Homemade Bruschetta with Parmesan

Bruschetta is one of my favorite appetizers! It’s a simple and guaranteed crowd-pleaser, perfect for a summer patio party!

close up of tomato bruschetta on French bread

Bruschetta is the perfect way to showcase those fresh tomatoes in the garden. If you’ve got fresh basil that’s a bonus! This recipe is great for summer nights as an appetizer.

If you travel to Italy, you’ll find out that bruschetta is actually just the slices of grilled or toasted bread. In ancient times, it’s what olive farmers would use to sample their olive oil. Over time, various toppings like tomatoes, cured meats, and cheeses made their way onto these tiny pieces of toast.

ingredients used for bruschetta

The basis of this recipe is simple – just chop and prepare your ingredients, mix them up in a bowl, and chill for 20 minutes or so. You can play around with the ratios of ingredients to your liking, or even add in some red onion, or swap the balsamic vinegar for some balsamic glaze!

Bread and low-carb options

To make the crostinis, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grab half of a French or Italian bread loaf and cut into the desired thickness. Lay the slices on a baking tray and spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 5-7 minutes until the desired toasty-ness!

crostinis lined out on a baking tray

I like an even tomato to bread ratio so I opt for thin slices of bread that are about ¼ of an inch. You can cut to whatever thickness you want, but it may require a little more time in the oven. Be careful and the bread doesn’t burn! 

If you are keto or looking to cut carbs, you can also use endive, which is a type of lettuce. The leaves of endive are sturdy and neutral in flavor, so you can peel the leaves off and it will form the perfect little rounded vessel!

Tips for the best homemade bruschetta

  • Using roma tomatoes is the key ingredient for bruschetta. It’s important to use romas because they have that concentrated tomato flavor — even better if you can get them garden fresh!. They also have fewer seeds and firmer skin that will hold up when diced and mixed with the other ingredients. It’ll result in the best bruschetta!
  • Adding shredded parmesan cheese adds a savory, sharp flavor that will balance out the acidity from the balsamic vinegar. Don’t forget this step!
  • Mince the garlic super finely. Because the garlic is raw, the flavor will be very intense if you happen to get a chunk!

bruschetta crostinis with basil and parmesan on a platter

More Favorite Summer Recipes

If you love this recipe, try one of these mouthwatering recipes below!

Homemade Bruschetta with Parmesan

Bruschetta is the perfect way to showcase those fresh tomatoes in the garden, perfect for a summer appetizer!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: bruschetta
Servings: 4
Author: Globally Flavored

Ingredients

  • 2 roma tomatoes deseeded and finely diced
  • 4 basil leaves chiffonade (cut into thin ribbons)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of shredded parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon of sea salt
  • To serve
  • ½ loaf of French or Italian bread OR 4-5 endive

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Deseed the roma tomatoes and finely dice into quarter-inch squares.
  • Chop the basil and mince the garlic.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients into a bowl and mix, then refrigerate for 20 minutes or so. You can also skip this step, it’s not imperative but more of a preference!
  • Cut the French or Italian bread loaf to the desired thickness. Lay the slices on a baking tray and spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 5-7 minutes until the desired toasty-ness! If using endive, chop the bottom end off and peel the leaf layers off.
  • Spoon the bruschetta over the bread or the endive leaves. Enjoy!

Let me know if you tried this recipe below in the comments!



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