I am so happy that I am finally able to share this recipe with you!

It has almost been three years since my family moved into our current home. One of the best features is the garden in the backyard! My Husband and I always wanted to start a garden, but didn’t have a good spot in our old backyard. This house has a separate part of the backyard, just for a garden….no excuses!!!

AND our basil plant is a BEAST!!!

So…to get to the important stuff, the bruschetta!! It is so simple to make, just a few ingredients allow the delicious flavors to come through.

Even though we make this delicious treat all year, I think it is the best in Summer! Not only is it so light and flavorful, but we use fresh roma tomatoes and basil from our garden. There is no beating that!!

A few quick tips..

Roma tomatoes are universally recommended for bruschetta. I actually use roma tomatoes for everything. I find that they are easier to cut and have fewer seeds.

For the garlic, I highly recommend going with fresh garlic instead of any type of minced garlic in a jar. The flavor just isn’t the same. To make the process a little easier, we like to mince the garlic in our food processor.

I find the best way to chop the basil is to roll up the leaves, and then slice it.

The olive oil is added prior to toasting the bread to help create a crusty barrier between the bread and the tomato mixture. This will help prevent your bread from getting soggy right away.

One thing that is great about bruschetta, the longer it sits, the more the flavors combine! That means that you can easily make it ahead of time!

When serving, you can either serve the tomato mixture in a bowl, and allow everyone to scoop the ingredients themselves, or serve the bruschetta with the tomato mixture already on the toasted bread. Note: even though the olive oil helps to create a barrier, the bread could still get soggy if the tomato mixture is on it too long. If using this method to serve, be sure to top the bread right before serving.

Fresh Bruschetta

• 7-8 roma tomatoes, diced
• 4 Cloves of garlic, minced (I love garlic, so I actually use 6 cloves, but this might be too much for beginners 🙂 )
• 8 basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 t balsamic vinegar
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 1 loaf of french bread
• Olive oil to drizzle on bread slices

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Slice the bread on an angle, into about 1/2 inch slices. Place on a baking sheet. Brush olive oil over the top of the bread slices. If you do not have a brush, you can lightly drizzle the oil on the bread, and use a spoon to spread it.
5. Bake the bread for about 4-5 minutes, until the edges are lightly brown and the top of the bread feels crusty.
6. Right before serving, place the toasted bread on a platter and top with bruschetta. Or, place the bruschetta in a bowl, and allow people to top the bread themselves.