Why do we feel like we have to reinvent the wheel every time we have friends over? I mean, the Italians have already done it, heirloom tomato bruschetta is the perfect party appetizer, and in summer when fabulous tomatoes are coming at us fast and furious, there’s no earthly reason to do anything else.

overhead photo of heirloom tomato bruschetta with cherry tomatoes and basil

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta makes you look good!

This is the kind of recipe that makes you look like you know your way around a kitchen, like you didn’t try too hard, like you always throw together elegant little snacks like heirloom tomato bruschetta on a warm night.

Bruschetta is an express lane grocery list for sure, just pick up a fresh baguette, some heirloom tomatoes (spend a little time over them, and pick out a nice assortment of colors) and some fresh basil. You already have garlic, balsamic vinegar, and top notch extra virgin olive oil in the house, right?

Making heirloom tomato bruscheta on a white surface with toasted bread and diced tomatoes

Let’s get right to the secrets to doing bruschetta right

#1 The bread is as important as the topping. Buy a good quality bakery style French baguette from a bakery or the bakery section of your supermarket. Avoid anything too pillowy and soft, or too hard. I like to squeeze the loaves to make sure I’m not buying anything too crusty, which can be hard to eat. The loaf should give to gentle pressure and be nice and fresh.

#2 Buy your bread the same day you are going to serve it, that’s a no brainer. Fresh baguettes go stale in no time.

#3 Slice the bread into 1/2 inch slices, any fatter and the bread can overwhelm the tomato topping.

#4 Use the best olive oil and be liberal with it. Brush a good amount of oil on both sides of each slice of bread before toasting it. The oil gives flavor and gives the bread a nice crunch.

#5 Toast the bread over high enough heat that it gets a little bit of a char, that is the key to great flavor. Do it on a charcoal grill or in a skillet on the stove. (You can toast your bread ahead of time to make prep a lot easier.)

heirloom tomato bruschetta on a white surface

#6 Rub the top side of each slice of bread with the cut half of a clove of garlic, right after it comes off the heat. Don’t use minced garlic in your bruschetta, it’s too overpowering.

#7 I’m not going to insult your intelligence by telling you to use fabulous tomatoes. I used colorful heirloom tomatoes which I love, because each variety has a different flavor profile.

#8 Cut your tomatoes nice and small so they’ll fit on the bread without tumbling off. Then douse them with a little olive oil, and a touch of salt. Let them hang out for about 15 – 30 minutes so their juices start to flow. Don’t do this any earlier, and don’t put the tomatoes in the refrigerator, they’ll get mushy.

#9 To slice your basil stack the leaves in a little pile, then roll them up like a little cigar. Slice it into paper thin slices, it’s called chiffonade.

#10 I like to add a tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar to the top of each heirloom tomato bruschetta for the finishing touch. Then shower them with a nice amount of fresh cracked black pepper.

Colorful Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta on a white surface

The crunch of the bread, the juice from the tomatoes mingling with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar…heirloom tomato bruschetta is a simple pleasure can be enjoyed equally well in the company of family and good friends, or alone on the back porch with a glass of wine ~ that’s the beauty of it all.

Assemble 5 or 6 slices and call it dinner…life is good!

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta with colorful tomatoes and basil

Also try ~

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta

3.94 from 15 votes

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta ~ an easy and healthy Italian appetizer, these tomato crostini are perfect for a Mediterranean tapas menu.

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Prep Time:15

Servings: 20 bruschetta

Ingredients

1 fresh French or Italian style baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch slices, on the diagonal
assorted heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
fresh basil
balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Brush both sides of the sliced bread generously with olive oil. Toast the bread on a hot grill or grill pan on the stove top. Toast both sides until you get a golden color and a little bit of charring. Set the bread aside. (You can do this ahead of time if you like.)
Use your sharpest knife to finely chop the tomatoes. You want the dice to be small enough so that the chopped tomatoes fit on the small pieces of bread without tumbling off. Keep the different colored tomatoes in separate bowls. Drizzle olive oil over each bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss.
Just before you are ready to serve, top each toast with a heap of the tomatoes, allowing a little of the juice to come along as well, that will soak into and flavor the bread. Top with the shredded basil and a tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I like to add fresh cracked black pepper as the final touch.

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Course: Appetizer, lunch, Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: appetizer, bread, healthy, Mediterranean, recipe, tomatoes

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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Make this heirloom tomato bruschetta your own ~

Make it with cheese ~ add a thin slice of fresh mozzarella or a thin layer of soft goat cheese to the bread before topping. You could also add shreds of good Parmesan cheese over the top.
Make it with artichokes or olives ~ add finely chopped artichoke hearts and/ or olives to the chopped tomatoes.

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta ~ an easy healthy Italian appetizer made with a crusty baguette, lots of heirloom tomatoes, and fresh basil #appetizer #bread #toast #tomatoes #Italian #easy #tapas #mezze #caprese #balsamic #crostini

Bruschetta as a concept has been applied to lots of other recipes, for instance you can make a bruschetta pasta salad, or even do a bruschetta baked eggs for breakfast!

3.94 from 15 votes (10 ratings without comment)