two pieces of crusty bread topped with diced tomato and red onion
Jump to Recipe

This homemade Tomato Bruschetta – a simple and quick recipe of diced tomatoes, red onion and basil on toasted sourdough bread with balsamic vinegar and a hint of lime that makes the perfect summer appertiser or afternoon snack! A fresh and delicious Bruschetta recipe for entertaining!

If anyone knows me well, they’ll know that I LOVE tomatoes. Meaning, I would probably eat them every day in many different forms. And one of the best ways to use tomatoes, in my opinion, is with Bruschetta!

Bruschetta (which, in Italy is pronounced Bru-sketta) is a traditional Italian antipasto (starter) of grilled bread that is then rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Sometimes chopped tomatoes were added if they were in season, but things were usually kept simple. 

The inspiration for my Tomato Bruschetta recipe actually came from a movie; Julie & Julia. In the film, Julie (played by Amy Adams) makes this tomato topped Bruschetta and it looked absolutely delicious and fresh in every way! It might have just been because at the time I was pretty hungry but…..I wanted it. And as I couldn’t reach into the t.v. and pull one out, I had to try and make my own.

Thankfully, I had just enough ingredients to make do. Okay, I had more than enough. I had plenty of ingredients to make my tomato mixture shine, but the bread was something I was unsure about.

I had normal sliced bread, but that just wouldn’t do. I wanted something different. Thankfully, what I did have was one leftover hotdog bun. So yes, that’s what I used in the original creation. Not very traditional, right?….Since then, I have been making my Bruschetta with sourdough bread and it’s fabulous! Of course, if you can’t find sourdough then you could use any crusty loaf like a baguette, ciabatta, Turkish bread or any sort of Italian loaf.  

Tips For the best Bruschetta

FOR THE TOMATOES

Always use the best possible tomatoes you can get your hands on. Nice ripe, red, firm tomatoes are going to make such a difference to how good your Bruschetta is! This is a simple recipe that really allows for the ingredients to shine. 

RESERVING THE LIQUID

It’s important when spooning the tomato mixture onto the toast that you do your best not to get much (if any) of the tomato juices onto the bread. This could result in a soggy Bruschetta, and we don’t want that.

two pieces of crusty bread topped with diced tomato and red onion

Tomato Bruschetta

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 slices of crusty sourdough bread
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 ripe tomato diced
  • 1 tbsp red onion diced
  • 1 tsp fresh basil finely sliced
  • ¼ lime juiced
  • ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Brush olive oil on both sides of each slice of bread. Gently toast bread in a frying pan on medium heat until slightly golden on each side. Slice garlic clove in half and rub down each slice of toasted bread. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Add tomatoes, red onion, basil, lime juice and balsamic vinegar to a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and divide between both slices of bread, reserving the liquids. Serve.

Notes

If you can’t get sourdough bread, then you can use any type of crusty loaf like a baguette, ciabatta, turkish bread, etc.
Keyword Budget Meal, Easy, Healthy Recipes, Light Meals, Summer Recipes, Vegetarian

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Sign up today and stay up to date with all the latest recipes, posts and news fresh from the blog!

REMEMBER TO PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!

two slices of crusty sourdough toasted bread topped with a mixture of diced tomatoes, red onion and sliced basil on a round wooden board.