Authentic Italian Bruschetta Al Pomodoro — this recipe came straight from Italy, along with all our tips and tricks!
This appetizer begins with bread brushed with olive oil, grilled, and rubbed with fresh garlic. The toppings for bruschetta can be different, like a tomato mixture (which is the recipe we’re sharing today!), beans, cured meats, vegetables, cheeses, and more.
Check out the other recipes I was generously given while traveling through Italy — this Gelato, Apple Fennel Salad, Beef Ragu, and Pepperoni Saporiti.
BruschettabRecipe
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have caught a glimpse of our recent trip to Italy. We were able to visit Venice, Rome, Naples, the Almalfi Coast (Positano, Amalfi, Ravello), Pisa, Siena, Pompeii, and finally Florence.
While we were in Italy we took a few local cooking classes and learned to make so many different Italian dishes and desserts. One of the cooking classes (my favorite one!) took place in the countryside near Siena in Le Pietre Vive farmhouse. The cooking class was in an adorable kitchen surrounded by a large farm, livestock, and tons of olive trees. (Most of the ingredients we used were grown/produced right on the farm.) Our teacher, Nonna Ciana, couldn’t be a cuter grandma! She spoke little English, but was accompanied by a very entertaining translator.
Nonna Ciana taught us how to make a few authentic Italian dishes (and a dessert). We spent nearly four hours cooking in her kitchen before sitting down to enjoy the best meal I had while in Italy! For the appetizer, we made three varieties of easy bruschetta.
What Is Italian Bruschetta?
Bruschetta is a classic antipasto (appetizer) originating from Italy that consists of grilled bread, and is topped with ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil.
The three different varieties of Bruschetta we made were fett’unta (bruschetta with olive oil), bruschetta with pecorino cheese and chili honey, and bruschetta al pomodoro (bruschetta with tomatoes). All three were absolutely delicious – especially for how simple they were to create – but my favorite was the bruschetta al pomodoro!
Variations
- For bruschetta with olive oil: Grill or broil slices of bread, rub with a clove of garlic, top with extra virgin olive oil, and finish with a sprinkle of salt. Add some fresh thyme too if desired.
- For bruschetta with cheese and chili honey: Grill or boil slices of bread, rub with a clove of garlic, top with a slice of pecorino cheese, and add a drizzle of honey. (Use saffron honey, chili honey, or truffle honey for a fun twist).
- We love this appetizer so much, we created two delicious main dishes inspired by it — this Bruschetta Chicken and this Bruschetta Pasta!
- Try this bruschetta with balsamic glaze, either homemade or purchased glaze. Make bruschetta mozzarella by adding diced mozzarella pearls to the tomato mixture and adding a balsamic glaze.
Bruschetta Ingredients
You can make outstanding dishes with just a few really good quality ingredients. You don’t need a hundred ingredients combined with complicated techniques to make delicious food!
This sentiment was emphasized over and over again in each cooking class and especially by Nonna Ciana. Each dish we prepared required very few ingredients, but those ingredients were always the best available. Garden fresh and perfectly ripe tomatoes, good quality extra-virgin olive oil, real garlic cloves, garden grown basil, etc. For bruschetta bread, we love ciabatta or a good French baguette best!
And this is the case with Bruschetta — it requires few ingredients, but use very best ingredients available for the best possible flavor.
Here are all the top tips from our Italian cooking class:
How To Make Bruschetta
- Pro-tip: Prepare the tomato mixture at least an hour in advance to allow the flavors to develop and the juice to drain to the bottom of the bowl.
- Tear the basil into smaller pieces with your hands instead of cutting with a knife. This will keep the basil fresher and looking bright/vibrant for much longer. The tears don’t need to be perfect, just quickly tear off smallish pieces of basil and add to a bowl.
- Cut the tomatoes into very small and as even-sized pieces as possible.
- Toss together the chopped tomatoes and ripped basil into a bowl and then create a dome in the bowl with the tomatoes and basil. Drizzle the olive oil and salt over it all and don’t stir. Let that stand at room temperature until ready to top the bread.
