We love recipes that use a short list of seemingly simple ingredients to result in surprisingly rich flavor, and bruschetta, a traditional Italian appetizer made with tomatoes, might just be the perfect example. There are so many bruschetta recipes to choose from, so you’re sure to find something that will please your palette. You won’t believe how easy bruschetta is to make, and a lot of variations are simply a play on this classic: Hunt's® Easy Tomato Bruschetta.
Here’s how to make bruschetta:
- Gather your ingredients: French baguette, olive oil, Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Slice your French baguette, place the slices on a baking pan, and brush the tops with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes (until toasted).
- Mix tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl.
- Place spoonfuls of the tomato mixture over your toasted bread and serve.
Starting with that basic formula, these bruschetta recipes add new twists on the classic favorite:
1. Tomato-Cheese Bruschetta
For this variation, your tomato mixture will include some chopped sweet onion, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. Bake slices of Italian bread brushed with olive oil for five minutes on each side, until golden brown. Top with your Tomato-Cheese Bruschetta mixture.
2. Gluten-Free Bruschetta
Instead of a French baguette, use sweet potatoes!
- Cut sweet potatoes into slices about 1/4" thick.
- Place the slices in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper if you’d like, then toss until the slices are coated.
- Place slices on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes on each side.
- Top with the tomato mixture and serve.
And as an alternative to sweet potatoes, you could use Udi's® gluten-free French baguettes.
3. Low-Carb Bruschetta
As a healthy option, bruschetta is betta. But you can make it even healthier by eliminating the bread. Zucchini slices are a great alternative for those living la vida low-carb. And this bruschetta recipe is especially simple because there’s no cooking required. Just slice a zucchini and top the raw vegetable with the tomato mixture—easy-breezy, easy bruschetta!
4. Cheesy Bruschetta Pull-Apart Bread
How do you make anything better? Cheese! And with that settled, this is how you make Cheesy Bruschetta Pull-Apart Bread:
- Cut an entire loaf of French or Italian bread like a grid, stopping your cuts about 1/4" from the bottom of the loaf so it stays together (to be pulled apart later!).
- Fill the cuts with a mixture of Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees; uncover and bake for another 10 to get a crispy, golden top.
5. Mexican Bruschetta
Instead of basil, use chopped fresh cilantro in the original bruschetta recipe. Add some diced jalapeño (to your preference for spiciness) and a little lime juice. Spoon it on top of the toasted French baguette, Italian bread, sweet potato rounds, or zucchini slices. This is perfect for any gathering with a south-of-the-border theme—everyone will be expecting guac and queso, and then you’ll blow up the snack table with this tasty bruschetta brouhaha.
6. Antipasto Bruschetta
This is every bit as simple as the original bruschetta recipe—you just add a few more ingredients for a unique flavor profile. This formula features marinated artichokes, diced Italian salami, smoked provolone cheese, Italian parsley, and Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano. After preparing the mixture, refrigerate it for an hour to allow the flavors to blend, then spoon it over your slices, serve, and wait for the compliments to roll in.
Bruschetta recipes are fun and easy to experiment with. You can create your own unique variations with different types of bread, herbs, cheeses, spices, and more. You can even make a batch with Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic or Diced Tomatoes with Green Pepper, Celery, and Onion. There’s no limit to what you can do with the bru!
