Tomato Bruschetta is a juicy, vinegary mouthful of crunch and tang to be enjoyed any time of year. The popularity of bruschetta seems to peak in the summer, of course, when tomatoes are the best they can be. Well, at least that's how it is here in New England. However, it's really a dish you can enjoy year round for a lite lunch, a brunch offering or a side dish at dinner. So let's make some fantastic tomato bruschetta.
A Little about this Particular Recipe and video: vulnerability alert!
I launched my website in February 2021. This wasn't the first recipe I posted but it IS the very first one I filmed. Please forgive the sound and lighting!! Lol! My microphone wasn't plugged in, of course, because I didn't really know what I was doing. So the sound is coming only from the built-in camera microphone which is a great quality camera, but still... It's really so embarrassing, but I'm leaving it here because we should all expose our vulnerabilities from time to time. It's what makes us human.
I also hadn't figured out the lighting in my early videos either. Recipe is awesome and still the best bruschetta you can imagine! The video will get updated when I have time to do so!
Remember the Tomato Bruschetta scene from Julie & Julia?
Bruschetta is super easy to make and only has a few ingredients. I like to enhance the flavors by adding roasted red peppers, orange or yellow pepper, and finely diced shallot. There is an amazing movie, called Julie & Julia, with a gorgeous scene that includes the Julie character (played by Amy Adams) preparing tomato bruschetta for dinner. When I saw that movie and that bruschetta - my mouth watered. The couple in that scene ate bruschetta with Italian sausage... and I was salivating watching them. I knew I had to make it. And although I didn't have a recipe, I immediately went to the grocery store, bought some ingredients and made a copy cat meal at home. I worked on this recipe many times before perfecting it and it's still a summer favorite around my house.
Chef tips for making the best bruschetta
Look, it's going to depend on what kind of bruschetta is your favorite kind of bruschetta. Do you like crusty French bread that is unheated? Do you want it on a hard crostini-type of cracker? In your mind is it served warm, cold, or room temperature?
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This particular bruschetta is made by slicing Italian loaf bread and frying it in olive oil. I like a warm and crunchy bruschetta and that's what this is.
Keep these tips in mind for bruschetta:
- Once you've made the bruschetta mix, you can certainly use it right away. But it will taste even better if you let it marinate for a couple of hours.
- Frying the bread is essential to get that nice crunch when you bite into it.
- I love fresh herbs and I think the fresh basil is essential to the overall flavor profile so please don't skip that.
- In the same vein, we want our food to have amazing depth of flavor too, right? This is why the roasted red peppers are there. They blend in with the color of the tomato, but offer an additional flavor that fits right in. So yum!
- Only prepare what you will be eating right then and there. Once you spoon the bruschetta mix onto the fried bread, the shelf life is no more than five minutes before it starts getting soggy.
Cooking from home is the way to go
If you are here on my website then you must have an interest in cooking. Or you're at work mindlessly wandering the internet and somehow landed here. Hi. Let's cook! I mean, think about how expensive it is to eat out at a restaurant right now. There has seriously never been a better time to learn how to cook at home or add to your culinary repertoire. Make a food plan for the week, buy ingredients you'll use in multiple recipes and make the decision to cook food at home. If you plan ahead even a little, you will see the difference in your spending. Plus, cooking for our loved ones give us a chance to break bread and check in on each other's lives. Put down your screens and just chill over dinner. It's the best feeling!
Oh, you want more appetizery/Snacky things?
- Warm Shrimp & Gorgonzola Dip w/Herbed Crostini
- Apple Brie Crostini w/Pecans & Honey
- Cheesy Tomato Potatoes
- Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Puffs
- French Onion Soup Crostini
- Fancy French Fries w/Garlic, Butter & Parmesan
- Canned Crab Toasties (no mayo!)
How to Make Fantastic Tomato Bruschetta
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 pieces 1x
Description
On a hot day when I don’t feel like cooking, this fantastic tomato bruschetta is a mouthful of joy. You will love this one.
Ingredients
- 7 medium vine ripe tomatoes
- 1 large roasted red pepper
- 1 medium orange pepper
- ½ shallot, finely diced (1 tablespoon or so)
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
- ½ cup fresh chopped basil
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan (optional)
- 1 loaf of Italian bread
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Wash tomatoes.
- Use coring tool to remove tomato cores. If you don’t have a coring tool simply use a paring knife.
- Cut tomatoes in half.
- Use your fingers to remove the guts and seeds of the tomatoes. Have a bowl or garbage can nearby to put all the tomato seeds, etc.
- Slice the tomatoes into strips and then dice them into small pieces. Put in a large bowl.
- Add the white vinegar to the tomatoes, plus salt and pepper to taste. Give it a good stir. Let tomatoes soak in the vinegar, salt and pepper for about 10 minutes. Do your other prep while this is happening.
- Dice your orange pepper.
- Finely dice half of one shallot.
- Dice your one large roasted red peppers (I used jarred for this).
- Add your diced orange pepper, shallot and roasted red pepper to the bowl with the tomatoes. Give it a good mixing here.
- Add extra virgin olive oil and mix thoroughly again. Season with more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
- Slice your Italian bread into ½ to one inch slices (approximately).
- Wash your basil. You won’t need a whole bunch for this recipe. Pick out a bunch of basil leaves. Stack them on top of each other, roll them up like a cigae. Then thinly slice from one end to the other into think ribbons.
- Heat more olive oil in a pan on low to medium heat. You want enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan.
- Wait until the oil is nice and hot, then add your bread to the oil and let it cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Watch it carefully – do not leave it unattended. It can burn quickly if you’re not careful.
- When the bread is finished it’s time to assemble! Spoon the bruschetta onto the bread slices. Top with the basil and a pinch of shredded parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you have leftover bruschetta mix, you can always use it on top of greens as well. Makes a delicious salad! Or just keep making crunchy bread a few days in a row and have it over and over again which is what I usually do!
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