Last week a new friend of mine mentioned that she was going to be making bruschetta. It has been on my mind ever since. Several years back, my sister first introduced me to this delicious appetizer and I’ve loved it ever since. I mean really, how can you not love tomato, garlic and basil? YUM!
Since I didn’t have my sisters recipe, I decided to just wing it and throw things together in a bowl until it tasted perfect! What I came up with…. SO GOOD!
Tomato & Basil Bruschetta
1 baguette, cut into 1/2in slices, drizzled with olive oil and toasted
8-10 vine ripe or Roma tomatoes, diced (I used a mix of both for this, but use what you have)
4 large cloves of garlic, minced or thru your garlic press (I used my press)
20 basil leaves, give or take, chopped (mine were relatively small, I used enough so that each bite would have a piece or two in it)
Salt/pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tsp balsamic vinegar (add more if you like!)
fresh grated Parmesan cheese (optional – I didn’t have any this time, but it makes the perfect topper!)
- Dice tomatoes and place in a large bowl.
- Add the garlic and basil. Mix until combined.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the mixture. Stir until combined.
- Cover and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Check mixture to see if it needs more salt/pepper of vinegar. Add if necessary.
- Prepare baguette by slicing, drizzling with oil and toasting (both sides) on a cookie sheet in the oven on broil.
- Let the bread cool then spoon on the tomato mixture. Use a slotted spoon so not too much liquid gets on the bread, we don’t want mushy bruschetta.
- Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.