Tomato Bruschetta With Garlic and Basil

I have been making this tomato bruschetta for years, and it has always been a crowd favorite. Holidays, parties or even for a quick appetizer before dinner at home – there is NEVER any left, and there are never any regrets.

Tomato bruschetta is extremely refreshing and simple to make. If you're anything like me, you likely have the majority of the ingredients in your kitchen already, with the exception of maybe the baguette. You also probably have the tools needed to make this ultra-simple recipe.

For such a simple recipe, this appetizer is jam-packed with flavor, largely due to the garlic. I am never conservative when I use garlic. If a recipe calls for two cloves, you better believe I am using at least five! I chop up then sauté the garlic until fragrant and golden before mixing it with the rest of ingredients. This brings out so much more flavor than you'd get if you just stirred in raw garlic.

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Brushing the baguette slices with seasoned olive oil also makes a big difference. Not only does it add a lot to the taste but it also creates a nice chewy crunch that helps hold the whole bite together. If you bake the slices without any type of preparation, they'll crunch in the crumbly type of way that nobody likes. The most helpful tool to achieve this is a small silicone basting brush. I've been using mine for three years with no signs of it needing to be replaced, which is awesome because I use it for a lot of things – brushing on sauce for grilling (and we grill a lot!), brushing butter or olive oil on toasted breads and pitas, etc.

Dicing up tomatoes can be a bit cumbersome if you don’t have a very sharp knife. Because of this I regularly sharpen my knife using a PriorityChef Knife Sharpener. There are many other knife sharpeners out there, some are electric-powered and others are hand-powered like the one above. I have not tried one of those electric ones but this hand-powered knife sharpener is more than enough for my daily needs without having to break the bank.

This recipe requires basil, of course! We grow ours at home year-round and have an enormous supply which can be hard to use up quickly. We recently received a glass herb keeper as a wedding gift which has made it so much easier to preserve the herbs we pick much longer than they would keep in the refrigerator otherwise! It's definitely a kitchen necessity, whether you grow your own or get yours from the grocery store! Check it out here.

If you are looking for other appetizer ideas, try my Spring Rolls with Sweet & Spicy Dipping Sauce or my Fried Mac and Cheese Balls!

Tomato Bruschetta With Garlic and Basil

Ingredients

1 French baguette, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 vine tomatoes, diced
1/2 small white onion, chopped
2-3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Juice from 1/4 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded Parmesan (optional)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Saute minced garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil until fragrant and golden. Set aside.
3. Chop tomatoes, onion and fresh basil and combine in a mixing bowl. Add sauteed garlic WITH the excess olive oil from the pan.
4. Squeeze 1/4 lemon juice over the vegetable mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Mix well and chill in the refrigerator.
6. In a small bowl, season the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil with salt and pepper.
7. Lay baguette slices on a baking sheet and use silicone basting brush to apply seasoned olive oil. Bake for 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
8. Top each baguette slice with a spoonful of tomato bruschetta and a small sprinkle of shredded parmesan (optional).