one that never seems to get old is this easy, classic bruschetta recipe.
Inspired by many authentic Italian restaurants, this classic bruschetta recipe is made with fresh, in-season tomatoes.
Classic bruschetta has very few ingredients:
- sliced bread
- fresh tomatoes
- fresh basil
- garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper
That’s it. So easy, so fresh and delicious. Two main rules for making this easy, classic bruschetta: 1) Make certain that your tomatoes are fresh and flavorful! The tomatoes are the star of the show, so you want something that tastes good on its own. You can use any variety of tomato. 2) Assemble the bruschetta just before serving. Because we’re using juicy, ripe tomatoes, the bread (even though toasted) absorbs the juice and can get soggy quickly (we know, yuck). A little bit of this is inevitable, but rather than making this hours ahead, toast your bread, toss the rest of your ingredients together, and assemble in seconds just before serving.
Does bruschetta have balsamic vinegar?
A quick note about balsamic vinegar– you can 100% add balsamic to this recipe! Just add with the tomatoes and other ingredients and it will be delicious. We omitted it from this recipe to reflect several authentic Italian restaurants statewide and many restaurants in Italy that served their classic bruschetta without. It certainly adds flavor but we prefer making it without to really let the tomatoes and olive oil shine as the main, key ingredients. Whether you leave it out or throw it in, no judgment from us!
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Easy Classic Bruschetta Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-8 large slices of 1/2 inch thick bread, cut in half*
- 4 large tomatoes (or 8 small, Roma-sized tomatoes), chopped
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil, coarsely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven on broil setting. Place bread on cookie sheet and brush tops with olive oil. Toast in oven on top rack for 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully and do not let the bread burn.
- Combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and balsamic (if using) in a medium-sized bowl. Just before serving, evenly distribute the tomato mixture on top of the toasted bread. Serve immediately.
Notes
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