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| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 189 | calories |
| 14g | Fat |
| 14g | carbohydrates |
| 3g | protein |
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| nutritional information | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| amount per serving | |
| calories | 189 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| 14g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 10% |
| 0mg | 0% |
| 236 mg | 10% |
| 14g | 5% |
| dietary fiber 2g | 8th % |
| total sugar 5g | |
| 3g | |
| Vitamin C 21 mg | 107% |
| Calcium 30 mg | 2% |
| Iron 1 mg | 5% |
| Potassium 386 mg | 8th % |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) indicates how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories per day is used for general nutritional advice. | |
(Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Bruschetta is one of the easiest and fastest things in the world and thanks to high-quality ingredients it is fantastically delicious. There are many different types of bruschetta, but the most popular variant is grilled bread slices rubbed with raw garlic and topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and salt.
What exactly is bruschetta?
In its simplest form, bruschetta – pronounced “broo-“ske-tuh” with a “k” sound – is simply toasted or grilled bread with plenty of olive oil. The word comes from the Italian verb glasseswhat “toast” or “toast” means, explains legendary Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan in Basics of classic Italian cuisine. “On those brisk days that bridge the transition from fall to winter and signal the release of the year's fresh-pressed olive oil, toasting bread over a smoky fire and steeping in flavorful, laser-green, freshly-minted oil is probably an equally ancient practice like Rome itself,” Hazan writes in the book. “From Rome, bruschetta spread to the rest of central Italy—Umbria, Tuscany, Abruzzo—and acquired other ingredients: now invariably garlic, and here and there tomatoes.”
The ingredients for good bruschetta
Use the freshest, highest quality ingredients to make the best bruschetta. Since there are only a few ingredients, each one is important. Here's what you need to make this classic version of bruschetta:
- Bread: Choose a good rustic Tuscan or Italian bread for the tastiest base. You can buy it from your favorite baker or bake your own Italian bread.
- Olive oil: High-quality, fruity extra virgin olive oil is best.
- Garlic: Large, fatty cloves of garlic are the easiest to use in this recipe, as you'll be rubbing them directly onto the bread.
- Tomatoes: Vine tomatoes taste best in the summer, but at other times of the year you can sometimes find good greenhouse and cherry tomatoes in the supermarket. If you find old tomatoes, they're usually full of flavor. Regardless of the type of tomato you use, choose medium-ripe tomatoes—you want them ripe enough to have lots of flavor but not so ripe that they become soupy.
- Flake Sea Salt: Now it's time to get out your favorite finishing salt. Salt with large flakes, such as Maldon, looks and tastes good on bruschetta.
- Basil: While you're picking those farm-fresh tomatoes, grab a pretty bunch of basil for the final garnish of your bruschetta.
How to serve bruschetta
Since the ideal way to prepare bruschetta is to toast the slices of bread on a charcoal grill, bruschetta makes a great appetizer for any summer cookout or cookout. Serve the bruschetta while the bread is still warm from the grill. A rose (pink) or a Lambrusco is a great wine accompaniment to this summery treat.
“Bruschetta is a very appetizing dish, simple and easy to prepare. The recipe is very refreshing, which makes it perfect for summer picnics and BBQs. I used vine tomatoes with a good quality olive oil as suggested in the recipe and the result was just amazing.” -Tara Omidvar
2 to 3 Middle ripe Tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oildivided
4 slices Tuscan breador any other rustic Italian bread
2 cloves Garlichalved
flaky sea salt, for garnish
Roughly chopped fresh basil leavesfor garnish
Gather the ingredients.
The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi
Combine the chopped tomatoes and half the olive oil in a bowl and toss to combine. Marinate the tomatoes at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi
Toast the bread slices on a charcoal grill, in the oven or in the toaster until golden brown.
The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi
Rub the grilled bread slices gently with the cut end of the raw garlic cloves.
The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi
Top each slice with the marinated tomatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and chopped fresh basil leaves. Finally, drizzle some remaining olive oil on top. Serve immediately.
The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi
recipe variations
- If you omit the tomatoes and basil and simply drizzle the garlic-rubbed roasted slices with extra virgin olive oil, you have what they call fatunta (literally “oily disk”) in Tuscany or the Italian version of garlic bread.
- Romans sometimes top their bruschetta with anchovies and fresh mozzarella.
- Sicilians may use fresh oregano instead of fresh basil.
- Another Tuscan favorite is white cannellini beans on the bruschetta instead of tomatoes, garnished with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
- A winter version of Tuscan-style bruschetta includes cooked dinosaur kale (aka Tuscan kale, lacinato kale, or…). black cabbage).
