Quick and easy bruschetta recipe, homemade with simple ingredients in one pot or bowl in 20 minutes. Loaded with fresh tomatoes, basil, onion, garlic, mozzarella cheese. A delicious Italian appetizer or side dish.
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Pronounced “brusketta,” this is the best homemade version of a classic appetizer. The tangy tomatoes balance the onion, garlic, and fresh basil flavor for a delicious combination. For a main course option, try my Bruschetta Chicken (One Pot).
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Key ingredients
- Tomatoes- Make sure they are ripe and juicy for best flavor.
- Onions- These should be finely chopped.
- Oil- Use high quality olive oil.
- Garlic- Fresh is best and I would recommend this over the powder form.
- Basil- I love fresh basil. It adds a lovely pop of color and so much flavor and aroma.
- Vinegar- Balsamic vinegar is the best choice. It's sweet and tangy.
- Salt and pepper- This is added for some flavor.
- Cheese- Freshly shredded mozzarella pairs the best.
How to make easy bruschetta recipe from scratch?
- Toss ingredients- Until combined.
- Chill- To allow flavors to marinate.
- Serve- On top of toasted bread with mozzarella cheese.
What to serve with this?
- It can be served as the appetizer or side to any beef or chicken main course such as Italian Pot Roast (One Pot) or Instant Pot Italian Beef or Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken (One Pot). You can also enjoy it with baked or grilled chicken or steak and even ham.
- It can also be served alongside pizza such as a classic cheese pizza or this Eggplant Pizza (One Pan) or Portobello Mushroom Pizza (One Pan) or Zucchini Pizza.
- Since it is a bread side dish, it goes really well with soups such as Italian Wedding Soup (One Pot) or Italian Meatball Soup (One Pot).
- Serve it alongside pasta such as Italian Sausage Pasta (One Pot) or Penne Alla Vodka (One Pot) or Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta (One Pot). This would also accompany lasagna, ravioli, tortellini, gnocchi very well.
Topping ideas
- Cheese- Freshly grated or shredded is best. Try mozzarella, parmesan or even feta.
- Add avocados- This makes the topping creamy and also adds a healthy fat.
- Mushrooms- Grill mushrooms such as Portobellos, chop them finely, and mix them into the topping.
- Olives- This adds a subtle Greek flavor. Either green on black olives can be used. Slice them thin.
- Bacon- Salty crumbled bacon always pairs well with tomatoes and onions.
- Red peppers- Roasted are best but finely chopped fresh peppers can be used too.
- Jalapenos or red chili flakes- This adds a spicy kick.
- Balsamic sauce/ glaze- This can be homemade or store-bought- For the homemade version, combine balsamic vinegar with a sweetener such as granulated sugar, brown sugar, or honey and cook over medium heat on the stove until it's reduced to a thick "glaze-like" consistency.
Tips and techniques
- Fresh tomatoes vs. Canned tomatoes- Fresh will always taste better, especially since they won't be as watery.
- What kind of onion to use? Either red onions or white onions can be used.
- Use ripe tomatoes- They will produce the best flavor and texture.
- Serve a crowd- Make a bigger batch by doubling or even tripling all the ingredients.
- Make ahead instructions- Make the topping 1 day in advance, and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to serve. Then, top the toasted bread and serve.
- Should it be served warm/ hot or cold? I serve this version cold, which is the way it is typically served. However, you can heat it and serve it slightly warm.
- Fresh basil vs. Dried basil- Nothing beats fresh basil. It will provide the brightest and tastiest flavor. It also makes for a beautiful presentation.
Recipe FAQs
The difference is in the type of breads that's used. The first one is made by toasting or grilling whole, wide slices of a rustic Italian sourdough bread, typically rubbed in garlic, olive oil. Crostini, on the other hand, is made by slicing and toasting smaller, rounder, finer textured bread, similar to a baguette.
Make a pasta salad. Just mix in the topping to boiled and drained pasta. Try spaghetti, macaroni, rotini or even shells. Another option is to enjoy it as a pizza topping.
Use a sourdough or Italian loaf. You can even use garlic bread.
It's actually stale bread and not the topping. Traditionally, Italians would slice bread, rub garlic on it, drizzle olive oil all over it, and then toast or char the bread making it perfect and sturdy for adding toppings. However, in America we tend to call the tomato, garlic, onion topping by that term, even though we are very wrong.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Leftover tomato dip can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you are ready to enjoy, assemble at the time and enjoy.
- Can you freeze this? No, because the tomatoes and onions will become soggy and "mushy" and loose their firm texture. Furthermore, the mixture will become very watery as it thaws.
- Make ahead- The tomato topping can be made 3 hours in advance but it needs to be assembled just prior to serving.
More one pot vegetarian appetizers
- Caprese Skewers (One Pot)
- Homemade Veggie Dip (One Pot)
- Creamy Dill Dip (One Pot)
- Spinach Artichoke Dip (One Bowl)
- Tzatziki Sauce (One Bowl)
Recipe
One Pot Homemade Bruschetta
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Ingredients
- 3 cups Roma tomatoes Ripe, Washed, Patted dry, Finely chopped
- ¼ cup Onion Finely chopped, Red or white
- 2 cloves Garlic Finely minced
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup Basil Fresh, Thinly sliced
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
- ½ cup Mozzarella cheese Shredded, Optional
Instructions
- Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, pepper in a medium-size bowl and toss everything together until combined.
- For best results, cover and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to marinate and deepen.
- Serve it on top of toasted bread or garlic bread.
- Top it off with shredded mozzarella cheese (optional).
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftover tomato topping can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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