Sweet crunchy peppers mixed with plump, ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, salty feta and fresh sweet basil all on top of little grilled or toasted bread slices and then drizzled in sweet and tangy balsamic reduction. Its fresh, fragrant, savory and light.
I can not believe its taken this long to share this recipe with you! This Bruchetta has been a summer staple in both our houses and I have a feeling it could be in yours soon too. The sweet crunchy peppers mixed with plump, ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, salty feta and fresh sweet basil all on top of little grilled or toasted bread slices and then drizzled in sweet and tangy balsamic reduction. Its fresh, fragrant, savory and light. Everything the perfect summer appetizer should be.
Honestly, I cant tell you how good these are. You just have to try them!
My man, Kevin doesn’t like tomatoes. He will even spit them out on the rare occasion, but usually he just toughs it out and then tells me he’s not a fan. I was totally surprised, but he loved this Bruchetta! ! I didn’t say anything about there being tomatoes in it, he took it outside to eat with Mark and he came back in 5 mins later and said, “I know there are tomatoes in there, but it sure tastes good!”
On this side of the pond we often erroneously refer to Bruchetta as the tomatoey bit that goes on top of the little toasts. In Italy, where it originated, Bruchetta is actually the bread part that has been rubbed in olive oil and grilled. Its then topped with cheese or tomatoes or beans, or veggies, or meats.
I’m pretty sure that now that we know our tomato mixture is not actually Bruchetta, we will still call it that… Even when we eat it with tortilla chips, which we often do. It tastes amazing when its eaten on top of little toasts, but in the interest of eating gluten free and less calories and carbs, it still tastes just as good when eaten with crispy tortilla chips kinda like a salsa.
This weekend we are having a pool party, though it will probably not be much of a pool party since its going to rain, but Debbie and I have been thinking of healthy and delicious snacks to make and this one is going on the list for sure.
It may be raining this weekend for us, but there will be sun out there somewhere. Sun and patio parties and pool parties and bbq’s at the lake… If this recipe makes it to one of your parties, be sure to let us know how it went over. We love hearing from you!
Ingredients
- FOR THE TOMATO TOPPING
- 3 cups tomatoes (approx 8), seeded and diced
- 2 cups orange or yellow pepper , diced
- 1 cup onion , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced or put through a press
- 1/2 cup basil , chopped
- 3/4 cup feta
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp + 1 to 2 tbsp of olive oilFOR THE TOASTS
- baguette or tortilla chips
- olive oil for brushing
- garlic spices such as 'garlic plus'
- balsamic vinegar reduction
Instructions
- Cut up the tomatoes in quarters and then take out the seeds. Dice the tomatoes and place them in a bowl.
- Heat a small skillet on medium-low heat and add a tsp or so of olive oil.
- Next dice up your peppers and onions and then mince your garlic. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 2 mins. Just to take the edge off the bite, but not cooked through. You still want your onions to have a bit of a crunch. Then add the peppers and saute for another min (no more) and remove the mixture from the skillet and into a separate bowl so it doesn't cook any more.
- While the onion mixture cools add the chopped basil and crumbled feta to the bowl.
- When the onion mixture has cooled (this shouldn't take long and you can put it in the fridge for a min to speed up the process if you like), add it to the bowl with the tomatoes. Add the salt, pepper and drizzle the oil on top. Mix them all together well. Make sure to taste it to get the seasoning right. Set aside for a min.
- Turn your oven on to broil.
- Slice up the baguette, place them on a baking tray, brush some olive oil on them and dust them with garlic spices. Broil them in the oven for a few mins on each side and place them on a serving tray when they are done.
- OR put some tortilla chips in a bowl for serving.
- Serve with some balsamic reduction to drizzle over top if you like or just serve it as it is.
I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes either but it looks DELICIOUS!!
Hi Ana, thank you 🙂 You might like tomatoes in this…???!!!
This bruschetta is absolutely STUNNING. Like Kevin, I’m not the biggest fan of tomatoes… but I’ve been known to adore them in dishes like this one. I’m sure I’d be in the same boat as him here and probably want more of this bruschetta because, well, summer’s almost over, and I clearly need to get in my quota of fresh tomatoes! ;)kevin
Hi Erin! Thank you so much! I would love to hear if you make this and fall in love with it like my man 🙂
What type of baguette have you found is best for making bruschetta? Do you buy from the grocery store or go to a bakery? I’m worried if I make my own, the bread will be dry and flakey. If my oven doesn’t have a ‘broil’ option, is baking a good alternativate?
Hi Elle, thanks for stopping by! Yes, you can just as easily bake the bread. Just heat your oven to 425 or so and be careful to watch them. They may take a little longer to get crispy. We don’t buy our crustinis because I find that the store bought ones are too crunchy and I like them crispy with a little chew. Hope that helps!
Hi Julie, Made your bruschetta for guests last night… everyone LOVED this appy! It was gone in a blink of an eye. Not only was it delicious, it looked so beautiful. What I liked best is that this recipe was so easy (not being a very adventurous cook). Thanks! Gail 🙂 PS I had more topping than bread so I threw the remainder in my spaghetti sauce… added some great flavour.
Thanks Gail! I happen to know you are a good cook 🙂 but Im glad you found it easy and delicious!