Favorite Tomato Bruschetta

by | Aug 9, 2020 | Appetizers, Basil, Family Favorites, Italian, Recipes, Summer, Tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetable Side Dish, Vegetarian

Favorite Tomato Bruschetta
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Sometimes simple is best, especially when we’re talking about simply using the best of the season in a way that brings out and highlights the flavor of each ingredient With a load of tomatoes and fresh basil coming in from our CSA as well as the garden, we’ve been making this bruschetta regularly.  It’s the perfect combination of these summer flavors. Son Connor declared that this is officially his favorite appetizer now, but that he’d be happy having this as the entire meal. I have to agree. I’ve been making it to have before dinner, with dinner, and instead of dinner. (Honestly, I’d eat it as dessert, too!) I guess we didn’t make it for quite a while because of the hubby’s foray into the keto, or low-carb, diet. So bruschetta type appetizers (featuring toast) were not in favor, but we’ve put that on the shelf for now. So lately this is our favorite go-to recipe to truly highlight the best of the late summer harvest. We usually enjoy the bruschetta without the cheese, just because the flavor of the ripe tomatoes and basil in season are so delicious I don’t want to overshadow them. But it’s always an option if your tomatoes aren’t as flavorful as you’d like, or if you just have some cheese you need to use up!

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Tomato and basil bruschetta

Favorite Tomato Bruschetta

  • Author: Stacey McNeill
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Description

The absolute hands-down favorite summer appetizer for our family, this tomato and basil bruschetta is simple, easy and just delish! I usually serve this without cheese, to make it a lovely dish my vegan friends can also enjoy, but if I have goat cheese on hand, I’ll often spread the toasts with that before topping with tomato. It helps keep the juices from the tomato from soaking into the bread too much, and well, it tastes delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 sourdough baguette or good artisan quality style crusty batard
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 pounds ripe tomatoes (I like to use heirlooms in a variety of colors)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (about 1/2 small)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 3 medium cloves garlic
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional, for those who like things a bit spicy)
  • 2-3 ounces Parmesan or goat cheese (optional)
  • Balsamic vinegar glaze or good quality balsamic reduced to a thicker consistency (optional, but yummy!)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice bread on the diagonal about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch wide. Place about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl and add one crushed garlic clove to the oil. Place bread slices on a large baking sheet and lightly brush both sides of each slice with garlic infused olive oil.
  2. Dice tomatoes and transfer them to a medium bowl. Stir salt into tomatoes and allow to sit for a few minutes. Drain tomatoes to reduce juice, then add onion, basil, 2 cloves of crushed or finely diced garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Bake bread slices for about 7 to 10 minutes, watching carefully, until they are browned and crispy. Seriously, watch carefully!
  4. If using Parmesan, sprinkle grated cheese over the toasts and place back in the oven just a minute or so until melted. If using goat cheese, allow toasts to cool a bit, then spread toasts with a thin layer of soft goat cheese (optional, it tastes just delicious without the cheese, too).
  5. Top each slice of toast with the tomato mixture and drizzle just a bit of balsamic glaze over each.

Notes

For family or a casual gathering, I usually just put out a bowl of the tomato mixture, cheese, a basket of toasts and the glaze and have guests make their own appetizers. That way the toasts don’t become soggy if they don’t get eaten immediately, and everyone can customize to their preference.