- Toast or grill the bread until crisp but not browned, and as soon as you remove it from the oven, rub the cut side of a garlic clove on BOTH sides of the bread.
- Drain the accumulated juices from the tomato mixture and spoon the chopped tomatoes on top of the warm bread right before serving.
Bruschetta FAQs
What do you serve with Bruschetta?
- Serve with soup and salad (this Italian Salad or Garden Salad)
- Make this appetizer part of an antipasto platter or cheese board. Add in a serving bowl of homemade pesto!
- Serve with a big pasta salad (like this Mediterranean Pasta Salad).
- Serve before a simple pasta dish.
What type of bread is best for Bruschetta?
Any kind of rustic bread is great! Here are a few things to look for: Neutral flavor, good crust, and able to be grilled or broiled and topped with tomato mixture without falling apart.
My favorites: Ciabatta, French baguettes, and sourdough.
Do you eat Bruschetta hot or cold?
I like to serve Bruschetta hot or cold. I prefer the bread to be warm from the grill (or oven) with room temperature tomatoes — delish!
More Crave-Worthy Tomato Dishes:
- Easy Tomato Soup made on the stovetop
- Italian Hoagies with saucy tomatoes
- Avocado Salsa or this fresh and fun Pico De Gallo
- Caprese Quinoa Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Panzanella Salad with sweet corn and cherry tomatoes
Bruschetta
Equipment
- Grill or oven
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups diced very ripe tomatoes, 3 tomatoes, see note 1
- 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- Any rustic Italian loaf sliced into thick coins, see note 2
- 1 clove fresh garlic sliced in half
- 8 large fresh basil leaves ripped into small pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Balsamic reduction optional, for topping
- Flaky Maldon Sea Salt optional, for topping
Instructions
- Dice tomatoes into small, even pieces and place them in a medium bowl. Tear basil leaves into small pieces by hand. Gently stir tomatoes and basil together, then form a dome with the mixture.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dome and sprinkle with salt to taste (I start with 1/2 teaspoon salt). Do not stir. Let it marinate uncovered at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Slice bread 1-inch thick and brush one side with 2–3 tablespoons oil.To Grill: Place oiled side down on a cleaned, hot charcoal grill. Grill until golden brown with grill lines (about 30 seconds at 450°F).To Broil: Set the oven rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler to high. Place the bread oiled side up on a baking sheet and broil 1–2 minutes, watching carefully. Remove from oven.
- Slice a raw garlic clove in half. With the cut end of the garlic, rub grilled bread slices on both sides.
- Taste marinated tomatoes and add more salt if needed. Use a slotted spoon to top each slice of bread with the tomatoes (see note 3). If desired, drizzle with extra oil or balsamic glaze. Enjoy immediately while bread is still warm.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hey! I made this last night and it was fantastic! I spent a semester in Italy and wanted something authentic. Every recipe I found had balsamic vinegar in it (WHY?!) until I came across your recipe. I knew it was authentic when I saw the instructions, especially to tear the basil. Rubbing garlic on the bread gave it the perfect garlicky touch. Thank you so much!
Yay!! So thrilled you enjoyed this; thanks Kendra 🙂
Soooo good, 10/10 would love to make and eat again!
Thanks so much Emilie! 🙂
Ooh, making this now. Just to confirm, we grill only one side of bread, but apply garlic to both sides? Your pictures look amazing!
My kids fell in love with bruschetta during a trip to Tuscany. I was looking for a recipe to make it at home and this one is the most authentic tasting. The whole family loved it.
YAYY!! I’m soo happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
These look absolutely delicious! I love your photos. They make me hungry!
When I moved to Spain I soon realized that Spaniards love to eat toasted bread with olive oil and pureed/grated tomatoes! It is pretty much the same as Italian bruschetta minus basil and that beautiful presentation 🙂
hey girl- I would love to visit Italy! and This bruschetta looks so yummy!
I foresee making this often this summer using garden fresh tomatoes! I found it interesting there are different types of bruschetta…I thought it always had tomatoes!