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This easy Garlic Bread Bruschetta Recipe combines toasty garlic bread and a flavorful balsamic tomato salad to make a delicious and crowd-pleasing appetizer.
What is Bruschetta?
Bruschetta, a staple in Italian dining, combines a zesty tomato basil salad atop toasted bread. This simple, fresh appetizer pairs wonderfully with classic Italian pasta and is as easy as toasting bread and topping it with flavorful tomatoes.
Bruschetta Recipe Ingredients
- For the Toasted Garlic Bread: Italian bread, olive oil, and garlic
- For the Salad: grape tomatoes, parmesan cheese, basil ribbons, minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
How to Make Bruschetta
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 400˚F.
- Bread Slices: Using a pastry brush, brush each slice of bread with olive oil; transfer the slices to a baking sheet, oiled-side down. Toast your bread in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, keeping an eye on the bread so it doesn’t burn.
- Rub With Garlic: Remove your toast from the oven and rub the cut side of the garlic cloves over each slice of toasted bread. Set aside.
- Make The Salad: Transfer the tomatoes to a mixing bowl. Add cheese, basil, and garlic, stirring to combine. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, mixing until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust accordingly.
- Assemble & Serve: Divide up the salad over the toasted bread slices. Serve on a platter and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use Fresh Ingredients: The fresher your ingredients are, the tastier your bruschetta will be.
- Season to Taste: Before you add your tomato basil salad to your toast, taste it and make sure you’re satisfied with the amount of seasoning. Just try not to eat it all from the bowl! 😉
- Start on Salad while Toasting Bread: As long as you’re keeping an eye on your bread while it’s toasting, you can start making your salad. This way, the salad will be ready to go when the bread is still nice and warm.
Serving Suggestions
Bruschetta is a delicious way to kick off any meal! It goes great with my super easy Skillet Lasagna, this Chicken Ranch Bacon Pasta, or these Juicy Skillet Balsamic Chicken Breasts.
Can Bruschetta Be Made in Advance?
This recipe is great for meal prepping. You can make your salad up to a day ahead of time and store it, covered, in the refrigerator. Then, when you’re ready to serve your bruschetta, all you have to do is toast the bread and assemble the dish.
More Appetizer Recipes
- Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Caprese Stuffed Avocados
- Holiday Antipasto Wreath
- Classic Deviled Eggs
Easy Garlic Bread Bruschetta Recipe
Ingredients
For the Toasted Garlic Bread
- 8 slices Italian bread,, 1/2-inch thick
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic,, cut in half
For the Salad
- 2 cups fresh grape or cherry tomatoes,, diced, (or 3 to 4 Roma tomatoes, diced)
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil ribbons,, (stack several basil leaves one on top of the other, roll them up tightly, and then slice into thin ribbons)
- 2 cloves garlic,, minced
- salt and fresh ground pepper,, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- balsamic glaze,, optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Using a pastry brush, brush each slice of bread with olive oil and transfer them to the baking sheet, oiled-side down.
- Toast the bread in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the bread so it doesn’t burn.
- Remove from oven; carefully flip over the bread slices, and rub the cut side of the garlic cloves over each piece of toasted bread. Set aside.
- Transfer the diced tomatoes to a mixing bowl. Stir in the cheese, basil, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.
- Add oil and balsamic vinegar; mix until thoroughly combined. Taste the salad and adjust accordingly.
- Divide up the salad over the toasted bread slices, add just a drizzle of balsamic glaze over the top, and serve!
Equipment
- Oven
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Oh my goodness this looks so incredible and delicious! I can’t wait to try this!
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! ๐
OHHHH I LOVED THIS! Thank you!
I am very glad you enjoyed it! THANK YOU! ๐
I have a bunch of fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. This will be perfect!
I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! ๐
This is such an amazing appetizer! Everyone at my house loved it!
That’s great! I am very glad you and your family enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
This was such a unique and decadent dish! Even my picky eaters gobbled this up! Delicious!
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Love the garlic bread base!
Thank you, Cathy! ๐
how to you make balsamic glaze?
I usually buy mine – you can get it on Amazon (affiliate link) –> https://amzn.to/3kOTECp.
But, you can also make your own by combining 2 cups balsamic vinegar with 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan set over medium heat; whisk and stir constantly until sugar has dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until glaze is reduced by half. When it’s done, the glaze should coat the back of a spoon.
Let the mixture cool. If you have leftovers, pour into a jar with a lid, and store glaze in refrigerator.
I had an abundance of tomatoes and basil from my garden so this recipe was perfect to try! I made the first batch exactly as the recipe calls, and then again last night with a couple modifications. I LOVE garlic, so I added garlic spread to the un-oiled side of the bread before placing in oven. Then I also added fresh mozzarella pearls while placing the salad on top! So yummy!!!
Chicken Alfredo pasta bake that I made October 21, 2023.
You cannot add Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese to a sauce when itโs on the burner. No matter how low the temperature is the cheese doesnโt melt – it turns into a gloppy mess and sticks to the bottom of the pot and the sauce didnโt thicken either. So I will just be adding the cheeses to the top of the casserole before I put it in the oven- simple – easy Peezy. No messy. I will be making your brischetta tonight on top of my Texas toast already garlicโd.
It sounds like you found a great solution for the cheese in your Chicken Alfredo pasta bake! Adding the cheese on top before baking should give you that perfect melted finish without the hassle. Enjoy making the bruschetta tonightโit’ll be delicious on that garlic Texas toast! Thank you! ๐